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DTRA’s advancements in nuclear and radiological detection
A new, more complex nuclear age has begun. Echoing the tensions of the Cold War amid rapidly evolving nuclear and radiological threats, preparedness in the modern age is a contest of scientific innovation. The Research and Development Directorate (RD) at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) is charged with winning this contest.
Tatsuhiko Uda, Hajime Iba, Hiroyuki Tsuchiya
Nuclear Technology | Volume 73 | Number 1 | April 1986 | Pages 109-115
Technical Paper | Material | doi.org/10.13182/NT86-A16207
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Melt refining as a means of uranium decontamination of metallic wastes was examined. Samples of mild steel, contaminated with uranium, were melted by adding SiO2-CaO-Al2O3 ternary system fluxes. Various melting temperatures and times were used, and the uranium concentrations in the resulting ingots were determined. Flux, and hence slag, composition was found to influence the level of decontamination, but melting temperature and time had little effect. Using the most effective flux composition (10 SiO2-50 CaO-40 Al2O3), uranium concentration was lowered from a contamination level of 500 to 0.027 ppm, a value nearly that of the initial steel before contamination. When the ionic character of slag was defined using basicity [the mole ratio of basic oxide (CaO) to acidic oxide (SiO2 + Al2O3)], the optimum decontamination value was found near a basicity of 1.6. The slag anions of silicate or aluminate seemed to affect the uranium decontamination.