Scrap Neutron Multiplicity Counter: Design and Manufacture

Mixed (plutonium and uranium) oxide is processed in many of the facilities of the nuclear fuel cycle. Consequently the fissile mass of a large number of MOX and MOX scrap samples need to be accounted for and verified periodically in each facility. For MOX scrap samples the preferred method is often neutron multiplicity counting because three quantities are measured (singlet, doublet, and triplet rates). In the design of this new counter the primary objective was to achieve a maximum efficiency. However, other factors must be taken into consideration such as cost, size, weight, and in particular the requirements of the analytical model [1]. One important objective is to reduce the detector die-away time thus decreasing the number of uncorrelated (accidental) signal multiplets and consequently improving the ¿signal-to-noise¿ ratio.

MARIN FERRER Montserrat;  PEERANI Paolo;  LOOMAN Marc; 

2005-12-12

European Safeguards Research and Development Association (ESARDA)

JRC30787

https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC30787,