Strengthening Technical Safeguards of Fresh Fuel Through International Cooperation

Technical Report · Thu Feb 11 00:00:00 EST 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1765847· OSTI ID:1765847

Favalli, Andrea  ^[1]; Broughton, David Paul  ^[1]; Croft, S. ^[2]; Grund, M.S. ^[3]; McElroy, R. D. ^[2]; Renha, G ^[3]

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1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
2. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
3. The National Nuclear Energy Commission of Brazil (CNEN), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

Over time, nuclear fuel designs have shifted towards having higher initial enrichments and a greater number of burnable poison rods. This enables increased burnup for commercial reasons. These changes have made safeguards measurements of the ²³⁵U content in modern fresh fuel more challenging.This is addressed here through a re-evaluation of the UNCL (Uranium Neutron Collar–Light Water Reactor Fuel)poison rod correction factor. Coefficients of the poison rod correction factor were updated by simulating response of AngraII PWR fuel with a wide range of both burnable poison rods and Gd₂O₃ contentper rod. Benchmark comparisons are made to experiments performed at Resende (Brazil) and CNEN/LASAL in Brazil. By updating these coefficients, while maintaining the same mathematical form to allow INCC to be used without software modification,it was possible to reduce error in experimental ²³⁵U linear density assay by an order of magnitude.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Office of International Nuclear Safeguards (NA-241)
• DOE Contract Number: 89233218CNA000001
• OSTI ID: 1765847
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-19-31408; TRN: US2215162
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS