Monitoring the thermal power of nuclear reactors with a prototype cubic meter antineutrino detector

Journal Article · Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 EDT 2008 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2899178· OSTI ID:21137289

Bernstein, A ^[1]; Bowden, N S ^[2]; Misner, A; Palmer, T ^[3]

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1. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 7000 East Ave., Livermore, California 94550 (United States)
2. Sandia National Laboratories, 7011 East Ave, Livermore, California 94550 (United States)
3. Department of Nuclear Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331 (United States)

In this paper, we estimate how quickly and how precisely a reactor's operational status and thermal power can be monitored over hour to month time scales, using the antineutrino rate as measured by a cubic meter scale detector. Our results are obtained from a detector we have deployed and operated at 25 m standoff from a reactor core. This prototype can detect a prompt reactor shutdown within 5 h and monitor relative thermal power to within 7 days. Monitoring of short-term power changes in this way may be useful in the context of International Atomic Energy Agency's reactor safeguards regime or other cooperative monitoring regimes.

• OSTI ID: 21137289
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 103, Issue 7; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.2899178; (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
ANTINEUTRINOS
MONITORING
NUCLEAR FUELS
REACTOR CORES
REACTOR SAFETY
REACTOR SHUTDOWN
SAFEGUARDS