Gamma radiation techniques for non-destructive post-irradiation examination of nuclear fuel : Predicting performance and optimizing instrument design

Collimated gamma-based techniques are widely used to study nuclear fuel, especially for non-destructive post-irradiation examination (PIE). Examples of such techniques include gamma emission tomography (GET) and gamma transmission densitometry (GTD). Further development in designing collimated GET and GTD setups can be foreseen, optimizing the spatial resolution from a millimetre scale to a hundred-micron scale. The enhanced performance would be an asset in PIE, providing a unique combination of high spatial resolution and low interrogation effort. The experimental data would provide a detailed insight into the fuel for modelling its performance at high burnup or in accident scenarios.  However, optimizing new instrument designs is not trivial. Multiple performance metrics exist, and their interdependence with the setup configuration and sample characteristics requires evaluation. At the same time, trade-offs should be identified and considered according to the application requirements. Monte Carlo (MC) radiation transport tools are generally unsuitable for modelling such collimated setups due to the intrinsic transmission inefficiency of gammas through the collimator slit. Therefore, alternative methods are desired for evaluating the collimator response.   This study proposes a structured optimization methodology, where the trade-offs between the performance metrics are considered to suggest optimal collimator designs for GET applications. The method combines analytical methodologies for fast collimator response calculation and accurate MC simulations to evaluate sample self-attenuation and detector response.  The results indicate that for sub-millimetric slits, a few hundred microns resolution can be achieved in suitable conditions (high burnup and short cooling time fuel samples) with reasonable investigation time and noise.  Furthermore, the methodologies developed were used to evaluate the feasibility of radial gamma transmission micro-densitometry. Such a technique was also demonstrated through a first experimental campaign using calibration standards and an ADOPTTM irradiated nuclear fuel sample.  

Gamma radiation techniques for non-destructive post-irradiation examination of nuclear fuel : Predicting performance and optimizing instrument design

Collimated gamma-based techniques are widely used to study nuclear fuel, especially for non-destructive post-irradiation examination (PIE). Examples of such techniques include gamma emission tomography (GET) and gamma transmission densitometry (GTD). Further development in designing collimated GET and GTD setups can be foreseen, optimizing the spatial resolution from a millimetre scale to a hundred-micron scale. The enhanced performance would be an asset in PIE, providing a unique combination of high spatial resolution and low interrogation effort. The experimental data would provide a detailed insight into the fuel for modelling its performance at high burnup or in accident scenarios.  However, optimizing new instrument designs is not trivial. Multiple performance metrics exist, and their interdependence with the setup configuration and sample characteristics requires evaluation. At the same time, trade-offs should be identified and considered according to the application requirements. Monte Carlo (MC) radiation transport tools are generally unsuitable for modelling such collimated setups due to the intrinsic transmission inefficiency of gammas through the collimator slit. Therefore, alternative methods are desired for evaluating the collimator response.   This study proposes a structured optimization methodology, where the trade-offs between the performance metrics are considered to suggest optimal collimator designs for GET applications. The method combines analytical methodologies for fast collimator response calculation and accurate MC simulations to evaluate sample self-attenuation and detector response.  The results indicate that for sub-millimetric slits, a few hundred microns resolution can be achieved in suitable conditions (high burnup and short cooling time fuel samples) with reasonable investigation time and noise.  Furthermore, the methodologies developed were used to evaluate the feasibility of radial gamma transmission micro-densitometry. Such a technique was also demonstrated through a first experimental campaign using calibration standards and an ADOPTTM irradiated nuclear fuel sample.  

Experimental evaluation of the performance of a novel planar segmented HPGe detector for use in gamma emission tomography

The use of segmented HPGe detectors for gamma-ray tracking applications is well established. The spectroscopic capabilities of these detectors make them most suitable for such applications. For similar reasons, the use of such detectors in the tomographic measurement of irradiated nuclear fuel has also been envisioned. Especially, these detectors can facilitate faster fuel examination with excellent energy resolution. We have proposed and designed a novel planar segmented HPGe detector for use in gamma emission tomography. The design of the detector segmentation and the mode of operation is unique and offers six simultaneous detection channels for tomographic measurements. This work reports the first experimental evaluation of the performance of the detector. Important characteristics of the detector have been obtained, such as energy resolution of the segments in 1-fold (one segment) and 2-fold (two segments) modes, throughput curves, crosstalk energy corrections, and mislocalisation rate. Collimated source tests have been performed and the results have been compared with the MCNP simulations results. The obtained results are as expected and in good agreement with the simulation results, and it is estimated that using this detector can speed up the data collection by 3.2 times in comparison to an unsegmented detector of the same overall dimensions, in a tomographic application. Further improvements are foreseeable if scaling up to a larger detector with greater segmentation

Calculation of Spatial Response of a Collimated Segmented HPGe detector for Gamma Emission Tomography by MCNP Simulations

We have proposed a planar electronically segmented HPGe detector concept in combination with a multi-slit collimator for gamma emission tomography. In this work, the spatial resolution achievable by using the collimated segmented HPGe detector was evaluated, prior to the manufacture and operation of the detector. The spatial response of a collimated segmented HPGe detector concept was evaluated using simulations performed with Monte Carlo N-Particle transport code MCNP6. The full detector and multi-slit collimator system were modeled and for the quantification of the spatial response, the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) was chosen as a performance metric. The MTF curve was obtained through the calculation of the Line Spread Function (LSF) by analyzing simulated projection data. In addition, tomographic reconstructions of the simulated simplified test objects were made to demonstrate the performance of the segmented HPGe detector in the planned application. For 662 keV photons, the spatial resolution obtained was approximately the same as the collimator slit width for both 100 and 150 mm long collimators. The corresponding spatial resolution at 1596 keV photon energy was almost twice the slit width for 100 mm collimator, due to the partial penetration of the high-energy gamma rays through the collimator bulk. For a 150 mm long collimator, an improved resolution was obtained.VR Bränslediagnosti

Geometrical optimisation of a segmented HPGe detector for spectroscopic gamma emission tomography : A simulation study

Segmented coaxial HPGe (High Purity Germanium) detectors have recently been shown to be feasible for Gamma Emission Tomography (GET). This type of detector allows for a combination of high efficiency and high energy resolution in gamma spectrometry of irradiated nuclear fuel. The ultimate aim of developing segmented HPGe for GET measurements is to achieve a high spatial resolution to facilitate imaging of rod-internal features and interrogation of smaller irradiated fuel samples. In this work, we present the optimisation of a segmented HPGe detector through a simulation study using the Monte Carlo particle transport code MCNP. Constraints to each dimension of the detector were identified, from manufacturing limitations and requirements arising from the use of a finite-sized collimator slit. In particular, a relationship between the minimum inner radius of the coaxial detector and the segments azimuthal dimension was derived based on the identified constraints. Segment azimuthal and radial dimensions have been varied (based on the derived relationship between the azimuthal and radial dimension) and the full energy efficiency and misidentification rate were evaluated to obtain the optimal dimensions. The optimal ranges of the segment dimensions were determined.VR Bränslediagnosti

Multi-parameter Optimization of Gamma Emission Tomography Instruments for Irradiated Nuclear Fuel Examination

Material test reactors have an extended use in irradiation testing of novel nuclear fuel materials and the fuel behavior in off-normal conditions. The performance of the nuclear fuel is examined in in-pile and out-of-pile post-irradiation examinations (PIEs), e.g., using Gamma Emission Tomography (GET). GET is a nondestructive assay that images the internal spatial distribution of gamma-emitting nuclides built up in the fuel due to irradiation. Since GET can be performed close to the reactor and without intrusion in the fuel object, it can potentially speed up the data generation from PIE in irradiation testing. The performance metrics of GET devices can be identified regarding time requirements, noise in the reconstructed image, signal-to-background ratio, and spatial resolution. However, these are complicated to determine, partly due to inherent trade-offs between the metrics themselves, partly because they depend on the fuel activity and its spectrum (i.e., object dependent), and, finally, on the GET setup and its configuration.  This work proposes a structured methodology for optimizing the collimator design for a new generation of GET tomography setups, intending to improve spatial resolution by one order of magnitude: from the millimeter scale to the hundred-micron scale. The conflicting performance metrics are determined based on the controllable parameters of the GET setup and the uncontrollable parameters of an anticipated fuel object, able to provide a signal-to-background ratio above 100. The trade-off between the performance remaining metrics is then visualized by a Pareto approach, where dominated solutions are rejected. Finally, constraints on noise level and measurement time are used to find the optimal spatial resolution.  Two GET setups are presented using the outlined method. Firstly, to upgrade the tomography test bench BETTAN at Uppsala University, a new segmented HPGe detector was planned to be tested using low-activity fuel rod mock-ups. Secondly, a GET system for investigating high-activity nuclear fuel rods of representative burnup. For a nuclear fuel inspection, the results showed that a spatial resolution of about 300 μm is possible with reasonable noise and measurement time constraints

Feasibility study of gamma-ray micro-densitometry for the examination of nuclear fuel swelling

   Nuclear fuel undergoes several thermo-mechanical changes during irradiation in a nuclear reactor, such as change of density, caused by solid and gaseous swelling. This affects the heat transport within the pellet and, when leading to the pellet-cladding gap closure, it also affects the gap conductance, causing stress in the cladding.    The density of irradiated fuel pellets can be measured in post-irradiation examination using several methods. In this work, a feasibility study was made using the gamma-ray transmission micro-densitometry technique. This is based on the comparison of two intensity measurements, with and without a sample with well-characterized thickness. Using a collimated source, a local examination of the density can be performed, scanning a pellet slice radially. The proposed technique aims to obtain a spatial resolution of cca. 100 microns.    In this work, the parameters of the setup, such as the source activity, detector counting time, slit dimensions, collimator length, and sample thickness, are used to predict detector efficiency and expected count rates. The obtainable precision of the density is assessed by first-order uncertainty propagation of counting errors in the gamma-ray detection to the density estimate.    A collimator design was presented that achieves a reasonable compromise between time requirements, precision, and spatial resolution. The sensitivity of the performance to set-up parameters was investigated. In addition, a realistic setup was modeled in MCNP6 for validation of the peak count-rate, and to ensure that the total spectrum count-rate is within typical throughput capabilities of HPGe detectors. The MCNP model was also used to confirm that the assumed attenuation law is valid in a relevant geometry, and to assess the spatial resolution, using the 10-90% edge spread of an Edge Spread Function.    It is concluded that fuel density can be determined with <1 % precision, using a 100-micron wide slit, and 1 hour of measurement

Feasibility study of gamma-ray micro-densitometry for the examination of nuclear fuel swelling

   Nuclear fuel undergoes several thermo-mechanical changes during irradiation in a nuclear reactor, such as change of density, caused by solid and gaseous swelling. This affects the heat transport within the pellet and, when leading to the pellet-cladding gap closure, it also affects the gap conductance, causing stress in the cladding.    The density of irradiated fuel pellets can be measured in post-irradiation examination using several methods. In this work, a feasibility study was made using the gamma-ray transmission micro-densitometry technique. This is based on the comparison of two intensity measurements, with and without a sample with well-characterized thickness. Using a collimated source, a local examination of the density can be performed, scanning a pellet slice radially. The proposed technique aims to obtain a spatial resolution of cca. 100 microns.    In this work, the parameters of the setup, such as the source activity, detector counting time, slit dimensions, collimator length, and sample thickness, are used to predict detector efficiency and expected count rates. The obtainable precision of the density is assessed by first-order uncertainty propagation of counting errors in the gamma-ray detection to the density estimate.    A collimator design was presented that achieves a reasonable compromise between time requirements, precision, and spatial resolution. The sensitivity of the performance to set-up parameters was investigated. In addition, a realistic setup was modeled in MCNP6 for validation of the peak count-rate, and to ensure that the total spectrum count-rate is within typical throughput capabilities of HPGe detectors. The MCNP model was also used to confirm that the assumed attenuation law is valid in a relevant geometry, and to assess the spatial resolution, using the 10-90% edge spread of an Edge Spread Function.    It is concluded that fuel density can be determined with <1 % precision, using a 100-micron wide slit, and 1 hour of measurement

First Experimental Demonstration of the Use of a Novel Planar Segmented HPGe Detector for Gamma Emission Tomography of Mockup Fuel Rods

Postirradiation examination of nuclear fuel is routinely performed to characterize the important properties of current and future fuel. Gamma emission tomography is a proven noninvasive technique for this purpose. Among various measurement elements of the technique, a gamma-ray detector is an important element whose spectroscopic abilities and detection efficiency affect the overall results. Finding a combination of high detection efficiency and excellent energy resolution in a single detector is often a challenge. We have designed a novel planar segmented high-purity germanium detector that offers simultaneous measurement in six lines of sight with excellent energy resolution. The simultaneous detection ability enables faster data acquisition in a tomographic measurement, which may facilitate achieving higher spatial resolution. In this work, we have demonstrated the first use of the detector by performing a full tomographic measurement of mockup fuel rods. Two methods of detector data analysis were used to make spectra, and the images (tomograms) were reconstructed using the filtered back projection algorithm. The reconstructed images validate the successful use of the detector for tomographic measurement. The use of the detector for real fuel measurement is being planned and will be performed in the near future.Peer reviewe