A Novel Mass Measurement Technique For Stored Nuclear Material

The long term storage of nuclear material presents unique challenges to instrumentation. The necessity for the equipment to operate reliably for many years in inaccessible locations implies that it will be advantageous to use devices having few parts. This paper will describe a novel device for the measurement of mass (as opposed to weight) suitable for use in modular storage vaults. The device requires that only two electrical parts be buried with the nuclear material (thereby Improving reliability) and is easily made nearly independent of operating temperature and humidity without the addition of compensation circuitry.