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Title: Using the Time-Correlated Induced Fission Method to Simultaneously Measure the 235U Content and the Burnable Poison Content in LWR Fuel Assemblies

Journal Article · · Nuclear Technology
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1]
  1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  2. Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations

The uranium neutron coincidence collar uses thermal neutron interrogation to verify the 235U mass in low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel assemblies in fuel fabrication facilities. Burnable poisons are commonly added to nuclear fuel to increase the lifetime of the fuel. The high thermal neutron absorption by these poisons reduces the active neutron signal produced by the fuel. Burnable poison correction factors or fast-mode runs with Cd liners can help compensate for this effect, but the correction factors rely on operator declarations of burnable poison content, and fast-mode runs are time-consuming. Finally, this paper describes a new analysis method to measure the 235U mass and burnable poison content in LEU nuclear fuel simultaneously in a timely manner, without requiring additional hardware.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-06NA25396
OSTI ID:
1441322
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-17-31390; TRN: US1900900
Journal Information:
Nuclear Technology, Vol. 203, Issue 1; ISSN 0029-5450
Publisher:
Taylor & Francis - formerly American Nuclear Society (ANS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (4)

Monte carlo feasibility study of an active neutron assay technique for full-volume UF6 cylinder assay using a correlated interrogation source
  • Miller, Karen A.; Menlove, Howard O.; Swinhoe, Martyn T.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 703 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2012.10.128
journal March 2013
The development of a new, neutron, time correlated, interrogation method for measurement of 235U content in LWR fuel assemblies
  • Menlove, H. O.; Menlove, S. H.; Rael, C. D.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 701 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2012.10.081
journal February 2013
Technical Basis for the Use of a Correlated Neutron Source in the Uranium Neutron Coincidence Collar journal February 2017
Comparison of fresh fuel experimental measurements to MCNPX calculations using self-interrogation neutron resonance densitometry
  • LaFleur, Adrienne M.; Charlton, William S.; Menlove, Howard O.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 680 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2012.01.073
journal July 2012

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Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
safeguards
data analysis
active interrogation