Year
2012
Abstract
The measurement of holdup, the residual nuclear material left in process equipment such as pipes or ducts, is an integral element of material control and accountability. Not only are the measurements important for accountability, they are equally important for criticality safety. The goal in measuring holdup is to quantify the amount of nuclear material in process equipment to ensure all nuclear materials are accounted for (inventory in – [inventory out + holdup] = 0) and to confirm the amount of material “held up” is not a criticality risk. There are a number of ways to measure holdup in process equipment; however, this paper will evaluate only two methods: Holdup Measurement System 4 (HMS-4™ ORTEC), and In Situ Object Counting Software (ISOCS™ Canberra) for specific measurement scenarios. The comparison will use measurements of well-known reference sources in various configurations and will examine the results, uncertainties, repeatability, time required, portability, and cost of each system.