Development of a digital-analogue robotic system for input solution and mixed oxide samples

Automated analytical systems for uranium and plutonium samples have been under development at the Nuclear Material Control Center (NMCC) since 1983. These include two systems for a large scale reprocessing plant for measurement of input solution samples and for measurement of mixed oxide (MOX) samples using automated destructive analysis procedures. Diverse tasks, such as designing the enclosures, developing the control systems and performing preparatory experiments, were combined. On the basis of NMCC's routine manual analysis, input solution sample analysis employing the isotope dilution method has been automated. A new method has been applied to automate the analysis of MOX powder samples. This method uses glass bead samples prepared by the system. Each sample may have different properties; therefore each is processed in different enclosures. The methods for the two analyses were quite different. The technical considerations were based on NMCC's ten years of expertise in nuclear material analysis. (author). 4 refs