CERENKOV CHARACTERISTICS OF WWER FUEL AND NON-FUEL ASSEMBLIES USING A DIGITAL CERENKOV VIEWING DEVICE

Year
2004
Author(s)
Richard Clarke - European Commission/DG TREN
K. Axell - Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate
J.D. Chen - Channel Systems Inc.
R. Kosierb - Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
Abstract
The digital Cerenkov viewing device (DCVD) developed by the Canadian and Swedish Safeguards Support Programs was successfully used to characterize Cerenkov images obtained from fuel and non-fuel assemblies from a Russian designed pressurized water-cooled and water-moderated power reactor (WWER). The fuel assemblies are characterized by their high degree of light collimation and the non-fuel assemblies by their lack of light collimation. Digital data from the images permits quantification of fuels with similar burnup and a range of cooling times and fuel assemblies with the same cooling time and different burnups. The comparison of the experimental with the theoretical data was excellent.