Burnup verification measurements on spent-fuel assemblies at Arkansas Nuclear One, Unit 1. Final report
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
- Entergy Operations, Inc., Russellville, AR (United States)
The use of burnup credit in the design of spent-fuel storage and transportation casks can result in significant benefits in terms of reduced risks and cost savings. A measurement system that can verify utility records on burnup of spent fuel can facilitate NRC acceptance of the burnup credit concept by preventing the possibility of loading errors. The Fork measurement system has been used to examine spent-fuel assemblies at Unit 1 of Arkansas Nuclear One, operated by Entergy Operations, Inc. The neutron and gamma-ray emissions from individual spent-fuel assemblies were measured in the storage pool while the assembly was raised partway out of the storage rack. Thirty-four assemblies were examined in one and a half days of operation. The average deviation of the burnup measurements from the calibration was 3.0%, indicating close agreement with the reactor records. The effectiveness of the Fork system is due to the sensitivity of the neutron yield to burnup, the self-calibration generated by a series of measurements, and the redundancy provided by three independent detection systems. The Fork measurements correlated satisfactorily with the reactor records.
- Research Organization:
- Electric Power Research Inst., Palo Alto, CA (United States); Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States); Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States); Entergy Operations, Inc., Russellville, AR (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- Electric Power Research Inst., Palo Alto, CA (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 238602
- Report Number(s):
- EPRI-TR--106305
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Burnup verification measurements on spent fuel assemblies at Arkansas Nuclear One
Measurements on spent-fuel assemblies at Arkansas Nuclear One using the Fork system. Final report, January 1995