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Title: Differential Die-Away Instrument: Report on Initial Simulations of Spent Fuel Experiment

Abstract

New Monte Carlo simulations of the differential die-away (DDA) instrument response to the assay of spent and fresh fuel helped to redefine the signal-to-Background ratio and the effects of source neutron tailoring on the system performance. Previously, burst neutrons from the neutron generator together with all neutrons from a fission chain started by a fast fission of 238U were considered to contribute to active background counts. However, through additional simulations, the magnitude of the 238U first fission contribution was found to not affect the DDA performance in reconstructing 239Pueff. As a result, the newly adopted DDA active background definition considers now any neutrons within a branch of the fission chain that does not include at least one fission event induced by a thermal neutron, before being detected, to be the active background. The active background, consisting thus of neutrons from a fission chain or its individual branches composed entirely of sequence of fast fissions on any fissile or fissionable nuclei, is not expected to change significantly with different fuel assemblies. Additionally, while source tailoring materials surrounding the neutron generator were found to influence and possibly improve the instrument performance, the effect was not substantial.

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [1]
  1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1126685
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-14-22162
DOE Contract Number:  
AC52-06NA25396
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION; 11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS; 73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS; DIFFERENTIAL-DIE; PLUTONIUM EFFECTIVE

Citation Formats

Goodsell, Alison V., Henzl, Vladimir, and Swinhoe, Martyn T. Differential Die-Away Instrument: Report on Initial Simulations of Spent Fuel Experiment. United States: N. p., 2014. Web. doi:10.2172/1126685.
Goodsell, Alison V., Henzl, Vladimir, & Swinhoe, Martyn T. Differential Die-Away Instrument: Report on Initial Simulations of Spent Fuel Experiment. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1126685
Goodsell, Alison V., Henzl, Vladimir, and Swinhoe, Martyn T. 2014. "Differential Die-Away Instrument: Report on Initial Simulations of Spent Fuel Experiment". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1126685. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1126685.
@article{osti_1126685,
title = {Differential Die-Away Instrument: Report on Initial Simulations of Spent Fuel Experiment},
author = {Goodsell, Alison V. and Henzl, Vladimir and Swinhoe, Martyn T.},
abstractNote = {New Monte Carlo simulations of the differential die-away (DDA) instrument response to the assay of spent and fresh fuel helped to redefine the signal-to-Background ratio and the effects of source neutron tailoring on the system performance. Previously, burst neutrons from the neutron generator together with all neutrons from a fission chain started by a fast fission of 238U were considered to contribute to active background counts. However, through additional simulations, the magnitude of the 238U first fission contribution was found to not affect the DDA performance in reconstructing 239Pueff. As a result, the newly adopted DDA active background definition considers now any neutrons within a branch of the fission chain that does not include at least one fission event induced by a thermal neutron, before being detected, to be the active background. The active background, consisting thus of neutrons from a fission chain or its individual branches composed entirely of sequence of fast fissions on any fissile or fissionable nuclei, is not expected to change significantly with different fuel assemblies. Additionally, while source tailoring materials surrounding the neutron generator were found to influence and possibly improve the instrument performance, the effect was not substantial.},
doi = {10.2172/1126685},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1126685}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014},
month = {Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014}
}