Detecting pin diversion from pressurized water reactors spent fuel assemblies
Abstract
Detecting diversion of spent fuel from Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR) by determining possible diversion including the steps of providing a detector cluster containing gamma ray and neutron detectors, inserting the detector cluster containing the gamma ray and neutron detectors into the spent fuel assembly through the guide tube holes in the spent fuel assembly, measuring gamma ray and neutron radiation responses of the gamma ray and neutron detectors in the guide tube holes, processing the gamma ray and neutron radiation responses at the guide tube locations by normalizing them to the maximum value among each set of responses and taking the ratio of the gamma ray and neutron responses at the guide tube locations and normalizing the ratios to the maximum value among them and producing three signatures, gamma, neutron, and gamma-neutron ratio, based on these normalized values, and producing an output that consists of these signatures that can indicate possible diversion of the pins from the spent fuel assembly.
- Inventors:
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1338908
- Patent Number(s):
- 9543046
- Application Number:
- 12/619,791
- Assignee:
- Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC (Livermore, CA)
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
G - PHYSICS G21 - NUCLEAR PHYSICS G21C - NUCLEAR REACTORS
Y - NEW / CROSS SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Y02 - TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Y02E - REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC52-07NA27344
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: 2009 Nov 17
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Citation Formats
Ham, Young S., and Sitaraman, Shivakumar. Detecting pin diversion from pressurized water reactors spent fuel assemblies. United States: N. p., 2017.
Web.
Ham, Young S., & Sitaraman, Shivakumar. Detecting pin diversion from pressurized water reactors spent fuel assemblies. United States.
Ham, Young S., and Sitaraman, Shivakumar. Tue .
"Detecting pin diversion from pressurized water reactors spent fuel assemblies". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1338908.
@article{osti_1338908,
title = {Detecting pin diversion from pressurized water reactors spent fuel assemblies},
author = {Ham, Young S. and Sitaraman, Shivakumar},
abstractNote = {Detecting diversion of spent fuel from Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR) by determining possible diversion including the steps of providing a detector cluster containing gamma ray and neutron detectors, inserting the detector cluster containing the gamma ray and neutron detectors into the spent fuel assembly through the guide tube holes in the spent fuel assembly, measuring gamma ray and neutron radiation responses of the gamma ray and neutron detectors in the guide tube holes, processing the gamma ray and neutron radiation responses at the guide tube locations by normalizing them to the maximum value among each set of responses and taking the ratio of the gamma ray and neutron responses at the guide tube locations and normalizing the ratios to the maximum value among them and producing three signatures, gamma, neutron, and gamma-neutron ratio, based on these normalized values, and producing an output that consists of these signatures that can indicate possible diversion of the pins from the spent fuel assembly.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {2017},
month = {1}
}
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