Real-time monitoring of actinides in chemical nuclear fuel reprocessing plants
Academic Article
Overview
Research
Identity
Additional Document Info
Other
View All
Overview
abstract
Spent nuclear fuel chemical reprocessing plants process several 103kg of spent nuclear fuel, especially Pu isotopes, which present significant potential for terrorism (Note: 8kg Pu constitutes a threat level quantity). This requires detecting actinides in transit, but also, to ensure they are not diverted. Present-day sensors disallow real-time monitoring leading to significantly non-optimal operations. The tensioned metastable fluid detector (TMFD) sensor technology has been developed by researchers at Purdue University in partnership with Texas A&M University, and various national laboratories (sponsored in part by several United States federal agencies and private enterprise). It is based on nano-to-macro scale interactions of radiation with molecules of fluids that are in a state of tensioned metastability. Developed are lab-scale prototypes for adapting to chemical reprocessing plants providing real-time directionality to within 10-20, with 90% efficiency to detect neutrons (from eV to MeV) and alpha emitting nuclides energies to within 1-5keV recoil resolution, and sensitivities to ultra-trace levels (e.g., to 10-15g/cc Pu). TMFD systems are robust, portable and offer 100 lower cost potential compared with present-day systems (e.g., NE-213 based neutron-gamma liquid scintillator based systems). A multi-physics design framework has been developed, and validated. This paper highlights state-of-art developments and adaptations of TMFDs for in situ, real-time monitoring of U, Pu, Am and Cm actinides from the sensitive (in the past virtually impossible to monitor) front-end wherein radioactively hot spent nuclear fuel is chopped and dissolved, to throughout the subsequent stages in a chemical nuclear fuel chemical process. 2013 The Institution of Chemical Engineers.
