Progress in Development of an Advanced Enrichment Monitor Based on Transmission Measurements with an X-ray Source and NaI(Tl) Spectrometer

Year
2009
Author(s)
Martyn T. Swinhoe - Los Alamos National Laboratory
B. Boyer - Los Alamos National Laboratory
Calvin E. Moss - Los Alamos National Laboratory
K. D. Ianakiev - Los Alamos National Laboratory
J. M. Goda - Los Alamos National Laboratory
H. Nguyen - Los Alamos National Laboratory
Robert F. Parker - Los Alamos National Laboratory
T.R. Hill - Los Alamos National Laboratory
B.P. Nolen - Los Alamos National Laboratory
M.T. Paffett - Los Alamos National Laboratory
Abstract
We report our progress in development of modern enrichment monitoring technology for online monitoring of UF6 enrichment in the header pipes of Gaseous Centrifuge Enrichment Plants (GCEPs). Our enrichment monitoring technology is based on a transmission measurement of the UF6 gas density using an X-ray tube and a transmission peak generated with a notch filter to avoid the high replacement and recalibration cost due to a decaying radioisotope source. We discuss the combined effect of instrumentation instability and initial calibration error as a criterion for selection of the transmission peak energy. We report on experimental enrichment measurements using a static UF6 gaseous source and a prototype of an enrichment monitor.