PNNL

Abstract

The Next Generation Safeguard Initiative (NGSI) includes an effort to determine the mass content of fissile isotopes contained within spent fuel through the spectroscopy of high-energy delayed gamma rays. Studies being performed indicate the primary difficulty is the ability to detect the desired signal in the presence of the intense background associated with spent fuel fission products. An enabling technology for this application is high-resolution high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors capable of operating efficiently in at extremely high count rates. This presentation will describe the prospects of high-rate germanium detectors and delayed-gamma techniques, primarily discussing the efforts to merge these into a unique and viable system for measuring spent fuel.