Title :
Design of a neutron interrogation cell based on an electron accelerator and performance assessment on 220 liter nuclear waste mock-up drums
Author :
Sari, Ali ; Carrel, F. ; Laine, F. ; Lyoussi, A.
Author_Institution :
LIST, CEA, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
Abstract :
Radiological characterization of nuclear waste drums is an important task for the nuclear industry. The amount of actinides, such as 235U or 239Pu, contained in a package can be determined using non-destructive active methods based on the fission process. One of these techniques, known as neutron interrogation, uses a neutron beam to induce fission reactions on the actinides. Optimization of the neutron flux is an important step towards improving this technique. Electron accelerators enable to achieve higher neutron flux intensities than the ones delivered by deuterium-tritium generators traditionally used on neutron interrogation industrial facilities. In this paper, we design a neutron interrogation cell based on an electron accelerator by MCNPX simulation. We carry out photoneutron interrogation measurements on uranium samples placed at the center of 220 liter nuclear waste drums containing different types of matrices. We quantify impact of the matrix on the prompt neutron signal, on the ratio between the prompt and delayed neutron signals, and on the interrogative neutron half-life time. We also show that characteristics of the conversion target of the electron accelerator enable to improve significantly measurement performances.
Keywords :
electron accelerators; neutron detection; neutron flux; nuclear materials packaging; radioactive waste storage; 235U; 239Pu; MCNPX simulation; actinide fission reactions; delayed neutron signals; deuterium-tritium generators; electron accelerator; interrogative neutron half-life time; neutron flux optimization; neutron interrogation cell design; nondestructive active methods; nuclear waste mock-up drum performance assessment; nuclear waste package; photoneutron interrogation measurements; prompt neutron signal matrix; radiological characterization; Electron accelerators; Neutrons; Nuclear measurements; Photonics; Polyethylene; Radioactive pollution; Thickness measurement; Electron accelerator; neutron interrogation; nuclear waste drum; photoneutron; uranium;
Conference_Titel :
Advancements in Nuclear Instrumentation Measurement Methods and their Applications (ANIMMA), 2013 3rd International Conference on
Conference_Location :
Marseille
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4799-1046-5
DOI :
10.1109/ANIMMA.2013.6727924