Source Modulation-Correlation Measurement for Fissile Mass Flow in Gas or Liquid Fissile Streams

Conference · Sun Jul 28 00:00:00 EDT 1996

OSTI ID:394920

Mihalczo, J. T. ^[1]; March-Leuba, J. A. ^[1]; Valentine, T. E. ^[1]; Abston, R. A. ^[1]; Mattingly, J. K. ^[2]; Mullens, J. A. ^[1]

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1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Instrumentation and Control Division, Measurement Science Section
2. Oak Ridge Inst. for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

The method of monitoring fissile mass flow on all three legs of a blending point, where the input is high-enriched uranium (HEU) and low-enriched uranium (LEU) and the product is PEU, can yield the fissile stream velocity and, with calibration, the ²³⁵U content. The product of velocity and content integrated over the pipe gives the fissile mass flow in each leg. Also, the ratio of fissile contents in each pipe: HEU/LEU, HEU/PEU, and PEU/LEU, are obtained. By modulating the source on the input HEU pipe differently from that on the output pipe, the HEU gas can be tracked through the blend point. This method can be useful for monitoring flow velocity, fissile content, and fissile mass flow in HEU blend down of UF₆ if the pressures are high enough to contain some of the induced fission products. This method can also be used to monitor transfer of fissile liquids and other gases and liquids that emit radiation delayed from particle capture. These preliminary experiments with the Oak Ridge apparatus show that the method will work, and the modeling is adequate.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Instrumentation and Control Division, Measurement Science Section; Oak Ridge Inst. for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP); USDOE Laboratory Cooperative Postgraduate Research Training Program
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-96OR22464
• OSTI ID: 394920
• Report Number(s): CONF-960767-66; ON: DE96015034; TRN: 97:000010
• Resource Relation: Conference: 37. Annual Meeting of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management, Naples, FL (United States), 28 Jul - 1 Aug 1996; Other Information: PBD: [1996]
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
HIGHLY ENRICHED URANIUM
RADIATION MONITORING
MIXING
SLIGHTLY ENRICHED URANIUM
MODERATELY ENRICHED URANIUM
FISSILE MATERIALS
FLOW RATE
VELOCITY
URANIUM HEXAFLUORIDE
FLUID FLOW
URANIUM 235
MEASURING METHODS
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
High-Enriched Uranium (HEU)
Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU)
Fissile Mass Flow
Flow Velocity
Fissile Content
Fissile Liquids
Cross-Power Spectral Density (CPSD)