Non-destructive control of fissile material containing radioactive fission products with a Sb-Be neutron source by selective transport of fission neutrons in hydrogeneous material

Abstract

Growing aase of nuclear power needs a simple method of fissile material determination . Following an approach of Fermi, an activation arrangement with a Sb-Be neutron source was chosen to interrogate fissile material by selective transport of fission neutrons. The arrangement was tested in the Chemistry-Cells of KFA. The results agree well with approximation caleulations. The arrangement proves equahly well suited for the determination of fissile material in unirradiated and irradiatedfuel elements and other samples e. g. wastes. The interrogating source (10 Ci Sb-124) leads typically to a count-rate of 8 cps when 1 g U-235 is present in the sample. Under these eonditions, the background and source count-rate is less than 1 %