Assay of uranium in scrap and waste produced at natural uranium metal production and fuel fabrication plants

The results and observations on the analyses of uranium in calcium fluoride slag, silica cake and fused salt cake obtained in U metal and fuel plants are described. The analysis is done by: non-destructive assay by passive gamma ray counting; chemical analysis; and solid state nuclear track detector (SSNTD) technique. The details of the development of NDA method to suit the requirements of the sample are given. The difficulties encountered in chemical assay are described. SSNTD method has been applied to such materials for the estimation of U for the first time. A simple scheme for the recovery of U and the salt mixture from the fused salt cake is also described. 10 ref.--AA