Direct measurement of ²³⁵U in spent fuel rods with Gamma-ray mirrors

Journal Article · Tue Dec 22 00:00:00 EST 2015 · Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2014.12.055· OSTI ID:1261412

Ruz, J.  ^[1]; Brejnholt, N. F. ^[1]; Alameda, J. B. ^[1]; Decker, T. A. ^[1]; Descalle, M. A. ^[1]; Fernandez-Perea, M. ^[1]; Hill, R. M. ^[1]; Kisner, R. A. ^[2]; Melin, A. M. ^[2]; Patton, B. W. ^[2]; Soufli, R. ^[1]; Ziock, K. ^[2]; Pivovaroff, M. J. ^[1]

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1. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
2. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

We report here that direct measurement of plutonium and uranium X-rays and gamma-rays is a highly desirable nondestructive analysis method for the use in reprocessing fuel environments. The high background and intense radiation from spent fuel make direct measurements difficult to implement since the relatively low activity of uranium and plutonium is masked by the high activity from fission products. To overcome this problem, we make use of a grazing incidence optic to selectively reflect K_α and K_β fluorescence of Special Nuclear Materials (SNM) into a high-purity position-sensitive germanium detector and obtain their relative ratios.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1261412
• Journal Information: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 777, Issue C; ISSN 0168-9002
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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