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Nuclear and Trace Analysis facility

The Nuclear and Trace Analysis facility of the JRC Karlruhe provides of a set of analytical methods developed for the chemical, physical and spectroscopic analysis of actinides and nuclear materials.

Work at the glovebox at the Nuclear Trace Analysis Laboratory

The NTA facility operated by in the Analytical Service of G.II.8 nuclear safeguards and forensics unit provides analytical support to Directorate-General for Energy (DG ENER) with the enforcement of the EURATOM treaty and to other international safeguards and forensics authorities.  

It provides the technologies and expertise to deliver high quality measurements of almost all the elements of the periodic table, from trace element to matrix, covering several orders of magnitude of content levels.  

It also delivers analytical support to the units of the Directorate G related to their R&D or safety and decommissioning activities. 

Analytical methods

Most analytical methods are accredited according to ISO/IEC 17025:2018, ensuring results at the highest internationally acknowledged level.  

The array of analytical methods with details on typical materials analysed, range of materials needed, and uncertainty of the results are listed in the table “available methods and their application”. However, this list is not exhaustive and adaptation to customer needs are possible. 

20 DECEMBER 2022
Nuclear and Trace Analysis facility - Available methods and their application

Related JRC Publications 

Validation of Non-Standard Analytical Methods Used in Nuclear Material Measurement for Safeguards Purposes 

Related Reports 

20 DECEMBER 2022
INS-CRM Innovative nuclear certified reference materials CRM for EURATOM safeguards and industry

Improvement of the 241Pu/239Pu isotope ratio measurement by Thermal Ionisation Mass Spectrometry - An approach to account for the 241Am in-growth after plutonium purification 

Strengthening Safeguards laboratories - a benefit to IAEA Safeguards 

Laboratory photos 

High resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR-ICPMS) for trace element analysis
High resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR-ICPMS) for trace element analysis
EU, 2022
Thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (TIMS) for U Pu content and isotopic composition
Thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (TIMS) for U Pu content and isotopic composition
EU, 2022

You can view additional images of the Nuclear and Trace Analysis facility at the JRC Digital Media Hub.

See photo report

Contact

Nuclear and Trace Analysis facility

Please use the following e-mail to contact the facility. 

Name
Nuclear and Trace Analysis facility
Email
JRC-KRU-ANALYTICAL-SERVICEatec [dot] europa [dot] eu