[en] A reliable prediction of the in-pile and out-of-pile physics characteristics of nuclear fuel is one of the objectives of present-day reactor physics. The paper describes the main production paths of important actinides for light water and fast breeder reactors. The accuracy of recent nuclear data is examined by comparisons of theoretical predictions with the results from post-irradiation analysis of nuclear fuel from power reactors, and partly with results obtained in zero-power facilities. A world-wide comparison of nuclear data to be used in large fast power reactor burn-up and long term considerations is presented. The needs for further improvement of nuclear data are discussed. (orig.)

[en] The energies of the quadrupole and hexadecapole vibrational states for some nuclei are calculated in the actinide region. The influence of the coupling between quadrupole and hexadecapole modes on the vibrational energies is studied. (author)

[en] Assessment of the uses of actinide nuclides in non-reactor application fields is presented. An evaluation of the needs for transactinium isotope nuclear data is made, and the requirements for nuclear data, particularly nuclear decay data, and their associated accuracies are tabulated. (author)

[en] The organization and program of the Nuclear Data Project are described. An Evaluated Nuclear Structure Data File (ENSDF) was designed to contain most of the data of nuclear structure physics. ENSDF includes adopted level information for all 1950 known nuclei, and detailed data for approximately 1500 decay schemes. File organization, management, and retrieval are reviewed. An international network of data evaluation centers has been organized to provide for a four-year cycle of ENSDF revisions. Standard retrieval and display programs can prepare various tables of specific data, which can serve as a good first approximation to a complete up-to-date compilation. Appendixes list, for A > 206, nuclear levels with lifetimes > or = 1 s, strong γ rays from radioisotopes (ordered by nuclide and energy), and strong α particle emissions (similarly ordered). 8 figures

[en] A total of 46 papers were presented under the categories (1) analytical methods for actinides in biological tissues; (2) in-vivo measurements; (3) concentrations, amounts, and distribution of actinides in human tissues; (4) occupational exposures; (5) metabolism of actinides in man and animals; (6) ecosystem studies; and (6) metabolic modeling of actinides. Eight of the papers were previously input to the data base. The remaining 38 were input from this volume

[en] The poster presentation includes brief descriptions of the preparation and applications of ²⁴⁰Pu, ²⁴⁴Pu, ²⁴³Cm, ²⁴⁵Cm, ²⁴⁸Cm, ²⁴⁹Cf, ²⁵⁴C, ²⁵³Es, and ²⁵⁴Es

[en] Despite the apparent complexity of nuclear structural evolution, recent work has shown a remarkable underlying simplicity that is unexpected, global, and which leads to new signatures for structure based on the easiest-to-obtain data. As such they will be extremely valuable for use in the experiments with low intensity radioactive beams. Beautiful correlations based either on extrinsic variables such as N_pN_n or the P-factor or correlations between collective observables themselves have been discovered. Examples to be discussed include a tri-partite classification of structural evolution, leading to a new paradigm that discloses certain specific classes of nuclei, universal trajectories for B(E2: w₁⁺ → 0₁⁺) values and their use in extracting hexadecapole deformations from this observable alone, the use of these B(E2) values to identify shell gaps and magic numbers in exotic nuclei, the relationship of β and γ deformations, and single nucleon separation energies. Predictions for nuclei far off stability by interpolation will also be discussed

No abstract available

[en] More than 200 actinide isotopes are known; most of them have very short half-lives (only 45 with T_1/2 > 40 days). Only 41 have been predicted capable of a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction, some of them with fast neutrons and others with either thermal or fast neutrons. Of these 41 there are 13 nuclides for which the average production is >1 g/tonne for pressurized water reactors or boiling water reactors (35 GWd/tonne--power 35 W/g; cooling time, 90 days). Six actinides, ²³³U, ²³⁵U, ²³⁸U, ²³⁹Pu, ²⁴⁰Pu, and ²⁴¹Pu, have cross sections that are relatively well known. Cross sections for the other actinides are not as well known. In the United States, criticality safety guidelines for nuclides other than ²³³U, ²³⁵U, and ²³⁹Pu is provided by the American National Standard for Nuclear Criticality Control of Special Actinide Elements, ANSI/ANS-8.15. The standard appeared in 1981 and was reaffirmed in 1987 and 1995. The standard provides guidance for 14 nuclei: ²³⁷Np, ²³⁸Pu, ²⁴⁰Pu, ²⁴¹Pu, ²⁴²Pu, ²⁴¹Am, ^242mAm, ²⁴³Am, ²⁴³Cm, ²⁴⁴Cm, ²⁴⁵Cm, ²⁴⁷Cm, ²⁴⁹Cf, and ²⁵¹Cf. The ANS-8.15 Standard Work Group is in the process of revising the standard. Five nuclides will be added to the list of nuclides included--²³¹Pa, ²³⁴U, ²⁵⁰Cf, ²⁵²Cf, and ²⁵⁴Es--resulting in a total of 19 nuclides in the revised standard. Subcritical mass limits in the current standard are based on calculations by Clark and Westfall. The calculations were based on ENDF/B-IV and preliminary ENDF/B-V evaluations. For several of the actinides, new or revised evaluations are available in ENDF/B-VI. All of the 19 nuclides in the revised standard are included in the current paper with the exception of ²³¹Pa. In a previous paper, minimum critical mass estimates for metal-water mixtures (spherical geometry), fully reflected by water, for 20 fissile nuclides with values of Z between 92 and 99 were given. A simple exponential fit was developed that gives quite accurate values for the minimum critical masses. The minimum critical masses of metal spheres using the SCALE/XSDRN program have been calculated and are given in Sec. II of this paper. Results for reflected spheres are also available. Results for 28 actinides are included in Table 1; only 1 nuclide, ²³²Pa (T_1/2 = 1.31 day), has a half-life <40 days

[en] Johnston Island in the Pacific Ocean was contaminated as a result of weapons testing in the early 1960's. A recent cleanup project removed approximately 540 tons of actinide contaminated debris from a missile launch site. The site removal effort consisted of monitoring all debris for contamination levels, fixing contamination in place and packaging materials to meet DOT regulations for both land and water transportation. This report presents details of this recent practical project in site decontamination and details decommissioning of an actinide only contaminated site