Simulation of Spent Fuel Isotopic Content Measurement with the Differential Die-Away Self-Interrogation System

Year
2013
Author(s)
H.O. Menlove - Los Alamos National Laboratory
A.P. Belian - Los Alamos National Laboratory
M. Flaska - University of Michigan
S.J. Tobin - Los Alamos National Laboratory
M. Swinhoe - Los Alamos National Laboratory
Sara A. Pozzi - University of Michigan
A. C. Kaplan - University of Michigan
Vladimir Henzl - Los Alamos National Laboratory
Abstract
As a part of the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative (NGSI) Spent Fuel Nondestructive Assay (NDA) project, we are researching the capability of the differential die-away self-interrogation (DDSI) technique to measure or estimate the isotopic composition of fissile and fertile content of spent nuclear fuel. Since the measured Rossi-alpha distribution is altered by the mass of some uranium, plutonium and fission fragments isotopes, the potential exists to learn about the relative amounts of these components. In this paper, analysis is conducted using the MCNPX particle transport code. The particle tracking feature within MCNPX is used to simulate DDSI with spent fuel assemblies in order to observe neutron behavior on a particle-by-particle basis.