Neutron- and X-ray radiography/ tomography: non-destructive analytical tools for the characterization of nuclear materials

• Published in: Journal of the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy 2015-10, Vol.115 (10)
• Main Author: de Beer, F C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Mathematical analysis; Neutron radiography; Nondestructive testing; Nuclear engineering; Nuclear fuels; Three dimensional; Tomography; X-rays
• ISSN: 0038-223X; 2411-9717
• DOI: 10.17159/2411-9717/2015/v115n10a3

A number of important areas in nuclear fuel cycle, at both the front end and back end, offer ideal opportunities for the application of nondestructive evaluation techniques. These techniques do not only provide opportunities for non-invasive testing of ag:irradiated materials, but also play an important role in the development of new materials in the nuclear sector. The advantage of penetrating radiation used as probe in the investigation and testing of nuclear materials makes X-ray and neutron radiography (2D) and tomography (3D) suitable for various applications in the total nuclear fuel cycle. The unique and different interaction modes of the two radiation probes with materials provide several opportunities. Their complementary nature and non-destructive character makes them most suitable for nuclear material analyses, analytical method development, and the evaluation of the performance of existing nuclear material compositions. This article gives an overview of the X-ray and neutron radiography/tomography applications in the field of nuclear material testing, and highlights a few of the success stories. Several selected areas of application in the nuclear fuel cycle are discussed to illustrate the complementary nature of these techniques as applied to nuclear materials.