An overview of holdup measurement technology
- Brookhaven National Lab., Dept. of Nuclear Energy, Upton, NY (US)
The origin of holdup, where it occurs in plants, and the methods of assay thus far found useful under conditions often found in nuclear fuel manufacturing installations are discussed. ''Holdup'' refers to special nuclear material (SNM) unintentionally deposited in or on process equipment or plant structure. Monitoring and assay of holdup is necessary for criticality control, calculating material balances, to gauge manufacturing efficiency, and to protect the environment, as well as for safeguards. Aside from answering the basic question of how much material is held up and where it is located, the purpose of holdup assay may also be to determine the ease or difficulty of recovery. This information can have an appreciable financial impact on the facility, either because of the intrinsic value of the material, or because of the extent of security required for a decommissioned plant. Holdup arises through imperfections in the manufacturing process, accidents or failures of equipment, and deficiencies in plant and process equipment design. Since nuclear fuel manufacturing involves finely divided powders, reactive liquid and gaseous chemicals, and grinding and sintering processes, the generation of holdup in plant and process equipment is inevitable, and assaying for it, and recovery where practical, has to be considered a part of the normal manufacturing process.
- OSTI ID:
- 6772170
- Journal Information:
- JNMM; (United States), Vol. 16:4
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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