R. Scott Kemp, "Initial Analysis of the Detectability of UO2F2 Aerosols Produced by UF6 Released from Uranium Conversion Plants," Science & Global Security, 16, no. 3, (2008): 115-125.
This article considers the use of wide-area environmental sampling to detect a covert centrifuge-enrichment program. It is proposed that detection may be more feasible by looking for the uranium-conversion facilities that produce the feedstock for centrifuges instead of the centrifuges directly. Aerosol particles of UO2F2 suspended in the atmosphere are considered as a possible signature. Source terms for a small-scale plant are coarsely estimated based on limited emissions data, atmospheric chemistry, and the thermodynamic of UF6 release. Atmospheric dispersion modeling is used to estimate the distance at which detection could be reasonably expected. Further research is necessary before drawing conclusions on the feasibility of this method.
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