Nondestructive Experimental Determination of the Pin-Power Distribution in Nuclear Fuel Assemblies

Svärd, Staffan Jacobsson; Håkansson, Ane; Bäcklin, A.; Osifo, Otasowie; Willman, Christopher; Jansson, Peter

doi:10.13182/nt05-a3632

Cited by 14 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…The reduction relies heavily on the general symmetry of fuel pins, however the paper does not contain any images produced by medical tomography for comparison so it difficult to judge how similar the images really would be. Similar work has been carried out since [Ducros (1985); Hofmann et al (1988);Alexa et al (1995); Niculae et al (1996); Pan and Tsao (1999); Svard et al (2005)], mostly producing tomographs of specific isotope distributions at distinct locations Fig. 37.…”

Section: Improvements To Nuclear Fuelmentioning

confidence: 74%

The use of ionising radiation to image nuclear fuel: A review

Parker

Joyce

2015

Progress in Nuclear Energy

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a b s t r a c tImaging of nuclear fuel using radiation has been carried out for decades for a variety of reasons. Two important reasons are Physical Invertory Verification (PIV) and Quality Assurance (QA). The work covered in this review focuses on the imaging of nuclear fuel using ionising radiation. The fuels investigated are both fresh and spent, composed of assorted materials, and in various physical forms. The radiations used to characterise the nuclear fuel include g, a, b, muons, neutrons and X-rays. The research covered in this review, spans the past four decades and show how the technology has developed over that time. The advancement of computing technology has greatly helped with the progression of the images that are produced. The field began with 2D images in black and white showing the density profiles of g rays from within an object, culminating in 2013 when a pebble bed fuel element was reproduced in 3D showing each 0.5 mm UO 2 globule within it. With the ever increasing computing technology available to the industry, this can only mean an increase in the rate of development of imaging technologies like those covered in this review.

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Section: Improvements To Nuclear Fuelmentioning

confidence: 74%

The use of ionising radiation to image nuclear fuel: A review

Parker

Joyce

2015

Progress in Nuclear Energy

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“…There are many different tomographic reconstruction techniques which have been developed since the basic principles were first described by Radon in 1917. In medical applications, analytic techniques are primarily used, but for heterogeneous objects such as nuclear fuel assemblies, algebraic techniques may be a better choice (Jacobsson Svärd, 2005).…”

Section: The Gamma Tomographic Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Gamma tomography has been previously demonstrated for quantitative measurement of rod-by-rod activity contents in irradiated nuclear fuel assemblies (Jacobsson Svärd, 2005). Here, the technique was applied to BWR fuel assemblies for determining their internal rod-by-rod power distribution.…”

Section: The Gamma Tomographic Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feasibility of identifying leaking fuel rods using gamma tomography

Holcombe¹,

Svärd

Eitrheim³

et al. 2013

Annals of Nuclear Energy

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In cases of fuel failure in irradiated nuclear fuel assemblies, causing leakage of fission gasses from a fuel rod, there is a need for reliable non-destructive measurement methods that can determine which rod is failed. Methods currently in use include visual inspection, eddy current, and ultrasonic testing, but additional alternatives have been under consideration, including tomographic gamma measurements.The simulations covered in this report show that tomographic measurements could be feasible. By measuring a characteristic gamma energy from fission gasses in the gas plenum, the rod-by-rod gamma source distribution within the fuel rod plena may be reconstructed into an image or data set which could then be compared to the predicted distribution of fission gasses, e.g. from the STAV code. Rods with significantly less fission gas in the plenum may then be identified as leakers.Results for rods with low fission gas release may, however, in some cases be inconclusive since these rods will already have a weak contribution to the measured gamma-ray intensities and for such rods there is a risk that a further decrease in fission gas content due to a leak may not be detectable. In order to evaluate this and similar experimental issues, measurement campaigns are planned using a tomographic measurement system at the Halden Boiling Water Reactor.

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“…Description of the basic physics: Tomographic reconstruction techniques are used to calculate the emission distribution using the measured intensity distribution. Expected measurement time: Jacobsson Svärd et al (2005) estimated that 25 axial positions of a BWR assembly with ~1 month of CT could be measured in ~8 hours using 1,596 keV of gamma radiation from 140 Ba. Note that the spent fuel of interested to Clink will be significantly older (10 to 70 years cooled) and that all the 140 Ba will have decayed away; for this reason an isotope such as 137 Cs (662 keV) will be needed.…”

Section: Gamma Tomography (Gt)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It should be noted that the measurement time is inversely proportional to the number of detectors used in the equipment. For instance, using the system described in Jacobsson Svärd et al (2005) but with 16 detectors, the measurement time per axial position would be ~10 minutes. Note that these measurement times are specified for the application to determine pin-power distribution, which needs better accuracy than the application to verify fuel integrity.…”

Section: Gamma Tomography (Gt)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Nondestructive Assay Options for Spent Fuel Encapsulation

Tobin

Jansson

2014

Self Cite

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This report describes the role that nondestructive assay (NDA) techniques and systems of NDA techniques may have in the context of an encapsulation and deep geological repository. The potential NDA needs of an encapsulation and repository facility include safeguards, heat content, and criticality. Some discussion of the facility needs is given, with the majority of the report concentrating on the capability and characteristics of individual NDA instruments and techniques currently available or under development. Particular emphasis is given to how the NDA techniques can be used to determine the heat production of an assembly, as well as meet the dual safeguards needs of 1) determining the declared parameters of initial enrichment, burn-up, and cooling time and 2) detecting defects (total, partial, and bias). The report concludes with the recommendation of three integrated systems that might meet the combined NDA needs of the encapsulation/repository facility.

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Nondestructive Experimental Determination of the Pin-Power Distribution in Nuclear Fuel Assemblies

Cited by 14 publications

References 2 publications

The use of ionising radiation to image nuclear fuel: A review

The use of ionising radiation to image nuclear fuel: A review

Feasibility of identifying leaking fuel rods using gamma tomography

Nondestructive Assay Options for Spent Fuel Encapsulation

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