An unattended verification station for UF6 cylinders: Field trial findings
| Autor: | Jonathan A. Kulisek, S.J. Branney, Lindsay C. Todd, Leon E. Smith, Scott Stewart, Benjamin S. McDonald, Heather Ann Nordquist, James R Garner, Martyn T. Swinhoe, Mital A. Zalavadia, Karen A. Miller, Nikhil Deshmukh, Jennifer B. Webster |
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| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
Nuclear fuel cycle
Physics Nuclear and High Energy Physics 010308 nuclear & particles physics 010401 analytical chemistry chemistry.chemical_element Uranium Enriched uranium 01 natural sciences 0104 chemical sciences chemistry.chemical_compound Uranium hexafluoride chemistry Field trial 0103 physical sciences Systems engineering Metre European commission Nondestructive assay Instrumentation |
| Zdroj: | Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment. 874:127-136 |
| ISSN: | 0168-9002 |
| Popis: | In recent years, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has pursued innovative techniques and an integrated suite of safeguards measures to address the verification challenges posed by the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle. Among the unattended instruments currently being explored by the IAEA is an Unattended Cylinder Verification Station (UCVS), which could provide automated, independent verification of the declared relative enrichment, 235 U mass, total uranium mass, and identification for all declared uranium hexafluoride cylinders in a facility (e.g., uranium enrichment plants and fuel fabrication plants). Under the auspices of the United States and European Commission Support Programs to the IAEA, a project was undertaken to assess the technical and practical viability of the UCVS concept. The first phase of the UCVS viability study was centered on a long-term field trial of a prototype UCVS system at a fuel fabrication facility. A key outcome of the study was a quantitative performance evaluation of two nondestructive assay (NDA) methods being considered for inclusion in a UCVS: Hybrid Enrichment Verification Array (HEVA), and Passive Neutron Enrichment Meter (PNEM). This paper provides a description of the UCVS prototype design and an overview of the long-term field trial. Analysis results and interpretation are presented with a focus on the performance of PNEM and HEVA for the assay of over 200 “typical” Type 30B cylinders, and the viability of an “NDA Fingerprint” concept as a high-fidelity means to periodically verify that material diversion has not occurred. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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