NON-DESTRUCTIVE DETERMINATION OF U$sup 235$ CONTENT OF ROD-SHAPED FUEL ELEMENTS BY GAMMA PULSE SPECTROMETRY

Technical Report · Thu Jul 17 04:00:00 EDT 1958

OSTI ID:4313603

Judd, W C; Leboeuf, M B

A gamma pulse spectrometer system was developed for non-destructive measurement of the distribution of U along the length of rod-shaped uranium- zirconium reactor elements. The same system simultaneously measures their total U/sup 235/ content. The method depends on detection of a relatively penetrating 184-kev gamma ray which is emitted in U/sup 235/ decay. For 0.2-in.-diam. elements, linear response is obtained up to better than 12 wt.% of uranium in uranium-zirconium; changes in the Zircaloy cladding thickness produce only 0.15% error per mil. Reproducibility of measuremeat of the U/sup 235/ content per inch is plus or minus 1.1% (Relative Standard Deviation), and 87% of theoretical response to nonuniformities is obtained at a scanning speed of 8 in./ min. Reproducibility of total loading measuremeat is plus or minus 0.6% (Relative Standard Deviation). The system is caiibrated by measuring reference fuel elements, and sacrificing some of them to obtain an independent U/sup 235/ determination. The total loading calibration is determined to better than plus or minus 1% (Relative Standard Deviation). (auth)

• Research Organization: Knolls Atomic Power Lab., Schenectady, N.Y.
• DOE Contract Number: W-31-109-ENG-52
• NSA Number: NSA-12-013100
• OSTI ID: 4313603
• Report Number(s): KAPL-1925
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

CANNING
CONFIGURATION
DECAY
DETECTION
ENGINEERING
ERRORS
FUEL ELEMENTS
GAMMA RADIATION
GAMMA SPECTROMETERS
MATERIALS TESTING
MEASURED VALUES
PULSES
RODS
SPECTROSCOPY
STANDARDS
THICKNESS
URANIUM 235
URANIUM ALLOYS
ZIRCONIUM ALLOYS