Performance of an active well coincidence counter for HEU samples

Neutron coincidence counting is the reference NDA technique used in nuclear safeguards to measure the mass of nuclear material in samples. For high-enriched uranium (HEU) samples active neutron interrogation is generally performed and the most common device used by nuclear inspectors is the Active W...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Radiation measurements 2010-10, Vol.45 (9), p.1034-1043
Main Authors: Ferrari, Francesca, Peerani, Paolo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Calibration
Calibration of neutron counters
Coincidence circuits
Counting
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Geochronology
Inspection
Isotope geochemistry. Geochronology
Neutron coincidence counting
Neutron detectors
Nuclear safeguards
Optimization
Oxides
Radiation measurement
Uranium
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Summary:Neutron coincidence counting is the reference NDA technique used in nuclear safeguards to measure the mass of nuclear material in samples. For high-enriched uranium (HEU) samples active neutron interrogation is generally performed and the most common device used by nuclear inspectors is the Active Well Coincidence Counter (AWCC). Within her master thesis at the Polytechnic of Milan, the first author performed an intensive study on the characteristics and performances of the AWCC in order to assess the 235U mass in HEU oxide samples at the PERLA laboratory of JRC. The work has been summarised in this paper that starts with the optimisation of the use of AWCC for nuclear safeguards, describing the calibration procedure, reporting results of a series of verification measurements, summarising the performances that can be obtained with this instruments during inspections at fuel production plants and concluding with the discussion of uncertainties related to these measurements.
ISSN:1350-4487
1879-0925
DOI:10.1016/j.radmeas.2010.08.006