DETERMINATION OF TRACE-ELEMENTS IN URANIUM BY INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA-ATOMIC EMISSION-SPECTROMETRY USING KALMAN FILTERING

When uranium hexafluoride is analyzed for trace impurities using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry, the Kalman filter approach to data reduction has been applied. Thirty elements including boron and rare-earth elements can be directly determined in hydrolyzed UF6 under compromise ICP conditions, without any chemical separation. Six volatile fluorides can be detected but not quantified at the required concentration level, due to limitations of the ICP-AES technique itself. The setup of a routine analysis by one single, simple and fast method is described. In contrast, the conventional use of ICP-AES requires the elimination of the huge spectral interferences through at least four extraction schemes to determine the elements listed in the UF6 feed and product specifications for an enrichment plant (ASTM C787 and C996) and some elements required by customers.