Use of a CAEN digitiser for nuclear safeguards and security applications with a scintillator detector

The performance of a CAEN DT5751 digitiser for nuclear safeguards and security applications is discussed. The pulse shape processing firmware embedded in the digitiser was tested with a EJ-309 liquid scintillator, exposed to gamma and neutron radiation from radioactive sources and from a Van de Graaff and cyclotron-based accelerator. Software modules were developed for data acquisition and online analysis, and for more advanced off-line processing of data acquired in list mode. The potential use of a scintillator coupled to the digitiser for the detection of both gamma-rays and neutrons has been demonstrated.JRC.D.4-Standards for Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguard

Special nuclear material detection studies with the SMANDRA mobile system

The detection of special nuclear material has been studied with the SMANDRA mobile inspection system used both as a high sensitivity passive neutron/gamma spectroscopic tool and as an active inspection device using tagged neutrons. The detection of plutonium samples is possible with passive interrogation, the passive detection of uranium being much more difficult because of the low neutron yield and of the easiness of shielding the gamma rays. However, we show that active interrogation with tagged neutrons is able to provide signatures for the discrimination of uranium against other materials

Key technical issues for the proliferation resistance of generation IV reactors

Many nations believe that nuclear energy will play a key role in the future of energy production because it is an economic and non-greenhouse-gas-emitting way of producing electricity (and also high temperature process heat and hydrogen). To ensure nuclear energy Penetration into future energy production it is necessary for this technology to develop technically advanced solutions in order to be more safe, sustainable, economic and proliferation resistant. The main idea is that the new generation of Nuclear Energy Systems will provide competitively priced and reliable energy production whilst satisfactorily addressing concerns over nuclear safety, waste, proliferation and public perception. This essay is focused on the most relevant characteristics of proliferation resistance and physical protection of the Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems. It presents the context in which these systems are developed, and the context of research programmes focused on their proliferation resistance aspects. In particular, it refers to the Generation IV International Forum research programme (G.I.F.), which selected the six most promising systems with respect to the Generation IV goals. The proliferation resistance characteristics of these systems are evaluated with respect to the criteria used by the G.I.F. to select them

Surrogates of plutonium for detection equipment testing

Fight against illicit trafficking of nuclear material relies on the possibility to detect nuclear material concealed in vehicles, people or cargo containers. This is done by equipping and training law enforcement and security staff in border stations or other points of access to strategic places and critical infrastructures with radiation detection equipment. The design, development, testing and evaluation of these instruments ideally require the use of real nuclear material to assess, verify and certify their detection performance. Availability of special nuclear material may be an issue, especially for industry, since only few specialized laboratories are equipped with such material. This paper tries to analyse and describe the possibility to use suitable surrogates that may replace the use of real nuclear material in testing the detection capabilities of instruments used in nuclear security.JRC.E.9-Nuclear security (Ispra

The SimPLiS code: a simulation post-processor for liquid scintillators

This report describes the SimPLiS code. This is a post-processor of the neutron transport code MCNPX-PoliMi. Starting from the output file of MCNPX registering all neutron interactions in a liquid scintillation detector, SimPLiS simulates several phenomena related to the detector characteristics, such as the light output, the charge production, the threshold discrimination, the gamma/neutron discrimination and the coincidence electronics, allowing at the end to compute the coincidence detection rate in an array of detectors. The code has been used in the design of a liquid-scintillator-based neutron coincidence collar for fresh fuel verification in the frame of the PhD thesis of Alice Tomanin

Pu-breeding feasibility in irradiation channels of research reactors

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On the optimisation of the use of He-3 in Radiation Portal Monitors

Radiation Portal Monitors (RPM) are used to detect illicit trafficking of nuclear or other radioactive material concealed in vehicles, cargo containers or people at strategic check points, such as borders, seaports and airports. Most of them include neutron detectors for the interception of potential plutonium smuggling. The most common technology used for neutron detection in RPM is based on He-3 proportional counters. The recent severe shortage of this rare and expensive gas has created a problem of capacity for manufacturers to provide enough detectors to satisfy the market demand. In this paper we analyse the design of typical commercial RPM and try to optimise the detector parameters in order either to maximise the efficiency using the same amount of He-3 or minimise the amount of gas needed to reach the same detection performance: by reducing the volume or gas pressure in an optimised design.JRC.E.8-Nuclear securit