Speaker
Description
Contrary to expectations based on simulations of neutron irradiation, the discharges from medical isotope production facilities (MIPFs) differ from the radioxenon isotopic activity ratios typically associated with decay chain ingrowth following a nuclear explosion whenever 131mXe is present. This discrepancy is explained in this presentation through fundamental physical principles and demonstrated using measurement data collected as part of the Source Term Analysis of Xenon (STAX) project. Another important finding from the analysis of STAX data is the correlation between specific isotopes, with the correlation coefficient varying based on the source. In cases where only one radioxenon isotope is observed, these linear dependencies can be used to estimate the expected source strength of the other isotope with the presumption that a particular model type could be the source of an event. Further relevant conclusions can be drawn from analyzing STAX data on event screening. The upper ranges of isotopic activity ratios of MIPFs and nuclear power plants are compared to the thresholds applied by the International Data Centre (IDC), which uses isotopic activity ratio screening flags to indicate a possible prompt release from a nuclear explosion.
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