Plutonium Measurements with a Fast-Neutron Multiplicity Counter for Nuclear Safeguards Applications

Dolan, Jennifer L.; Flaska, Marek; Poitrasson-Riviere, Alexis; Enqvist, Andreas; Peerani, Paolo; Chichester, David L.; Pozzi, Sara A.

doi:10.1016/j.nima.2014.06.028

Title: Plutonium Measurements with a Fast-Neutron Multiplicity Counter for Nuclear Safeguards Applications

Full Record
Other Related Research

Abstract

Measurements were performed at the Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy to field test a fast-neutron multiplicity counter developed at the University of Michigan. The measurements allowed the assessment of the system's photon discrimination abilities, efficiency when measuring neutron multiplicity, ability to characterize ²⁴⁰Pu_eff mass, and performance relative to a currently deployed neutron coincidence counter. We describe how this work is motivated by the need to replace and improve upon ³He neutron detection systems for nuclear safeguards applications.

Authors:

Dolan, Jennifer L. ^[1]; Flaska, Marek ^[1]; Poitrasson-Riviere, Alexis ^[1]; Enqvist, Andreas ^[2]; Peerani, Paolo ^[3]; Chichester, David L. ^[4]; Pozzi, Sara A. ^[1]

Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States). Dept. of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences
Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States)
European Commission, Ispra (Italy). Joint Research Centre
Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

Publication Date:: Wed Jun 18 00:00:00 EDT 2014

Research Org.:: Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE NA Office of Nonproliferation and Verification Research and Development (NA-22); USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), Fuel Cycle Technologies (NE-5); National Science Foundation (NSF); US Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

OSTI Identifier:: 1162207

Report Number(s):: INL/JOU-14-31272
Journal ID: ISSN 0168-9002

DOE Contract Number:: NA0002534; AC07-05ID14517

Resource Type:: Journal Article

Journal Name:: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 763; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0168-9002

Publisher:: Elsevier

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; FAST NEUTRONS; PLUTONIUM; SAFEGUARDS; assay; fast neutron; plutonium; pulse shape discrimination; safeguards; Nuclear safeguards; He-3 alternatives; Liquid scintillation detectors; MCNPX-PoliMi

Citation Formats


                    Dolan, Jennifer L., Flaska, Marek, Poitrasson-Riviere, Alexis, Enqvist, Andreas, Peerani, Paolo, Chichester, David L., and Pozzi, Sara A. Plutonium Measurements with a Fast-Neutron Multiplicity Counter for Nuclear Safeguards Applications.  United States: N. p., 2014. 
        Web.  doi:10.1016/j.nima.2014.06.028.

Copy to clipboard


                    Dolan, Jennifer L., Flaska, Marek, Poitrasson-Riviere, Alexis, Enqvist, Andreas, Peerani, Paolo, Chichester, David L., & Pozzi, Sara A. Plutonium Measurements with a Fast-Neutron Multiplicity Counter for Nuclear Safeguards Applications.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2014.06.028

Copy to clipboard


                    Dolan, Jennifer L., Flaska, Marek, Poitrasson-Riviere, Alexis, Enqvist, Andreas, Peerani, Paolo, Chichester, David L., and Pozzi, Sara A. 2014.  
        "Plutonium Measurements with a Fast-Neutron Multiplicity Counter for Nuclear Safeguards Applications".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2014.06.028.

Copy to clipboard


                    
@article{osti_1162207,

  title        = {Plutonium Measurements with a Fast-Neutron Multiplicity Counter for Nuclear Safeguards Applications},

  author       = {Dolan, Jennifer L. and Flaska, Marek and Poitrasson-Riviere, Alexis and Enqvist, Andreas and Peerani, Paolo and Chichester, David L. and Pozzi, Sara A.},

  abstractNote = {Measurements were performed at the Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy to field test a fast-neutron multiplicity counter developed at the University of Michigan. The measurements allowed the assessment of the system's photon discrimination abilities, efficiency when measuring neutron multiplicity, ability to characterize 240Pueff mass, and performance relative to a currently deployed neutron coincidence counter. We describe how this work is motivated by the need to replace and improve upon 3He neutron detection systems for nuclear safeguards applications.},

  doi          = {10.1016/j.nima.2014.06.028},

  url          = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1162207},
  journal      = {Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment},

  issn         = {0168-9002},

  number       = C,

  volume       = 763,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Wed Jun 18 00:00:00 EDT 2014},

  month        = {Wed Jun 18 00:00:00 EDT 2014}

}

Copy to clipboard

Journal Article:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2014.06.028

Other availability

Find in Google Scholar

Search WorldCat to find libraries that may hold this journal

Save / Share:

Export Metadata

Save to My Library

Similar records in OSTI.GOV collections:

Plutonium measurements with a fast-neutron multiplicity counter for nuclear safeguards applications

Journal Article Dolan, Jennifer; Flaska, Marek; Poitrasson-Riviere, Alexis; ... - Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment

Measurements were performed at the Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy to field test a fast-neutron multiplicity counter developed at the University of Michigan. The measurements allowed the assessment of the system's photon discrimination abilities, efficiency when measuring neutron multiplicity, ability to characterize ²⁴⁰Pu_eff mass, and performance relative to a currently deployed neutron coincidence counter. We describe how this work is motivated by the need to replace and improve upon ³He neutron detection systems for nuclear safeguards applications.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2014.06.028
Passive assay of plutonium metal plates using a fast-neutron multiplicity counter

Journal Article Di Fulvio, A.; Shin, T.; Jordan, T.; ... - Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment

Here, we developed a fast-neutron multiplicity counter based on organic scintillators (EJ-309 liquid and stilbene). The system detects correlated photon and neutron multiplets emitted by fission reactions, within a gate time of tens of nanoseconds. The system was used at Idaho National Laboratory to assay a variety of plutonium metal plates. A coincidence counting strategy was used to quantify the ²⁴⁰Pu effective mass of the samples. Coincident neutrons, detected within a 40-ns coincidence window, show a monotonic trend, increasing with the ²⁴⁰Pu-effective mass (in this work, we tested the 0.005–0.5 kg range). After calibration, the system estimated the ²⁴⁰Pu effectivemore »« less
Cited by 40
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2017.02.082

Full Text Available
Prototype fast neutron counter for the assay of impure plutonium

Conference Wachter, J; Adams, E; Ensslin, N

A fast coincident neutron counter using liquid scintillators and gamma-ray/neutron pulse-shape discrimination has been constructed for the analysis of plutonium samples with unknown self-multiplication and (..cap alpha..,n) production. The counter was used to measure plutonium-bearing materials that cover a range of masses and (..cap alpha..,n) reaction rates of importance to the safeguards community. Measured values of the /sup 240/Pu effective mass differed, on average, from their declared values by 0.4% for plutonium oxides and by -2.2% for metal and MgO-loaded samples. Poorer results were obtained for materials with large (..cap alpha..,n) reaction rates and low self-multiplication such as plutonium ashmore » and plutonium fluoride.« less
Full Text Available
Prototype fast neutron counter for the assay of impure plutonium

Conference Wachter, J; Adams, E; Ensslin, N - Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (USA)

For plutonium-bearing materials that undergo ({alpha},n) reactions, such as oxides, metal with oxide coatings, salts, and residues, the present generation of thermal neutron coincidence counters often gives inaccurate assays. This is because thermal counters that measure only coincident and total neutrons do not uniquely specify the plutonium mass for samples with unknown self-multiplication and ({alpha},n) reaction rates. Currently, a fast neutron counter using liquid scintillators and gamma-ray/neutron pulse-shape discrimination is being developed and evaluated for the nondestructive assay of impure plutonium materials. This type of counter can provide a direct solution to the measurement problems associated with impure plutonium bymore »« less
The Ephithermal Neutron Multiplicity Counter Design and Performance Manual: More Rapid Plutonium and Uranium Inventory Verifications by Factors of 5-20

Technical Report Stewart, J; Menlove, H; Mayo, D; ...

Thermal neutron multiplicity counters (TNMCs) assay {sup 240}Pu-effective mass, isolating spontaneous-fission (SF), induced-fission, and ({alpha},n) neutrons emitted from plutonium metal, oxide, scrap, and residue items. Three independent parameters are measured: single, double, and triple neutron-pulse-coincidence count rates. TNMC assays can become precision limited by high ({alpha},n) neutron rates arising from low-Z impurities and {sup 241}Am. TNMCs capture thermal neutrons in 4-atm {sup 3}He tubes after fast-source-neutron moderation by polyethylene. TNMCs are {approximately}50% efficient with {approximately}-{micro}s die-away times. Simultaneously increasing efficiency and reducing die-away time dramatically improve assay precision. Using 10-atm {sup 3}He tubes, they've developed and performance-tested the first ofmore »« less
https://doi.org/10.2172/775881

Full Text Available

Similar Records