Low-resolution gamma-ray measurements of process holdup

摘要

Nuclear facilities worldwide have deposits of nuclear material remaining in processing equipment. Nuclear facilities need portable, automated tools based on gamma-ray spectroscopy to perform plant wide in situ assays of special nuclear materials (SNM) deposited in processing equipment. These tools have requirements to (1) acquire and manage several hundred spectra in an hour; (2) produce prompt and reliable quantitative analyses; (3) be self-powered, easily carried, and operated by one use; (4) accommodate varying degrees of user expertise; (5) correct for the effects of equipment variables; (6) tolerate facility variables such as temperature and equipment accessibility; and (7) accommodate the geometry of each measurement. this paper describes a new system for in-situ measurements consisting of a compact gamma-ray detector, a self-contained portable gamma-ray spectroscopy instrument, and a palm-size programmable control and data storage unit.