A remote conductometric titration method for simultaneous determination of uranium and nitric acid concentrations at elevated temperatures

The determination of free acidity and uranium in a radioactive uranyl nitrate solution inside a hot cell has to be done remotely. It generally involves the addition of complexing agents or the application of sophisticated analytical methods and modelling. To make the analyses uncomplicated, a simple acid-base conductometric titration method was developed to determine the free acidity and the uranium concentration simultaneously. Uranyl nitrate solutions containing nitric acid from 0.02 to 0.83 mmol and uranium from 0.32 to 15.90 mg per aliquot were determined by this method. The precision and accuracy of the method were found to be within +/- 5%. For the titrations carried out at higher temperatures, the bias was found to be within +/- 10%.

Automated summary

A simple acid-base conductometric titration method was developed for remote determination of free acidity and uranium concentration in a radioactive uranyl nitrate solution inside a hot cell. The method showed precision and accuracy within +/- 5%, with a bias of within +/- 10% for titrations carried out at higher temperatures.