Exclusion and Verification of Remote Nuclear Reactors with a 1-kiloton Gd -Doped Water Detector

Akindele, O. A.; Bernstein, A.; Bergevin, M.; Dazeley, S. A.; Sutanto, F.; Mullen, A.; Hecla, J.

doi:10.1103/physrevapplied.19.034060

Exclusion and Verification of Remote Nuclear Reactors with a 1-kiloton Gd -Doped Water Detector

Journal Article · Mon Mar 20 00:00:00 EDT 2023 · Physical Review Applied

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevapplied.19.034060· OSTI ID:2203320

^[1]; Bernstein, A. ^[1]; ^[1]; Dazeley, S. A. ^[1]; ^[1]; Mullen, A. ^[1]; ^[1]

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

To date, antineutrino experiments built for the purpose of demonstrating a nonproliferation capability have typically employed organic scintillators situated as close to the core as possible (typically at a distance of a few meters to tens of meters) and have not exceeded a few tons in size. One problem with this approach is that proximity to the reactor core requires accommodation by the host facility. Water Cherenkov detectors located offsite, at distances of a few kilometers or greater, may facilitate nonintrusive monitoring and verification of reactor activities over a large area. As the standoff distance increases, the detector target mass must scale accordingly. This paper quantifies the degree to which a kiloton-scale gadolinium-doped water Cherenkov detector can exclude the existence of undeclared reactors within a specified distance, and remotely detect the presence of a hidden reactor in the presence of declared reactors, by verifying the operational power and standoff distance using a Feldman-Cousins-based likelihood analysis. A 1-kton scale (fiducial) water Cherenkov detector can exclude gigawatt-scale nuclear reactors up to tens of kilometers within a year. In conclusion, when attempting to identify the specific range and power of a reactor, the detector energy resolution is not sufficient to delineate between the two.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE; USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-07NA27344; NA0000979; NA0003920

OSTI ID:: 2203320

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1963962

Report Number(s):: LLNL--JRNL-814121; 1022363

Journal Information:: Physical Review Applied, Journal Name: Physical Review Applied Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 19; ISSN 2331-7019

Publisher:: American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Exclusion and Verification of Remote Nuclear Reactors with a 1-kiloton Gd -Doped Water Detector

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