Calibration of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Passive-Active Neutron Drum Shuffler for Measurement of Highly Enriched Uranium Oxide

In partial response to a Department of Energy (DOE) request to evaluate the state of measurements of special nuclear material, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) evaluated and classified all highly enriched uranium (HEU) oxide items in its inventory. Because of a lack of traceable HEU standards, no items were deemed to fit the category of well measured. A subsequent DOE-HQ sponsored survey by New Brunswick Laboratory resulted in their preparation of certified reference material (CRM) 149 [Uranium (93% Enriched) Oxide - U O Standard for Neutron 3 8 Counting Measurements], a unit of which was delivered to LLNL in October of 1999. This paper describes the approach to calibration of the LLNL passive-active neutron drum (PAN) shuffler for measurement of poorly measured/unmeasured HEU oxide inventory. Included are discussions of (1) the calibration effort, including the development of the mass calibration curve; (2) the results from an axial and radial mapping of the detector response over a wide region of the PAN shuffler counting chamber; and (3) an error model for the total (random + systematic) uncertainty in the predicted mass that includes the uncertainties in calibration and sample position.