Development of an active well coincidence counter for U-Al billet assay
The Savannah River Site (SRS) has completed an experimental evaluation of the application of an active well (neutron) coincidence counter (AWCC) to the assay of /sup 235/U in U-Al coextrusion billets of the Savannah River Site fuel fabrication area. Using U-Al coextrusion core standards for the experimental measurements, the AWCC was tested in several different source/sample configurations. As a result of this work, a new configuration was identified for billet assay. This configuration, using a moderated AmLi source placed in the central hole of the billet, yielded a two-standard-deviation precision of 0.6--1.0% for a twenty-minute assay. This precision is a factor of 2--3 better than that obtained from the operation of the AWCC in the standard configuration, i.e., with the interrogation sources located above and below the billet. A dedicated Billet AWCC, using the new center-source configuration and custom-built to accommodate coextrusion billets, is being acquired for use in the fuel fabrication area of SRS. This paper will present details of the experimental work, as well as a description of the resulting AWCC design. 3 refs., 6 figs., 4 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC09-89SR18035
- OSTI ID:
- 5961933
- Report Number(s):
- DP-MS-89-14; CONF-890736-34; ON: DE89014142
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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