PIKETON, Ohio - Two methods for analyzing uranium, developed by USEC’s Portsmouth Plant laboratory personnel, were approved by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and will be published in the Year 2000 edition of the Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Volume 12.01 on Nuclear Energy (I).

ASTM methods are recognized throughout the world as international standards for performing uranium analysis. These methods will now be available to everyone in the nuclear industry.

"By taking the initiative in developing these standards, USEC demonstrates its leadership in the uranium enrichment business," said Morris Brown, Portsmouth Plant General Manager. "These particular methods provide USEC with the ability to satisfy customer needs with regard to product specifications through industry-accepted standards."

The ASTM-approved methods include the following:

• The Analysis of Refrigerant 114, Plus Other Carbon-Containing and Fluorine-Containing Compounds in Uranium Hexafluoride via Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy (C 1441-99), presented to the ASTM by Dr. David Manuta.
  
  
• Isotopic Analysis of Uranium Hexafluoride by Double Standard Multi-Collector Gas Mass Spectrometry (C 1429-99), presented to the ASTM by Mr. Randy Blevins.

USEC Inc. is the world’s leading supplier of enriched uranium fuel for commercial nuclear power plants. A global energy company, USEC has its headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, and operates production plants in Kentucky and Ohio.

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