Channel coincidence counter: version 1

A thermal neutron coincidence counter has been designed for the assay of fast critical assembly fuel drawers and plutonium-bearing fuel rods. The principal feature of the detector is a 7-cm by 7-cm by 97-cm detector channel, which provides a uniform neutron detection efficiency of 16% along the central 40 cm of the channel. The electronics system is identical to that used for the High-Level Neutron Coincidence Counter

Expected precision of neutron multiplicity measurements of waste drums

DOE facilities are beginning to apply passive neutron multiplicity counting techniques to the assay of plutonium scrap and residues. There is also considerable interest in applying this new measurement technique to 208-liter waste drums. The additional information available from multiplicity counting could flag the presence of shielding materials or improve assay accuracy by correcting for matrix effects such as ({alpha},n) induced fission or detector efficiency variations. The potential for multiplicity analysis of waste drums, and the importance of better detector design, can be estimated by calculating the expected assay precision using a Figure of Merit code for assay variance. This paper reports results obtained as a function of waste drum content and detector characteristics. We find that multiplicity analysis of waste drums is feasible if a high-efficiency neutron counter is used. However, results are significantly poorer if the multiplicity analysis must be used to solve for detection efficiency

Design of a new portable fork detector for research reactor spent fuel

There are many situations in nonproliferation and international safeguards when one needs to verify spent research-reactor fuel. Special inspections, a reactor coming under safeguards for the first time, and failed surveillance are prime examples. Several years ago, Los Alamos developed the FORK detector for the IAEA and EURATOM. This detector, together with the GRAND electronics package, is used routinely by inspectors to verify light-water-reactor spent fuels. Both the FORK detector and the GRAND electronics technologies have been transferred and are now commercially available. Recent incidents in the world indicate that research-reactor fuel is potentially a greater concern for proliferation than light-water-reactor fuels. A device similar to the FORK/GRAND should be developed to verify research-reactor spent fuels because the signals from light-water-reactor spent fuel are quite different than those from research-reactor fuels

The design and performance of the research reactor fuel counter

This paper describes the design features, hardware specifications, and performance characteristics of the Research Reactor Fuel Counter (RRFC) System. The system is an active mode neutron coincidence counter intended to assay material test reactor fuel assemblies under water. The RRFC contains 12 {sup 3}He tubes, each with its own preamplifier, and a single ion chamber. The neutron counting electronics are based on the Los Alamos Portable Shift Register (PSR) and the gamma readout is a manual-range pico-ammeter of Los Alamos design. The RRFC is connected to the surface by a 20-m-long cable bundle. The PSR is controlled by a portable IBM computer running a modified version of the Los Alamos neutron coincidence counting code also called RRFC. There is a manual that describes the RRFC software

Nondestructive verification with minimal movement of irradiated light-water-reactor fuel assemblies

Nondestructive verification of irradiated light-water reactor fuel assemblies can be performed rapidly and precisely by measuring their gross gamma-ray and neutron signatures. A portable system measured fuel assemblies with exposures ranging from 18.4 to 40.6 GWd/tU and with cooling times ranging from 1575 to 2638 days. Differences in the measured results for side or corner measurements are discussed. 25 figures, 20 tables

Cognitive dysfunction in naturally occurring canine idiopathic epilepsy

Globally, epilepsy is a common serious brain disorder. In addition to seizure activity, epilepsy is associated with cognitive impairments including static cognitive impairments present at onset, progressive seizure-induced impairments and co-morbid dementia. Epilepsy occurs naturally in domestic dogs but its impact on canine cognition has yet to be studied, despite canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD) recognised as a spontaneous model of dementia. Here we use data from a psychometrically validated tool, the canine cognitive dysfunction rating (CCDR) scale, to compare cognitive dysfunction in dogs diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy (IE) with controls while accounting for age. An online cross-sectional study resulted in a sample of 4051 dogs, of which n = 286 had been diagnosed with IE. Four factors were significantly associated with a diagnosis of CCD (above the diagnostic cut-off of CCDR ≥50): (i) epilepsy diagnosis: dogs with epilepsy were at higher risk; (ii) age: older dogs were at higher risk; (iii) weight: lighter dogs (kg) were at higher risk; (iv) training history: dogs with more exposure to training activities were at lower risk. Impairments in memory were most common in dogs with IE, but progression of impairments was not observed compared to controls. A significant interaction between epilepsy and age was identified, with IE dogs exhibiting a higher risk of CCD at a young age, while control dogs followed the expected pattern of low-risk throughout middle age, with risk increasing exponentially in geriatric years. Within the IE sub-population, dogs with a history of cluster seizures and high seizure frequency had higher CCDR scores. The age of onset, nature and progression of cognitive impairment in the current IE dogs appear divergent from those classically seen in CCD. Longitudinal monitoring of cognitive function from seizure onset is required to further characterise these impairments

In-plant test and evaluation of the neutron collar for verification of PWR fuel assemblies at Resende, Brazil

The neutron-coincidence collar has been evaluated for the measurement of pressurized-water reactor (PWR) fuel assemblies at the Fabrica de Elementos Combustiveis plant in Resende, Brazil. This evaluation was part of the cooperative-bilateral-safeguards technical-exchange program between the United States and Brazil. The neutron collar measures the STVU content per unit length of full fuel assemblies using neutron interrogation and coincidence counting. The STYU content is measured in the passive mode without the AmLi neutron-interrogation source. The extended evaluation took place over a period of 6 months with both scanning and single-zone measurements. The results of the tests gave a coincidence-response standard deviation of 0.7% (sigma = 1.49% for mass) for the active case and 2.5% for the passive case in 1000-s measurement times. The length measurement in the scanning mode was accurate to 0.77%. The accuracies of different calibration methods were evaluated and compared

Non-destructive assay of nuclear materials using a self-indication method

The integrity test applicable to TRU fuel containing MA with high radioactivity and high decay heat is important for safety. Neutron resonance transmission analysis is adapted for identification and quantification of nuclides in fuels by neutron time-of-flight measurement. In this work, a self-indication method was applied to the measurement of the transmitted neutron. The validation of the self-indication method was performed by using a pulsed neutron source and natural uranium samples at the KURRI-LINAC. The results show that the target areal density can be easily determined from the reduction of the counting rate around the resonances with and without sample. It was confirmed that the reduction ratio due to the neutron resonance absorption can be estimated to within 10%. The numerical estimation showed that the areal density of fuel material can be determined in the range from 10−6 to 10−2 (b−1) using multiple resonances and suitable thickness self-indicator

Portable neutron measurement technique for the assay of /sup 235/U in LWR fuel assemblies

An active neutron interrogation technique has been developed for the measurement of the /sup 235/U content in fresh fuel assemblies. The method employs an AmLi neutron source to induce fission reactions in the fuel assembly and coincidence counting of the resulting fission reaction neutrons. When no interrogation source is present, the passive neutron coincidence rate gives a measure of the /sup 238/U via the spontaneous fission reactions. The system can be applied to the fissile content determination in HWR, BWR, and LWR fuel assemblies for accountability, criticality control, and safeguards purposes