Compact L-edge densitometer for uranium concentration assay

A new L-edge densitometer was designed around a compact, commercial X-ray generator weighing less than 5 kg. The dc generator X-ray spectrum was tailored to produce a continuum of X-ray energies from 14 to 20 keV. The X-rays were transmitted through uranium reference solutions, and the measured transmissions near the uranium L/sub III/-absorption edge were used to compute the uranium concentration assay result. The range of uranium concentrations in the reference solutions included 5 to 50 g/1. In this concentration range, the assay uncertainty for short count times and the flatness of the specific assay response were better than 0.5%. Thus, the precision and accuracy of this compact densitometer are equal to those demonstrated previously for the L-edge technique. The compact dimensional and optimized transmission geometry increase the practicality, versatility, and range of the L-edge applications.