Title :
Nuclear resonance fluorescence for materials assay
Author :
Quiter, Brian ; Ludewigt, Bernhard ; Mozin, Vladimir ; Prussin, Stanley G.
Author_Institution :
Nucl. Eng. Dept., Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
Abstract :
This paper discusses the use of nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) techniques for the isotopic and quantitative assaying of radioactive material. Potential applications include age-dating of an unknown radioactive source, pre- and post-detonation nuclear forensics, and safeguards for nuclear fuel cycles Examples of age-dating a strong radioactive source and assaying a spent fuel pin are discussed. The modeling work has been performed with the Monte Carlo radiation transport computer code MCNPX, and the capability to simulate NRF has been added to the code. Discussed are the limitations in MCNPX´s photon transport physics for accurately describing photon scattering processes that are important contributions to the background and impact the applicability of the NRF assay technique.
Keywords :
Monte Carlo methods; nondestructive testing; nuclear fuel cycle facilities; nuclear materials safeguards; radioactive dating; radioactive sources; radioactive waste; Monte Carlo radiation transport; NRF assay technique; NRF simulation; age-dating; computer code MCNPX; nondestructive analysis method; nuclear fuel cycles; nuclear resonance fluorescence technique; nuclear safeguards; photon scattering process; radioactive material; radioactive source; spent fuel pin; Application software; Computational modeling; Computer simulation; Fluorescence; Forensics; Monte Carlo methods; Nuclear fuels; Physics; Radioactive materials; Resonance; MCNPX; Nuclear Safeguards; non-destructive analysis; nuclear resonance fluorescence;
Conference_Titel :
Advancements in Nuclear Instrumentation Measurement Methods and their Applications (ANIMMA), 2009 First International Conference on
Conference_Location :
Marseille
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-5207-1
Electronic_ISBN :
978-1-4244-5208-8
DOI :
10.1109/ANIMMA.2009.5503658
