Separation of protactinium from uranium-niobium alloys for 231Pa-235U radiochronometry in nuclear forensic investigations

Christine Yifeng Chen; Matthew A Higginson; Theresa M Kayzar-Boggs; Joanna S Denton; James Dunne; Mark A Edwards; Charlotte Eng; John R Engel; Amy M Gaffney; Chris Gilligan; Maya N Morris; John M Rolison; Matthew E Sanborn; Allison M Wende

doi:10.1007/s10967-023-08928-y

Separation of protactinium from uranium-niobium alloys for ²³¹Pa-²³⁵U radiochronometry in nuclear forensic investigations

J Radioanal Nucl Chem. 2023 May 18:1-16. doi: 10.1007/s10967-023-08928-y. Online ahead of print.

Affiliations

¹ Cosmochemical and Isotopic Signatures Group, Nuclear and Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94550 USA.
² Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston, RG7 4PR UK.
³ Nuclear and Radiochemistry Group, Chemistry Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 USA.

Abstract

The isolation and purification of protactinium from uranium materials is essential for ²³¹Pa-²³⁵U radiochronometry, but separating Pa from uranium-niobium alloys, a common material in the nuclear fuel cycle, is challenging due to the chemical similarity of Pa and Nb. Here we present three resin chromatography separation techniques for isolating Pa from U and Nb which were independently developed by three different laboratories through ad hoc adaptations of standard operating procedures. Our results underscore the need for and value of purification methods suitable for a diversity of uranium-based materials to ensure the operational readiness of nuclear forensics laboratories.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10967-023-08928-y.

Keywords: 231Pa/235U; Actinide separations; Nuclear forensics; Protactinium; Radiochronometry; Uranium alloy.

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