Update on the Next Generation Safeguard Initiative Project to Determine Pu Mass in Spent Fuel Assemblies

Year
2012
Author(s)
S. Tobin - Los Alamos National Laboratory
B. L. Broadhead - Oak Ridge National Laboratory
A.P. Belian - Los Alamos National Laboratory
H. O. Menlove - Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory
H. Trellue - Los Alamos National Laboratory
David Bracken - Idaho National Laboratory
M. Swinhoe - Los Alamos National Laboratory
Marc Humphrey - National Nuclear Security Administration
L.W. Campbell - Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
B. Castle - Idaho National Laboratory
Abstract
The Next Generation Safeguards Initiative Spent Fuel Project was started in March of 2009. The project began by researching a wide variety of nondestructive assay (NDA) techniques before down selecting to a subset of techniques for more detailed research and field deployment. A primary focus of this effort is to determine the Pu mass in spent fuel assemblies with robust NDA techniques capable of deployment on the time scale of ~5 years. This paper will give both a programmatic and technical update on the first ~3 years of this effort. The programmatic portion will describe the safeguards context, initial approach, review process, down-selection results, experimental plans, and engagement with international partners. The technical portion will describe the four systems under current research describing the basic physics of each, the key attributes of each system, the role of neutron absorbers, and approaches under investigation for calibration.