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Qualification of an LWBR-irradiated fuel assay gauge

Conference · · Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States)
OSTI ID:7179680
A production-irradiated fuel assay gauge (PIFAG) has been developed with the capability of determine, nondestructively, the total fissile fuel content (loading) of an irradiated fuel rod with a precision of 0.5% or better. This gauge was developed by the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory under the technical direction of the US Department of Energy's Office of Naval Reactors to be used for proving breeding in the light water breeder reactor (LWBR). This paper presents nondestructive and destructive data that demonstrate the high precision, accuracy, and stability of the PIFAG. The PIFAG is being qualified by comparison of PIFAG results with destructive assay results for 17 rods, repeated assay at long time intervals of a selected number of rods of each type, and continuous monitoring with a normalization rod. These data demonstrate that the PIFAG meets the precision objectives of the fissile loading determination.
Research Organization:
Bettis Atomic Power Lab.
OSTI ID:
7179680
Report Number(s):
CONF-861102-
Conference Information:
Journal Name: Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States) Journal Volume: 53
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English