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Employing antineutrino detectors to safeguard future nuclear reactors from diversions

Journal Article · · Nature Communications
 [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States); Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)
  2. Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
  3. Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations

The Non-Proliferation Treaty and other non-proliferation agreements are in place worldwide to ensure that nuclear material and facilities are used only for peaceful purposes. Antineutrino detectors, sensitive to reactor power and fuel changes, can complement the tools already at the disposal of international agencies to safeguard nuclear facilities and to verify the States' compliance with the agreements. Recent advancement in these detectors has made it possible to leverage them to reduce the likelihood of an undetected diversion of irradiated nuclear material. We study the sensitivity of antineutrino monitors to fuel divergence from two reactor types: a traditional light-water reactor and an advanced sodium-cooled reactor design, a likely candidate for future deployment. The analysis demonstrates that a variety of potential diversion scenarios can be detected by such a system. We outline recent developments in monitoring capabilities and discuss their potential security implications to the international community.

Research Organization:
Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE); NRC
Grant/Contract Number:
AC07-05ID14517
OSTI ID:
1634098
Report Number(s):
INL/JOU--18-52308-Rev001
Journal Information:
Nature Communications, Journal Name: Nature Communications Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 10; ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Figures / Tables (7)

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Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
Antineutrino monitoring
energy policy
nonproliferation
nuclear fusion and fission
reactor diversion
safeguards