Customized Design and Simulated Performance of the 252Cf Interrogation with Prompt Neutron Detector for Spent Fuel Measurement at the Post Irradiation Examination Facility in the Republic of Korea

Year
2012
Author(s)
Howard Menlove - Los Alamos National Laboratory
Ho-Dong Kim - Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute
Martyn T. Swinhoe - Los Alamos National Laboratory
Hee-Sung Shin - Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute
Jianwei Hu - Los Alamos National Laboratory
Daniela Henzlova - Los Alamos National Laboratory
Stephen J. Tobin - Los Alamos National Laboratory
Se-Hwan Park - Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute
Dosik Kim - Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute
Abstract
The 252Cf Interrogation Prompt Neutron (CIPN) detection is one of several nondestructive assay (NDA) techniques being integrated into systems as part of the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative (NGSI) Spent Fuel NDA Project. CIPN is a relatively low-cost and lightweight instrument that resembles a Fork detector combined with an active interrogation source. CIPN shows promising capability for determining fissile content and in detecting diversion of fuel rods in spent nuclear fuel assemblies. Previous publications documented the conceptual design and its response to virtual spent fuel assemblies. This publication documents the anticipated performance for the first experimental deployment of CIPN. Several spent fuel assemblies at the Post Irradiation Examination Facility (PIEF) at the Republic of Korea (ROK) will be measured. Prior to the field test, the detector was customized for the ROK fuel and experimental set-up. In this publication the expected neutron and gamma (gross gamma detected by the two newly-added ion chambers) count rates of CIPN for some of the spent fuel assemblies at the facility are predicted. The estimated count rates were calculated using MCNPX. These preliminary results will help the finalization of the hardware design and also serve as a guide for the experiment. The hardware of the detector is expected to be fabricated later in 2012 and after that the field test will be performed. Once the experimental results become available, comparisons between measurements and calculations can be made and the prediction mechanism can be improved accordingly.