Measurement and Characterization of Nuclear Material at Idaho National Laboratory

摘要

A measurement plan and preliminary Monte Carlo simulations are presented for the investigation of well-definedmixed-oxide fuel pins. Measurement analysis including pulse-height distributions and time-dependent cross-correlationfunctions will be performed separately for neutrons and gamma rays. The utilization of Monte Carlo particle transportcodes, specifically MCNP-PoliMi, is discussed in conjunction with the anticipated measurements. Four EJ-309 liquidscintillation detectors with an accurate pulse timing and digital, offline, optimized pulse-shape discrimination methodwill be used to prove the dependency of pulse-height distributions, cross-correlation functions, and materialmultiplicities upon fuel pin composition, fuel pin quantity, and detector geometry. The objective of the measurementsand simulations is to identify novel methods for describing mixed-oxide fuel samples by relating measured quantities tofuel characteristics such as criticality, mass quantity, and material composition. This research has applications in nuclearsafeguards and nonproliferation.