Nuclear energy — Nuclear fuel technology — Determination of neptunium in nitric acid solutions by spectrophotometry

This document specifies an analytical method for determining the neptunium concentration by spectrophotometry, with spectrophotometer implemented in hot cell or glove box allowing the analysis of high activity solutions, with a standard uncertainty, with coverage factor k = 1 of about 5 %, in nitric acid solutions after the dissolution of nuclear reactor irradiated fuels, at different steps of the process in a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant or in other nuclear facilities. The method is applicable to sample from the process containing a concentration of neptunium between 10 mg·l^-1 and 400 mg·l^-1 and uranium concentrations of up to 300 g·l^-1.