Nondestructive assay of UO/sub 2/--ThO/sub 2/ fuel pellets using the delayed neutron pellet assay gage (LWBR Development Program)
Year: 1979
Type: report
Abstract: This report describes the use of a delayed neutron pellet assay gage to determine nondestructively the fissile content of fuel pellets during the manufacture of the Light Water Breeder Reactor (LWBR) core. The gage characteristics are described including the nature of the calibration curves and the gage sensitivities to pellet parameters. Statistical methods are derived for analyzing the data to obtain the mean weight percent of total uranium in each blend of fuel material as well as the loading precision of each fuel rod. The fissile loading of each fuel rod was determined to better than 0.25% at the 2 sigma level, and the fissile content of eight fuel compositions in the LWBR core was obtained to better than 0.1%. Use of this gage and the data analysis methods described in this report reduced the need for destructive chemical analysis of fuel pellets by a factor of two.
DOI: 10.2172/6112416
Authors: C.J. Emert, S. Milani, W.J. Beggs
Institution: United States Department of Commerce
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear Energy and Engineering
Field: Energy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W275652152