Nondestructive Spent Fuel Assay Using Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence

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Nondestructive Spent Fuel Assay Using Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence

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Total Pages : 10 pages
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Download or read book Nondestructive Spent Fuel Assay Using Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence written by and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 10 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Quantifying the isotopic composition of spent fuel is an important challenge and essential for many nuclear safeguards applications, such as independent verification of the Pu content declared by a regulated facility, shipper/receiver measurements, and quantifying isotopic input masses at a reprocessing facility. As part of the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative, NA-241 has recently funded a multilab/university collaboration to investigate a variety of nondestructive methods for determining the elemental Pu mass in spent fuel assemblies. Nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) is one of the methods being investigated. First modeling studies have been performed to investigate the feasibility of assaying a single fuel pin using a bremsstrahlung photon source. MCNPX modeling results indicate that NRF signals are significantly more intense than the background due to scattered interrogation photons even for isotopes with concentrations below 1percent. However, the studies revealed that the dominant contribution to the background is elastic scattering, which is currently not simulated by MCNPX. Critical to this effort, we have added existing NRF data to the MCNPX photonuclear data files and are now able to incorporate NRF physics into MCNPX simulations. Addition of the non-resonant elastic scattering data to MCNPX is in progress. Assaying fuel assemblies with NRF poses additional challenges: photon penetration through the assembly is small and the spent fuel radioactive decay and neutron activity lead to significantly higher backgrounds. First modeling studies to evaluate the efficacy of NRF for assaying assemblies have been initiated using the spent fuel assembly library created at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).

Assessment of Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence for Spent Nuclear Fuel Assay

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Download or read book Assessment of Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence for Spent Nuclear Fuel Assay written by and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) measurements, resonances are excited by an external photon beam leading to the emission of gamma rays with specific energies that are characteristic of the emitting isotope. NRF promises the unique capability of directly quantifying a specific isotope without the need for unfolding the combined responses of several fissile isotopes as is required in other measurement techniques. We have analyzed the potential of NRF as a non-destructive analysis technique for quantitative measurements of Pu isotopes in spent nuclear fuel (SNF). Given the low concentrations of 239Pu in SNF and its small integrated NRF cross sections, the main challenge in achieving precise and accurate measurements lies in accruing sufficient counting statistics in a reasonable measurement time. Using analytical modeling, and simulations with the radiation transport code MCNPX that has been experimentally tested recently, the backscatter and transmission methods were quantitatively studied for differing photon sources and radiation detector types. Resonant photon count rates and measurement times were estimated for a range of photon source and detection parameters, which were used to determine photon source and gamma-ray detector requirements. The results indicate that systems based on a bremsstrahlung source and present detector technology are not practical for high-precision measurements of 239Pu in SNF. Measurements that achieve the desired uncertainties within hour-long measurements will either require stronger resonances, which may be expressed by other Pu isotopes, or require quasi-monoenergetic photon sources with intensities that are approximately two orders of magnitude higher than those currently being designed or proposed. This work is part of a larger effort sponsored by the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative to develop an integrated instrument, comprised of individual NDA techniques with complementary features, that is fully capable of determining Pu mass in spent fuel assemblies.

Using Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence for Nondestructive Isotopic Analysis

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Total Pages : pages
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Download or read book Using Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence for Nondestructive Isotopic Analysis written by and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) has been studied as one of the nondestructive analysis (NDA) techniques currently being investigated by a multi-laboratory collaboration for the determination of Pu mass in spent fuel. In NRF measurements specific isotopes are identified by their characteristic lines in recorded gamma spectra. The concentration of an isotope in a material can be determined from measured NRF signal intensities if NRF cross sections and assay geometries are known. The potential of NRF to quantify isotopic content and Pu mass in spent fuel has been studied. The addition of NRF data to MCNPX and an improved treatment of the elastic photon scattering at backward angles has enabled us to more accurately simulate NRF measurements on spent fuel assemblies. Using assembly models from the spent fuel assembly library generated at LANL, NRF measurements are simulated to find the best measurement configurations, and to determine measurement sensitivities and times, and photon source and gamma detector requirements. A first proof-of-principal measurement on a mock-up assembly with a bremsstrahlung photon source demonstrated isotopic sensitivity to approximately 1% limited by counting statistics. Data collection rates are likely a limiting factor of NRF-based measurements of fuel assemblies but new technological advances may lead to drastic improvements.

Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence to Measure Plutonium Mass in Spent Nuclear Fuel

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Book Synopsis Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence to Measure Plutonium Mass in Spent Nuclear Fuel by :

Download or read book Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence to Measure Plutonium Mass in Spent Nuclear Fuel written by and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Next Generation Safeguard Initiative (NGSI) of the U.S Department of Energy is supporting a multi-lab/university collaboration to quantify the plutonium (Pu) mass in spent nuclear fuel (SNF) assemblies and to detect the diversion of pins with non-destructive assay (NDA) methods. The following 14 NDA techniques are being studied: Delayed Neutrons, Differential Die-Away, Differential Die-Away Self-Interrogation, Lead Slowing Down Spectrometer, Neutron Multiplicity, Passive Neutron Albedo Reactivity, Total Neutron (Gross Neutron), X-Ray Fluorescence, 252Cf Interrogation with Prompt Neutron Detection, Delayed Gamma, Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence, Passive Prompt Gamma, Self-integration Neutron Resonance Densitometry, and Neutron Resonance Transmission Analysis. Understanding and maturity of the techniques vary greatly, ranging from decades old, well-understood methods to new approaches. Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence (NRF) is a technique that had not previously been studied for SNF assay or similar applications. Since NRF generates isotope-specific signals, the promise and appeal of the technique lies in its potential to directly measure the amount of a specific isotope in an SNF assay target. The objectives of this study were to design and model suitable NRF measurement methods, to quantify capabilities and corresponding instrumentation requirements, and to evaluate prospects and the potential of NRF for SNF assay. The main challenge of the technique is to achieve the sensitivity and precision, i.e., to accumulate sufficient counting statistics, required for quantifying the mass of Pu isotopes in SNF assemblies. Systematic errors, considered a lesser problem for a direct measurement and only briefly discussed in this report, need to be evaluated for specific instrument designs in the future. Also, since the technical capability of using NRF to measure Pu in SNF has not been established, this report does not directly address issues such as cost, size, development time, nor concerns related to the use of Pu in measurement systems. This report discusses basic NRF measurement concepts, i.e., backscatter and transmission methods, and photon source and [gamma]-ray detector options in Section 2. An analytical model for calculating NRF signal strengths is presented in Section 3 together with enhancements to the MCNPX code and descriptions of modeling techniques that were drawn upon in the following sections. Making extensive use of the model and MCNPX simulations, the capabilities of the backscatter and transmission methods based on bremsstrahlung or quasi-monoenergetic photon sources were analyzed as described in Sections 4 and 5. A recent transmission experiment is reported on in Appendix A. While this experiment was not directly part of this project, its results provide an important reference point for our analytical estimates and MCNPX simulations. Used fuel radioactivity calculations, the enhancements to the MCNPX code, and details of the MCNPX simulations are documented in the other appendices.

Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence for Safeguards Applications

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Total Pages : pages
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Download or read book Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence for Safeguards Applications written by and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) measurements, resonances are excited by an external photon beam leading to the emission of [gamma] rays with specific energies that are characteristic of the emitting isotope. The promise of NRF as a non-destructive analysis technique (NDA) in safeguards applications lies in its potential to directly quantify a specific isotope in an assay target without the need for unfolding the combined responses of several fissile isotopes as often required by other NDA methods. The use of NRF for detection of sensitive nuclear materials and other contraband has been researched in the past. In the safeguards applications considered here one has to go beyond mere detection and precisely quantify the isotopic content, a challenge that is discussed throughout this report. Basic NRF measurement methods, instrumentation, and the analytical calculation of NRF signal strengths are described in Section 2. Well understood modeling and simulation tools are needed for assessing the potential of NRF for safeguards and for designing measurement systems. All our simulations were performed with the radiation transport code MCNPX, a code that is widely used in the safeguards community. Our initial studies showed that MCNPX grossly underestimated the elastically scattered background at backwards angles due to an incorrect treatment of Rayleigh scattering. While new, corrected calculations based on ENDF form factors showed much better agreement with experimental data for the elastic scattering of photons on an uranium target, the elastic backscatter is still not rigorously treated. Photonuclear scattering processes (nuclear Thomson, Delbruck and Giant Dipole Resonance scattering), which are expected to play an important role at higher energies, are not yet included. These missing elastic scattering contributions were studied and their importance evaluated evaluated against data found in the literature as discussed in Section 3. A transmission experiment was performed in September 2009 to test and demonstrate the applicability of the method to the quantitative measurement of an isotope of interest embedded in a thick target. The experiment, data analysis, and results are described in Section 4. The broad goal of our NRF studies is to assess the potential of the technique in safeguards applications. Three examples are analyzed in Section 5: the isotopic assay of spent nuclear fuel (SNF), the measurement of 235U enrichment in UF6 cylinders, and the determination of 239Pu in mixed oxide (MOX) fuel. The study of NRF for the assay of SNF assemblies was supported by the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative (NGSI) of the U.S. Department of Energy as part of a large multi-lab/university effort to quantify the plutonium (Pu) mass in spent nuclear fuel assemblies and to detect the diversion of pins with non-destructive assay (NDA) methods. NRF is one of 14 NDA techniques being researched. The methodology for performing and analyzing quantitative NRF measurements was developed for determining Pu mass in SNF and is extensively discussed in this report. The same methodology was applied to the assessment of NRF for the measurement of 235U enrichment and the determination of 239Pu in MOX fuel. The analysis centers on determining suitable NRF measurement methods, measurement capabilities that could be realized with currently available instrumentation, and photon source and detector requirements for achieving useful NDA capabilities.

Determination of Plutonium Content in Spent Fuel with Nondestructive Assay

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ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 11 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (727 download)

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Book Synopsis Determination of Plutonium Content in Spent Fuel with Nondestructive Assay by :

Download or read book Determination of Plutonium Content in Spent Fuel with Nondestructive Assay written by and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 11 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are a variety of reasons for quantifying plutonium (Pu) in spent fuel such as independently verifying the Pu content declared by a regulated facility, making shipper/receiver mass declarations, and quantifying the input mass at a reprocessing facility. As part of the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative, NA-241 has recently funded a multilab/university collaboration to determine the elemental Pu mass in spent fuel assemblies. This research effort is anticipated to be a five year effort: the first part of which is a two years Monte Carlo modeling effort to integrate and down-select among 13 nondestructive assay (NDA) technologies, followed by one year for fabricating instruments and then two years for measuring spent fuel. This paper gives a brief overview of the approach being taken for the Monte Carlo research effort. In addition, preliminary results for the first NDA instrument studied in detail, delayed neutron detection, will be presented. In order to cost effectively and robustly model the performance of several NDA techniques, an"assembly library" was created that contains a diverse range of pressurized water reactor spent fuel assemblies (burnup, enrichment, cooling time) similar to that which exists in spent pools today and in the future, diversion scenarios that capture a range of possible rod removal options, spatial and isotopic detail needed to accurately quantify the capability of all the NDA techniques so as to enable integration. Integration is being designed into this study from the beginning since it is expected that the best performance will be obtained by combining a few NDA techniques. The performance of each instrument will be quantified for the full assembly library in three different media: air, water and borated water. In this paper the preliminary capability of delayed neutron detection will be quantified for the spent fuel library for all three media. The 13 NDA techniques being researched are the following: Delayed Gamma, Delayed Neutrons, Differential Die-Away, Differential Die-Away Self-Interrogation, Lead Slowing Down Spectrometer, Neutron Multiplicity, Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence, Passive Prompt Gamma, Passive Neutron Albedo Reactivity, Self-integration Neutron Resonance Densitometry, Total Neutron (Gross Neutron), X-Ray Fluorescence, 252Cf Interrogation with Prompt Neutron Detection.

Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence for Nuclear Materials Assay

Author : Brian Joseph Quiter
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 510 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (769 download)

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Book Synopsis Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence for Nuclear Materials Assay by : Brian Joseph Quiter

Download or read book Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence for Nuclear Materials Assay written by Brian Joseph Quiter and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 510 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This dissertation examines the measurement of nuclear resonance fluorescence gamma-rays as a technique to non-destructively determine isotopic compositions of target materials that are of interest for nuclear security applications. The physical processes that can result in non-resonant background to nuclear resonance fluorescence measurements are described and investigated using a radiation transport computer code that relies on the Monte Carlo technique, MCNPX. The phenomenon of nuclear resonance fluorescence is discussed with consideration of the angular distributions of resonance emissions, the effects of nuclear recoil, and the influence of thermal motion. Models describing two ways of measuring nuclear resonance fluorescence rates in materials are considered. First the measurement of back-scattered photons is considered. In this type of measurement, the portion of the interrogating photon beam that is scattered into large relative angles is measured. When the radioactivity of the target can be overcome by shielding or by use of intense photon sources, direct measurement of gamma-rays, emitted during nuclear resonance fluorescence can provide quantitative signatures that appear to be useful for applications such as forensic age-dating of large radiological sources. However, if the target radioactivity is too intense, as in the case for most spent nuclear fuel, a second measurement type, where indirect measurement of transmitted resonant-energy photons can also provide quantitative information. This method allows radiation detectors to be better-shielded from target radioactivity, but suffers from a slower accrual rate of statistical confidence. The models described herein indicate that very intense photon sources and large high-resolution detector arrays would be needed to measure 239Pu content in spent fuel to precisions desired by nuclear safeguards organizations. However, the rates at which statistics accrue are strongly proportional to the strengths of the resonances, and measurement of a plutonium isotope with stronger resonances may provide more practical measurement rates. The model for predicting relative detection rates of nuclear resonance fluorescence gamma-rays in the transmission measurement was experimentally tested using the 238U in a mixture of depleted uranium and lead as a surrogate for 239Pu in spent fuel. The experiment indicated that the model was approximately correct, but that the process of notch refilling, which was excluded from the initial model, appears to be visible. Data files of the computer code, MCNPX, were modified to allow for nuclear resonance fluorescence to be simulated and a bug in the code was repaired to allow the code to more accurately simulate non-resonant elastic photon scattering. Simulations using this modified version of MCNPX have indicated that the magnitude of the notch refill process is comparable to that of the difference between the analytical model and the experimental data.

Determining Plutonium Mass in Spent Fuel with Nondestructive Assay Techniques -- Preliminary Modeling Results Emphasizing Integration Among Techniques

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Total Pages : 10 pages
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Book Synopsis Determining Plutonium Mass in Spent Fuel with Nondestructive Assay Techniques -- Preliminary Modeling Results Emphasizing Integration Among Techniques by :

Download or read book Determining Plutonium Mass in Spent Fuel with Nondestructive Assay Techniques -- Preliminary Modeling Results Emphasizing Integration Among Techniques written by and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 10 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are a variety of motivations for quantifying Pu in spent (used) fuel assemblies by means of nondestructive assay (NDA) including the following: strengthen the capabilities of the International Atomic Energy Agencies to safeguards nuclear facilities, quantifying shipper/receiver difference, determining the input accountability value at reprocessing facilities and providing quantitative input to burnup credit determination for repositories. For the purpose of determining the Pu mass in spent fuel assemblies, twelve NDA techniques were identified that provide information about the composition of an assembly. A key point motivating the present research path is the realization that none of these techniques, in isolation, is capable of both (1) quantifying the elemental Pu mass of an assembly and (2) detecting the diversion of a significant number of pins. As such, the focus of this work is determining how to best integrate 2 or 3 techniques into a system that can quantify elemental Pu and to assess how well this system can detect material diversion. Furthermore, it is important economically to down-select among the various techniques before advancing to the experimental phase. In order to achieve this dual goal of integration and down-selection, a Monte Carlo library of PWR assemblies was created and is described in another paper at Global 2009 (Fensin et al.). The research presented here emphasizes integration among techniques. An overview of a five year research plan starting in 2009 is given. Preliminary modeling results for the Monte Carlo assembly library are presented for 3 NDA techniques: Delayed Neutrons, Differential Die-Away, and Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence. As part of the focus on integration, the concept of"Pu isotopic correlation" is discussed and the role of cooling time determination.

Preliminary Study of the Efficacy of Using Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence with Quasi-Monoenergetic Gamma-Ray Sources for Nuclear Safeguards Assay

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Total Pages : 37 pages
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Book Synopsis Preliminary Study of the Efficacy of Using Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence with Quasi-Monoenergetic Gamma-Ray Sources for Nuclear Safeguards Assay by :

Download or read book Preliminary Study of the Efficacy of Using Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence with Quasi-Monoenergetic Gamma-Ray Sources for Nuclear Safeguards Assay written by and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 37 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We have studied the efficacy of using nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF)-based techniques to assay spent nuclear fuel for Pu content using quasi-monoenergetic sources. We have developed two techniques to precisely determine the Pu content in a fuel rod/pin. One of our approaches is virtually free of systematic uncertainties. Using analytical models, we have determined the amount of time required to measure the Pu content in spent nuclear fuel rods and spent fuel assemblies to within 1% precision. We note that Pu content can be determined in a fuel assembly about as fast as in a single fuel pin. The performance of NRF-based assay techniques with improved photon sources, which are currently under development, will also estimated. For follow-on research we propose to: (1) Construct research prototype detection systems for both of the NRF-based assay systems proposed in this paper and measure their calibration curves; (2) Determine the systematic errors associated with both assay methods, explore ways to reduce the errors and fold the results into future performance calculations; (3) Develop an algorithm to assay a fuel assembly; (4) Perform validation measurements using a single pin and scaled assemblies; (5) Research and develop current-mode detection and/or threshold detection techniques to improve assay times; (6) Characterize the flux of newly constructed sources and fold the results into the calculations presented here to determine the feasibility of a variety of proposed sources; and (7) Collaborate with others in the safeguards community to build a prototype system and perform an NRF-based assay demonstration on spent fuel.

An Integrated Approach for Determining Plutonium Mass in Spent Fuel Assemblies with Nondestructive Assay

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Total Pages : pages
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Book Synopsis An Integrated Approach for Determining Plutonium Mass in Spent Fuel Assemblies with Nondestructive Assay by :

Download or read book An Integrated Approach for Determining Plutonium Mass in Spent Fuel Assemblies with Nondestructive Assay written by and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are a variety of reasons for quantifying plutonium (Pu) in spent fuel. Below, five motivations are listed: (1) To verify the Pu content of spent fuel without depending on unverified information from the facility, as requested by the IAEA ('independent verification'). New spent fuel measurement techniques have the potential to allow the IAEA to recover continuity of knowledge and to better detect diversion. (2) To assure regulators that all of the nuclear material of interest leaving a nuclear facility actually arrives at another nuclear facility ('shipper/receiver'). Given the large stockpile of nuclear fuel at reactor sites around the world, it is clear that in the coming decades, spent fuel will need to be moved to either reprocessing facilities or storage sites. Safeguarding this transportation is of significant interest. (3) To quantify the Pu in spent fuel that is not considered 'self-protecting.' Fuel is considered self-protecting by some regulatory bodies when the dose that the fuel emits is above a given level. If the fuel is not self-protecting, then the Pu content of the fuel needs to be determined and the Pu mass recorded in the facility's accounting system. This subject area is of particular interest to facilities that have research-reactor spent fuel or old light-water reactor (LWR) fuel. It is also of interest to regulators considering changing the level at which fuel is considered self-protecting. (4) To determine the input accountability value at an electrochemical processing facility. It is not expected that an electrochemical reprocessing facility will have an input accountability tank, as is typical in an aqueous reprocessing facility. As such, one possible means of determining the input accountability value is to measure the Pu content in the spent fuel that arrives at the facility. (5) To fully understand the composition of the fuel in order to efficiently and safely pack spent fuel into a long-term repository. The NDA of spent fuel can be part of a system that cost-effectively meets the burnup credit needs of a repository. Behind each of these reasons is a regulatory structure with MC & A requirements. In the case of the IAEA, the accountable quantity is elemental plutonium. The material in spent fuel (fissile isotopes, fission products, etc.) emits signatures that provide information about the content and history of the fuel. A variety of nondestructive assay (NDA) techniques are available to quantify these signatures. The effort presented in this paper is investigation of the capabilities of 12 NDA techniques. For these 12, none is conceptually capable of independently determining the Pu content in a spent fuel assembly while at the same time being able to detect the diversion of a significant quantity of rods. For this reason the authors are investigating the capability of 12 NDA techniques with the end goal of integrating a few techniques together into a system that is capable of measuring Pu mass in an assembly. The work described here is the beginning of what is anticipated to be a five year effort: (1) two years of modeling to select the best technologies, (2) one year fabricating instruments and (3) two years measuring spent fuel. This paper describes the first two years of this work. In order to cost effectively and robustly model the performance of the 12 NDA techniques, an 'assembly library' was created. The library contains the following: (a) A diverse range of PWR spent fuel assemblies (burnup, enrichment, cooling time) similar to that which exists in spent pools today and in the future. (b) Diversion scenarios that capture a range of possible rod removal options. (c) The spatial and isotopic detail needed to accurately quantify the capability of all the NDA techniques so as to enable integration. It is our intention to make this library available to other researchers in the field for inter-comparison purposes. The performance of each instrument will be quantified for the full assembly library for measurements in three different media: air, water and borated water. The 12 NDA techniques being researched are the following: Delayed Gamma, Delayed Neutrons, Differential Die-Away, Lead Slowing Down Spectrometer, Neutron Multiplicity, Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence, Passive Prompt Gamma, Passive Neutron Albedo Reactivity, Self-integration Neutron Resonance Densitometry, Total Neutron (Gross Neutron), X-Ray Fluorescence, 252Cf Interrogation with Prompt Neutron Detection.

Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence for Materials Assay

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Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (727 download)

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Download or read book Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence for Materials Assay written by and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper discusses the use of nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) techniques for the isotopic and quantitative assaying of radioactive material. Potential applications include age-dating of an unknown radioactive source, pre- and post-detonation nuclear forensics, and safeguards for nuclear fuel cycles Examples of age-dating a strong radioactive source and assaying a spent fuel pin are discussed. The modeling work has ben performed with the Monte Carlo radiation transport computer code MCNPX, and the capability to simulate NRF has bee added to the code. Discussed are the limitations in MCNPX?s photon transport physics for accurately describing photon scattering processes that are important contributions to the background and impact the applicability of the NRF assay technique.

Nuclear Physics And Gamma-ray Sources For Nuclear Security And Nonproliferation - Proceedings Of The International Symposium

Author : Takehito Hayakawa
Publisher : World Scientific
ISBN 13 : 9814635464
Total Pages : 379 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (146 download)

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Book Synopsis Nuclear Physics And Gamma-ray Sources For Nuclear Security And Nonproliferation - Proceedings Of The International Symposium by : Takehito Hayakawa

Download or read book Nuclear Physics And Gamma-ray Sources For Nuclear Security And Nonproliferation - Proceedings Of The International Symposium written by Takehito Hayakawa and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2014-10-24 with total page 379 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nuclear nonproliferation is a critical global issue. A key technological challenge to ensuring nuclear nonproliferation and security is the detection of long-lived radioisotopes and fissionable nuclides in a non-destructive manner. This technological challenge requires new methods for detecting relevant nuclides and the development of new quantum-beam sources. For example, one new method that has been proposed and studied is nuclear resonance fluorescence with energy-tunable, monochromatic gamma-rays generated by Compton scattering of laser photons with electrons.The development of new methods requires the help of researchers from a wide range of fields, such as nuclear physics, accelerator physics, laser physics, etc. Furthermore, any new method must be compatible with the requirements of administrators and nuclear-material inspectors.

Nondestructive Assay Methods for Irradiated Nuclear Fuels

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Download or read book Nondestructive Assay Methods for Irradiated Nuclear Fuels written by and published by . This book was released on 1978 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report is a review of the status of nondestructive assay (NDA) methods used to determine burnup and fissile content of irradiated nuclear fuels. The gamma-spectroscopy method measures gamma activities of certain fission products that are proportional to the burnup. Problems associated with this method are migration of the fission products and gamma-ray attenuation through the relatively dense fuel material. The attenuation correction is complicated by generally unknown activity distributions within the assemblies. The neutron methods, which usually involve active interrogation and prompt or delayed signal counting, are designed to assay the fissile content of the spent-fuel elements. Systems to assay highly enriched spent-fuel assemblies have been tested extensively. Feasibility studies have been reported of systems to assay light-water reactor spent-fuel assemblies. The slowing-down spectrometer and neutron resonance absorption methods can distinguish between the uranium and plutonium fissile contents, but they are limited to the assay of individual rods. We have summarized the status of NDA techniques for spent-fuel assay and present some subjects in need of further investigation. Accuracy of the burnup calculations for power reactors is also reviewed.

Examining 239Pu and 240Pu Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence Measurements on Spent Fuel for Nuclear Safeguards

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Download or read book Examining 239Pu and 240Pu Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence Measurements on Spent Fuel for Nuclear Safeguards written by and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The State of Art of the Nondestructive Assay of Spent Nuclear Fuel Assemblies

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Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (946 download)

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Download or read book The State of Art of the Nondestructive Assay of Spent Nuclear Fuel Assemblies written by and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Nondestructive Assay of Nuclear Fuels

Author : Warren J. McGonnagle
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 84 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Nondestructive Assay of Nuclear Fuels by : Warren J. McGonnagle

Download or read book Nondestructive Assay of Nuclear Fuels written by Warren J. McGonnagle and published by . This book was released on 1964 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

A Technical Review of Non-destructive Assay Research for the Characterization of Spent Nuclear Fuel Assemblies Being Conducted Under the US DOE NGSI.

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Book Synopsis A Technical Review of Non-destructive Assay Research for the Characterization of Spent Nuclear Fuel Assemblies Being Conducted Under the US DOE NGSI. by :

Download or read book A Technical Review of Non-destructive Assay Research for the Characterization of Spent Nuclear Fuel Assemblies Being Conducted Under the US DOE NGSI. written by and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is a growing belief that expansion of nuclear energy generation will be needed in the coming decades as part of a mixed supply chain to meet global energy demand. At stake is the health of the economic engine that delivers human prosperity. As a consequence renewed interest is being paid to the safe management of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and the plutonium it contains. In addition to being an economically valuable resource because it can be used to construct explosive devices, Pu must be placed on an inventory and handled securely. A multiinstitutional team of diverse specialists has been assembled under a project funded by the US Department of Energy (DOE) Next Generation Safeguards Initiative (NGSI) to address ways to nondestructively quantify the plutonium content of spent nuclear fuel assemblies, and to also detect the potential diversion of pins from those assemblies. Studies are underway using mostly Monte Carlo tools to assess the feasibility, individual and collective performance capability of some fourteen nondestructive assay methods. Some of the methods are familiar but are being applied in a new way against a challenging target which is being represented with a higher degree of realism in simulation space than has been done before, while other methods are novel. In this work we provide a brief review of the techniques being studied and highlight the main achievements to date. We also draw attention to the deficiencies identified in for example modeling capability and available basic nuclear data. We conclude that this is an exciting time to be working in the NDA field and that much work, both fundamental and applied, remains ahead if we are to advance the state of the practice to meet the challenges posed to domestic and international safeguards by the expansion of nuclear energy together with the emergence of alternative fuel cycles.