Evalution of NDA techniques and instruments for assay of nuclear waste at a waste terminal storage facility

Technical Report · Mon May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1978

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6987480· OSTI ID:6987480

Blakeman, E. D.; Allen, E. J.; Jenkins, J. D.

The use of Nondestructive Assay (NDA) instrumentation at a nuclear waste terminal storage facility for purposes of Special Nuclear Material (SNM) accountability is evaluated. Background information is given concerning general NDA techniques and the relative advantages and disadvantages of active and passive NDA methods are discussed. The projected characteristics and amounts of nuclear wastes that will be delivered to a waste terminal storage facility are presented. Wastes are divided into four categories: High Level Waste, Cladding Waste, Intermediate Level Waste, and Low Level Waste. Applications of NDA methods to the assay of these waste types is discussed. Several existing active and passive NDA instruments are described and, where applicable, results of assays performed on wastes in large containers (e.g., 55-gal drums) are given. It is concluded that it will be difficult to routinely achieve accuracies better than approximately 10--30% with ''simple'' NDA devices or 5--20% with more sohpisticated NDA instruments for compacted wastes. It is recommended that NDA instruments not be used for safeguards accountability at a waste storage facility. It is concluded that item accountability methods be implemented. These conclusions and recommendations are detailed in a concurrent report entitled ''Recommendations on the Safeguards Requirements Related to the Accountability of Special Nuclear Material at Waste Terminal Storage Facilities'' by J.D. Jenkins, E.J. Allen and E.D. Blakeman.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 6987480
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM-6163; TRN: 78-012418
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NONDESTRUCTIVE ANALYSIS
EVALUATION
NUCLEAR MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
ACCOUNTING
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
INTERMEDIATE-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
MANAGEMENT
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
STORAGE
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE STORAGE
WASTES
055001* - Nuclear Fuels- Safeguards
Inspection
& Accountability- Technical Aspects
052002 - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage