PNNL

Abstract

ABSTRACT There is intense interest in characterizing nuclear explosion debris following the terrorist use of a nuclear weapon or improvised nuclear device. The quality of the laboratory analyses of such samples is critical if action is to be taken based on those analyses. Thus, validating methods against well characterized nuclear debris is of interest, however, actual nuclear explosion debris is difficult to obtain. PNNL has embarked on a program to develop laboratory methods to synthesize materials which mimic nuclear explosion debris with respect to selected characteristics. Which characteristics are mimicked depends on the application. For tests of laboratory radioanalytical capabilities, materials with relatively few characteristics in common with actual debris are useful. For other applications, material properties may need to match real debris to a greater extent, e.g., for fate and transport studies the chemical behavior should match real debris in detail. We will describe methods by which these materials can be produced and highlight some of the issues associated with such operations.