A non-destructive assay system for the verification of uranium fuel rods

Author

Badawy, I. ; El-Gammal, W.A. ; Abo-El-Khier, M.

Author_Institution

NCNSR, Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo, Egypt

fYear

1996

fDate

19-21 Mar 1996

Firstpage

609

Lastpage

616

Abstract

This paper describes a Non-Destructive Assay System for the verification of uranium fuel rods used in nuclear reactors. The system is based on gamma-ray spectroscopy technique. It employs a NaI(Tl) Detector, a Photo-multiplier tube, a Multi-channel Pulse-height Analyzer, associated electronics and a lead collimator. Two segments of well-known enrichments are used as “Standards”. By selecting certain gamma-rays peaks in the uranium spectra, the U-235 enrichment can be measured. Measurements performed on the verification of fuel rods of a gave U-235 enrichment with relative accuracy of about ±5%. The obtained results showed that the system can be very useful for the physical inventory verification, accountability and control, of uranium fuel rods at nuclear reactors and at the fuel fabrication stage as well

Keywords

fission reactor fuel; fission reactor instrumentation; nondestructive testing; nuclear materials safeguards; Multi-channel Pulse-height Analyzer; NaI(Tl) Detector; Photo-multiplier tube; U fuel rod verification; U spectra; U-235 enrichment; accountability; control; electronics; enrichments; gamma-ray spectroscopy; gamma-rays peaks; lead collimator; nondestructive assay system; nuclear reactors; physical inventory verification; Collimators; Electron tubes; Gamma ray detection; Gamma ray detectors; Inductors; Nuclear electronics; Nuclear fuels; Performance evaluation; Shape measurement; Spectroscopy;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Radio Science Conference, 1996. NRSC '96., Thirteenth National

Conference_Location

Cairo

Print_ISBN

0-7803-3656-9

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/NRSC.1996.551151

Filename

551151