| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2023 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Late News Poster Session
|
| Presentation Title |
Differential Scanning Calorimetry as a Fingerprinting Technique to Detect Historical Uranium Enrichment in PCTFE |
| Author(s) |
Nouf Almousa, Rachel Connick, Kevin Woller, R. Scott Kemp, Michael Short |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Nouf Almousa |
| Abstract Scope |
The concept has been proven: the ability to detect irreversible calorimetric fingerprint of low radioactivity from uranium alpha emissions in the common enrichment gasket material PTFE [1]. Similar to the PTFE, the polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE) is one of the materials that can be found in uranium enrichment equipment. In this work, a thermal analysis technique, the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), is used to observe the melting and recrystallization of the semi-crystalline polymer PCTFE. The DSC-measured bulk thermal properties are found to be statically sufficiently sensitive to the effect of very low alpha radiation doses. Additionally, the shifting and the changing in the shape of the melting and recrystallization peaks may lock in valuable information on the peak area and the thermal properties of the material which can be correlated with the alpha particle fluence, and hence, pave the way for fingerprinting of uranium enrichment for nuclear forensics. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Undecided |