Detection of high-energy delayed gammas for nuclear waste packages characterization

Methods based on photon activation analysis (PAA) have been developed by CEA LIST for several years, in order to assay actinides inside nuclear waste packages. These techniques were primarily based on the detection of delayed neutrons emitted by fission products. To overcome some limitations related to neutrons, CEA LIST has worked on the detection of high-energy delayed gammas (E>3 MeV), which are simultaneously emitted by fission products along with delayed neutrons. Since the emission yield is more important for high-energy delayed gammas than delayed neutrons and because they are less sensitive to hydrogenous material, high-energy delayed gammas are a solution of interest in order to improve the accuracy of these techniques. In this article, we present new experimental results demonstrating the feasibility of high-energy delayed gamma detection for nuclear waste packages characterization. Experiments have been carried out in the PAA facility called SAPHIR, which is located in CEA Saclay. The most important part of our work has been carried out on an 870 l mock-up package. Some experimental techniques, initially based on delayed neutron detection (altitude scan, photofission tomography), have been successfully applied for the first time using high-energy delayed gamma detection.