Measurement of leached hulls
Leached hulls are the short lengths of fuel rod cladding and fuel element hardware which constitute a major waste product of a reprocessing plant employing a chop-and-leach head-end process. The small, undissolved fuel residue (0.1 to 1.0% of original fuel content) which is discarded with this waste must be measured for safeguards, material accountability, and process control reasons. This report gives a critical analysis of hull measurement techniques involving the analysis of fission product gamma rays, spontaneous fission neutrons from curium, and delayed neutron activation. Major emphasis is given to the measurement of 2186-keV gamma rays from /sup 144/Ce--/sup 144/Pr. A detailed description of typical leached hull characteristics is presented at the beginning of the report. An extensive review of experience gained from existing hull measurement systems in the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Germany, Italy, and the United States is presented.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 6086035
- Report Number(s):
- LA-7784-MS; TRN: 79-019189
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
FUEL REPROCESSING PLANTS
NUCLEAR MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
HEAD END PROCESSES
ACCOUNTING
FUEL CANS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOMETRIC ANALYSIS
SAFEGUARDS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
MANAGEMENT
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
WASTES
055001* - Nuclear Fuels- Safeguards
Inspection
& Accountability- Technical Aspects
050800 - Nuclear Fuels- Spent Fuels Reprocessing