Assay of fissile materials using a combined thermal/epithermal neutron interrogation technique

Conference · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1987 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (USA)

OSTI ID:5493445

Coop, K L; Caldwell, J T; Goulding, C A ^[1]

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1. Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)

The authors have developed and built a prototype device to assay fissile materials using a technique that interrogates samples with both thermal and epithermal neutrons. The technique is based on that used in the lead slowing down spectrometer. However, the device is much smaller and less expensive, with poorer energy resolution than a true lead slowing down spectrometer. It is believed that this development may be uniquely suited for the very difficult problem of determining the fissile content in nuclear waste derived from irradiated breeder reactor fuel rods. The waste is of highly variable composition, ranging from absorbed solutions to discrete Pieces several grams in size, embedded in different matrices. The nuclear material is mixed uranium/plutonium fuel of variable enrichment and burnup. While this device was developed specifically to assay remote handled waste, it may be of value for other safeguards applications. One problem in particular for which it may be useful is determining whether enriched uranium is being concealed with lead and cadmium shielding in a box or package.

• OSTI ID: 5493445
• Report Number(s): CONF-871110--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (USA) Journal Volume: 55
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

055001* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Safeguards
Inspection
& Accountability-- Technical Aspects
440101 -- Radiation Instrumentation-- General Detectors or Monitors & Radiometric Instruments
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
ACCOUNTABILITY
BARYONS
BREEDER REACTORS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
DETECTION
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
EPITHERMAL NEUTRONS
EPITHERMAL REACTORS
FAST REACTORS
FBR TYPE REACTORS
FERMIONS
FISSILE MATERIALS
FISSIONABLE MATERIALS
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUEL RODS
HADRONS
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
NEUTRON DETECTION
NEUTRONS
NONDESTRUCTIVE ANALYSIS
NUCLEAR MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
NUCLEONS
RADIATION DETECTION
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
SAFEGUARDS
SENSITIVITY
SLOWING-DOWN
SPENT FUEL ELEMENTS
THERMAL NEUTRONS