Identification of Pu and U isotopic composition and its applications in environmental and CBRN research

This paper describes the most common presently used methods for detecting uranium and plutonium isotopes after their introduction to environment. Known isotope ratios of U and Pu in different nuclear events are important tool for characterizing the sources of nuclear material. Detection techniques both in field and in laboratory are presented, as well as different models that can be used for identifying the origin and age of the nuclear material. Identification of the source of nuclear material in environmental samples is needed for estimating the quality and quantity of the nuclear hazard. This information is essential in risk assessment and crisis management, in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear(CBRN) research after e.g. a terrorist attack, in radioecology and environmental radioactivity research.

An Upwind Mixed Finite Volume Element-fractional Step Method and Convergence Analysis for Three-dimensional Compressible Contamination Treatment from Nuclear Waste

In this paper the authors discuss a numerical simulation problem of three-dimensional compressible contamination treatment from nuclear waste. The mathematical model, a nonlinear convection-diffusion system of four PDEs, determines four major physical unknowns: the pressure, the concentrations of brine and radionuclide, and the temperature. The pressure is solved by a conservative mixed finite volume element method, and the computational accuracy is improved for Darcy velocity. Other unknowns are computed by a composite scheme of upwind approximation and mixed finite volume element. Numerical dispersion and nonphysical oscillation are eliminated, and the convection-dominated diffusion problems are solved well with high order computational accuracy. The mixed finite volume element is conservative locally, and get the objective functions and their adjoint vector functions simultaneously. The conservation nature is an important character in numerical simulation of underground fluid. Fractional step difference is introduced to solve the concentrations of radionuclide factors, and the computational work is shortened significantly by decomposing a three-dimensional problem into three successive one-dimensional problems. By the theory and technique of a priori estimates of differential equations, we derive an optimal order estimates in L2norm. Finally, numerical examples show the effectiveness and practicability for some actual problems.

An Upwind Mixed Volume Element-Fractional Step Method on a Changing Mesh for Compressible Contamination Treatment from Nuclear Waste

In this paper the authors discuss the numerical simulation problem of threedimensional compressible contamination treatment from nuclear waste.The mathematical model is defined by an initial-boundary nonlinear convection-diffusion system of four partial differential equations:a parabolic equation for the pressure,two convection-diffusion equations for the concentrations of brine and radionuclide and a heat conduction equation for the temperature.The pressure appears within the concentration equations and heat conduction equation,and the Darcy velocity controls the concentrations and the temperature.The pressure is solved by the conservative mixed volume element method,and the order of the accuracy is improved by the Darcy velocity.The concentration of brine and temperature are computed by the upwind mixed volume element method on a changing mesh,where the diffusion is discretized by a mixed volume element and the convection is treated by an upwind scheme.The composite method can solve the convection-dominated diffusion problems well because it eliminates numerical dispersion and nonphysical oscillation and has high order computational accuracy.The mixed volume element has the local conservation of mass and energy,and it can obtain the brine and temperature and their adjoint vector functions simultaneously.The conservation nature plays an important role in numerical simulation of underground fluid.The concentrations of radionuclide factors are solved by the method of upwind fractional step difference and the computational work is decreased by decomposing a three-dimensional problem into three successive one-dimensional problems and using the method of speedup.By the theory and technique of a priori estimates of differential equations,we derive an optimal order result in L^(2) norm.Numerical examples are given to show the effectiveness and practicability and the composite method is testified as a powerful tool to solve the well-known actual problem.