Prototype fast neutron counter for the assay of impure plutonium

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

OSTI ID:5625738

Wachter, J R; Adams, E L; Ensslin, N ^[1]

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

For plutonium-bearing materials that undergo ({alpha},n) reactions, such as oxides, metal with oxide coatings, salts, and residues, the present generation of thermal neutron coincidence counters often gives inaccurate assays. This is because thermal counters that measure only coincident and total neutrons do not uniquely specify the plutonium mass for samples with unknown self-multiplication and ({alpha},n) reaction rates. Currently, a fast neutron counter using liquid scintillators and gamma-ray/neutron pulse-shape discrimination is being developed and evaluated for the nondestructive assay of impure plutonium materials. This type of counter can provide a direct solution to the measurement problems associated with impure plutonium by collecting single, double, and triple coincidence events. The goal of a fast neutron counter is to correctly determine the plutonium content of any sample without prior knowledge of its self-multiplication or ({alpha},n) reaction rate. The present prototype meets this goal to within 3 to 5% RSD for many in-plant materials containing 10g {sup 240}Pu or more.

• OSTI ID: 5625738
• Report Number(s): CONF-871110-; CODEN: TANSA; TRN: 89-028013
• Journal Information: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (USA), Vol. 55; Conference: 3. international conference on facility operations safeguards interface, San Diego, CA (USA), 29 Nov - 4 Dec 1987; ISSN 0003-018X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
LASL
NUCLEAR MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
NEUTRON MONITORS
ACCURACY
PLUTONIUM
NONDESTRUCTIVE ANALYSIS
ACCOUNTABILITY
COATINGS
EFFICIENCY
FAST NEUTRONS
FISSION
IMPURITIES
LIQUID SCINTILLATION DETECTORS
MULTIPLICATION FACTORS
PLUTONIUM OXIDES
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
REPROCESSING
SAFEGUARDS
SAMPLING
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDES
BARYONS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ELEMENTS
FERMIONS
HADRONS
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
METALS
MONITORS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NEUTRONS
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
NUCLEONS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
RADIATION DETECTORS
RADIATION MONITORS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
SCINTILLATION COUNTERS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTES
055001* - Nuclear Fuels- Safeguards
Inspection
& Accountability- Technical Aspects
050800 - Nuclear Fuels- Spent Fuels Reprocessing
440101 - Radiation Instrumentation- General Detectors or Monitors & Radiometric Instruments