Counting neutrons from the spontaneous fission of 238U using scintillation detectors and mixed field analysers

It is well documented that ²³⁸U decays by spontaneous fission, and that it is the main component of most nuclear fuels. As nuclear fuels are largely classed as Special Nuclear Material (SNM), they have to be fully accounted for by owners and processing facilities. One possible method for verifying declared amounts of SNM is to count the spontaneous neutrons produced from ²³⁸U. Using four EJ-309 liquid scintillation detectors and a mixed field analyser, spontaneous neutrons from 16.4 g of depleted uranium (0.3% enrichment) have been assayed. The assay method shows promising results and this proof of principle will be researched further in order for it to be applied in an industrial setting.