Fast Critical Assembly Safeguards: NDA Methods for Highly Enriched Uranium (Summary Report, October 1978 - September 1979)
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Nondestructive assay (NDA) methods, principally passive gamma measurements and active neutron interrogation, have been studied for their safeguards effectiveness and programmatic impact as tools for making inventories of highly enriched uranium fast critical assembly fuel plates. It was concluded that no NDA method is the sole answer to the safeguards problem, that each of those emphasized here has its place in an integrated safeguards system, and that each has minimum facility impact. It was found that the 185-keV area, as determined with a NaI detector, was independent of highly-enriched uranium (HEU) plate irradiation history, though the random neutron driver methods used here did not permit accurate assay of irradiated plates. Containment procedures most effective for accurate assaying were considered, and a particular geometry is recommended for active interrogation by a random driver. A model, pertinent to that geometry, which relates the effects of multiplication and self-absorption, is described. Probabilities of failing to detect that plates are missing are examined.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31-109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 7055095
- Report Number(s):
- ANL-80-13(Vol.3); TRN: 81-002919
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
HIGHLY ENRICHED URANIUM
INVENTORIES
STORAGE FACILITIES
SAFEGUARDS
URANIUM
NONDESTRUCTIVE ANALYSIS
FUEL PLATES
GAMMA FUEL SCANNING
NUCLEAR MATERIALS DIVERSION
NUCLEAR REACTION ANALYSIS
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
ACTINIDES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
ELEMENTS
ENRICHED URANIUM
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUEL SCANNING
GAMMA RADIOGRAPHY
INDUSTRIAL RADIOGRAPHY
ISOTOPE ENRICHED MATERIALS
MATERIALS
METALS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
HEU Plate
Gamma Radiometric Methods
Fuel Plates
Spectra
055001* - Nuclear Fuels- Safeguards
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220600 - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Research
Test & Experimental Reactors