A gauge for nondestructive assay of irradiated fuel rods

Journal Article · Thu Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1988 · Nucl. Technol.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6494247

Tessler, G; Beaudoin, B P; Beggs, W J; Freeman, L B; Kahler, A C; Schick, Jr, W C ^[1]

---

1. Westinghouse Electric Corp., Bettis Atomic Power Lab., P.O. Box 79, West Mifflin, PA (US)

The light water breeder reactor (LWBR) was developed by the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory under the technical direction of the Office of Naval Reactors, U.S. Department of Energy. The LWBR operated successfully in the Shippingport Atomic Power Station from 1977 to 1982, producing more than 29,000 equivalent full-power hours. Because of the small breeding gain (1.35%) predicted for this self-sustaining breeder, proof of breeding required accurate nondestructive assay of expended fuel from the LWBR. The fact that breeding has been proven in the LWBR means that this reactor provides a vast alternative energy resource using plentiful thorium fuel. A gauge, called the production irradiated fuel assay gauge (PIFAG), was developed to nondestructively assay whole irradiated fuel rods from the LWBR. The gauge uses the method of active interrogation with /sup 252/Cf source neutrons and delayed neutron counting. A description is given of the PIFAG, its calibration, and its application to the assay of irradiated LWBR fuel rods. A comparison of the PIFAG results with destructive assay results for 17 irradiated LWBR fuel rods show that the two methods are in excellent agreement, differing by 0.069 and 0.162% for the low- and high-energy PIFAG interrogation spectra, respectively.

• OSTI ID: 6494247
• Journal Information: Nucl. Technol.; (United States), Journal Name: Nucl. Technol.; (United States) Vol. 82:3; ISSN NUTYB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210500* -- Power Reactors
Breeding
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220400 -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Control Systems
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ACTINIDES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETTIS
BREEDER REACTORS
CALIBRATION
CALIFORNIUM 252
CALIFORNIUM ISOTOPES
CAMERAS
DETECTION
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SPECTRA
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUEL RODS
GAMMA CAMERAS
HEAVY NUCLEI
IRRADIATION
ISOTOPES
LWBR TYPE REACTORS
MATERIALS TESTING
METALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NEUTRON DETECTION
NEUTRON SOURCES
NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING
NUCLEI
PARTICLE SOURCES
POWER REACTORS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
RADIATION DETECTION
RADIATION SOURCES
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR MONITORING SYSTEMS
REACTORS
SHIELDING
SHIPPINGPORT REACTOR
SPECTRA
TESTING
THERMAL REACTORS
THORIUM
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES