Current status of the multi-isotopic transuranic-waste-assay system

We have designed, constructed, tested, and are scheduled to field a 208-l barrel-sized working version of our multi-isotopic transuranic assay system. This system uses both passive neutron multiplicity and pulsed active measurements to identify and quantify spontaneous neutron emitters and fissile TRU isotopes. Using the system we can separately quantify up to seven individual transuranic isotopes under favorable conditions with the intrinsic sensitivity to screen or assay barrels at or below the 10 nCi/g transuranic level. Our measured 3 sigma sensitivity for /sup 239/Pu is about 0.5 mg. A large range of waste matrix materials can be accommodated by the system, as well as extremes in both gamma-ray and neutron backgrounds