Calibration of a Neutron Coincidence Counter for Measurement of the Plutonium Content of Wet Oxalate Cakes

摘要

A novel calibration procedure has been applied to the dual-ring thermal neutron coincidence counter used at the Los Alamos Plutonium Processing Facility to measure the plutonium content of wet oxalate cakes. The calibration uses the measured content of the plutonium oxide product and the coincidence counter response to estimate the plutonium content in up to four wet plutonium oxalate cakes. These estimated mass values are then used to calibrate the counter. The calibration calculation is iterative in determining the calibration function coefficients and plutonium masses for oxalate material. (ERA citation 08:038573)