Identification of unknown nuclear fuel by impurities and physical parameters

Analytical parameters sufficient for identification of nuclear materialof unknown origin have been assayed for a number of examples of uranium dioxidefuel. These parameters comprise isotopic composition of uranium and the morphologyfeatures of a fuel pellet. However, in practice, it occurs that a sample ofan industrial material corresponds frequently to the specification limitsof several suppliers. In order to narrow further a range for potential sources,additional analytical parameters are necessary, such as fuel pellet impuritylevels and surface roughness. In this study we utilise results from the followingnuclear analytical techniques: thermal-ionization mass spectrometry, glowdischarge mass spectrometry and profilometry. By way of example, we demonstratehow these results serve to differentiate the sources of confiscated, vagabondnuclear materials.