A neutron monitoring system for evaluating nuclear safety at the Chernobyl Unit 4 fuel debris

Journal Article · Tue Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1998 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society

OSTI ID:644241

Scherpelz, R I; Tanner, J E; Sisk, D R ^[1]

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1. Pacific Northwest National Lab., Richland, WA (United States)

The remains of the nuclear fuel that was severely damaged in the 1986 Chernobyl unit 4 accident lie in large masses in the premises under the reactor. The fuel debris exists in the form of dusts, chunks, and lavas, and the quantities are substantial--some rooms contain several tons of fuel. Since there is a possibility of water entering these rooms, there is an obvious concern over criticality safety. Incidents of increased neutron count rates have been noted in the vicinity of nuclear fuel debris. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), under a program funded by the US Department of Energy, responded to this safety concern by assembling a new monitoring system to characterize the radiation environment in the vicinity of major fuel deposits. The new monitoring system will measure the gamma and neutron radiation fields in several locations. The measurement data can be tracked over time to determine the characteristics of the radiation fields and better understand the nuclear safety conditions in the vicinity of the fuel. The monitoring system was designed to provide information that will allow a better interpretation of any future events.

• OSTI ID: 644241
• Report Number(s): CONF-980606--
• Journal Information: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society Vol. 78; ISSN 0003-018X; ISSN TANSAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
BF3 COUNTERS
CHERNOBYLSK-4 REACTOR
CORIUM
CRITICALITY
FISSION CHAMBERS
GAMMA DETECTION
IONIZATION CHAMBERS
NEUTRON DETECTION
RADIATION MONITORING
SAFETY