Non-Destructive Gamma-Ray Spectrometry on Spent Fuels of a Boiling Water Reactor

Abstract

T h e spent fuels from the JPDR-I reactor were measured by means of a 7-scanning facility installed in t h e fuel storage pool.T h e spatial distributions of the fission products (larCs and lSiCs) were measured and analyzed in reference t o the effects of control rod pcttern. T h e ratios holding between t h e products of neutron capture and of direct fission (1a4Cs/13iCs and 16rE~/1S7Cs) were also examined for i t s relevance t o non-destructive burnup determination. T h e activity ratios of the fission products can be expressed by a linear function of burnup, provided that corrections a r e made t o account f o r differences in irradiation history and for spatial variations in t h e neutron spectrum.

Dresden 1 plutonium recycle program. Final report

“…Thi.s value can be converted to gigawatt days per metric ton by multiplying by 960. The uncertainty 1n this conversion factor is 3%. The uncertainty in the measured values is approximately 3.5%. The overall error associated w1th the burnup expressed as GWd/mt 1s ttiJout 4.6%.…”

“…The results of the destructive method can be compared w1th sim'ilar data from the gamma scan method. Since the relative values of fue1 burnup and neutron flux were known for positions of the rods that were destructively analyzed, average absolute values for the unit on the relative scale can be calculated, and the relative neutron flux values translated into absolute values.· 2-4 3. EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS…”