Nondestructive Assay Applied to the Decommissioning of a Former Plutonium Fuel Fabrication Facility
In July of 1987, EcoTak, Inc., was contracted to provide technical support and project management for the decommissioning of the Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc., mixed-oxide fuel fabrication facility. In February of 1989, Pajarito Scientific Corporation was contracted to design and provide a comprehensive nondestructive assay (NDA) system consisting of five separation NDA stations. This five-station NDA system provides on-line plutonium holdup and criticality safety monitoring, item plutonium inventory, and rapid item decontamination effectiveness measurements at the 10 nCi/g sensitivity level, quantitative processed waste package assay at the 1 nCi/g sensitivity level, and quantitative characterization/assay of high-yield wastes, scrap, and residues at the ± 10% level of accuracy. These comprehensive DNA functions are provided by an integrated set of two passive neutron networks, two pulsed active neutron (differential dieaway) units, a functionally integrated high-resolution gamma spectrometer (high-purity germanium (HPGe)), and neutron coincidence counting unit. All NDA hardware items are interfaced through a single IBM/PC/AT class micro-processor for data acquisition, analysis, and archiving.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
- OSTI ID:
- 5040736
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-911107--
- Journal Information:
- Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society Vol. 64; ISSN TANSA; ISSN 0003-018X
- Publisher:
- American Nuclear Society
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
054000* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Health & Safety
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
42 ENGINEERING
ACCURACY
ACTINIDES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CLEANING
COINCIDENCE METHODS
COINCIDENCE SPECTROMETRY
COUNTING TECHNIQUES
CRITICALITY
DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEMS
DECOMMISSIONING
DECONTAMINATION
DESIGN
DOCUMENTATION
ELEMENTS
EcoTak
FUEL FABRICATION PLANTS
FUELS
GE SEMICONDUCTOR DETECTORS
HIGH-PURITY GE DETECTORS
INVENTORIES
MANAGEMENT
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
METALS
MIXED OXIDE FUELS
NONDESTRUCTIVE ANALYSIS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
Nondestructive Assay (NDA)
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
PLUTONIUM
RADIATION DETECTORS
RADIATION PROTECTION
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOASSAY
SAFETY
SEMICONDUCTOR DETECTORS
SENSITIVITY
SOLID FUELS
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
WASTE MANAGEMENT