Propagation of Nuclear Forensics Signatures at the Front-end of the Fuel Cycle

An earlier IAEA Coordinated Research Project study undertaken by the European Commission on ''Procedures and Techniques for Nuclear Forensics Investigations'' examined various potential signatures (e.g. metallic and anionic impurities, Pb and Sr isotope ratios, U minor isotopes) in a large suite of uranium ore concentrate (UOC) samples. The results of that study clearly identified several signatures, to include rare earth element (REE) patterns and the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio, which can be exploited to provide information on the type of uranium ore deposit, and therefore, on its geolocation. However, in order to explore if these identified signatures have the potential to be further used in more processed U-compounds, it is necessary to study their robustness through further (chemical) processing and to examine if they propagate without alteration into uranium products such as UO₃, UO₂ and UF₄. In order to understand stability or alteration of signatures, the accompanying chemical and technological processes have to be considered. The present CRP study ''Propagation of Nuclear Forensics Signatures at the Front-End of the Fuel Cycle'' addresses this issue. In addition, new isotopic signatures have been studied.