Improved non-destructive assay of isotopic masses in used nuclear fuel would be valuable for nuclear safeguards operations associated with the transport, storage and reprocessing of used nuclear fuel. Our collaboration is examining the feasibility of using lead slowing down spectrometry techniques to assay the isotopic fissile masses in used nuclear fuel assemblies. We present the application of our analysis algorithms on measurements conducted with a lead spectrometer. The measurements involved a single fresh fuel pin and discrete 239Pu and 235U samples. We are able to describe the isotopic fissile masses with root mean square errors over seven different configurations to 6.35% for 239Pu and 2.7% for 235U over seven different configurations. Funding Source(s):
Revised: January 19, 2016 |
Published: March 2, 2015
Citation
Warren G.A., K.K. Anderson, J.A. Kulisek, Y. Danon, A. Weltz, V.A. Gavron, and J. Harris, et al. 2015.Lead Slowing Down Spectrometry Analysis of Data from Measurements on Nuclear Fuel.Nuclear Science and Engineering 179, no. 3:264-273.PNNL-SA-98291.doi:10.13182/NSE13-71