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Advanced Postirradiation Characterization of Nuclear Fuels Using Pulsed Neutrons

  • Advanced Characterization and Testing of Irradiated Materials
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Abstract

Methods for postirradiation characterization of bulk (cm3) irradiated materials or even spent nuclear fuels are sparse due to their extremely radioactive nature. While several methods exist to characterize smaller volumes (< 1 mm3) of such samples, selecting these volumes from larger samples is challenging. X-ray-based methods are prohibitive due to the strong γ-radiation from the sample flooding the detectors. Neutron-based methods available in the proximity of irradiation reactors allow for thermal neutron radiography or computed tomography using a small reactor source, but one cannot assess isotope distributions or microstructural features such as phases, texture, or strain from diffraction measurements due to flux limitations. We present herein a pathway to provide pulsed neutron characterization of bulk irradiated samples using time-of-flight neutron diffraction for microstructural characterization and energy-resolved neutron imaging for assessment of isotopic densities and distributions. Ultimately, laser-driven pulsed neutron sources may allow deployment of these techniques pool-side at irradiation reactors.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the DOE/NE Fuel Cycle R&D research program. This work has benefitted from the use of the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Los Alamos National Laboratory is operated by Triad National Security, LLC, for the National Nuclear Security Administration of the S Department of Energy under Contract No. 89233218NCA000001.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Material Science and Technology Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA

    Sven C. Vogel, Mark A. M. Bourke, Alex M. Long, Adrian S. Losko & Kenneth J. McClellan

  2. Materials and Fuels Complex, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID, 83415, USA

    Aaron E. Craft & Jason M. Harp

  3. Reactor and Nuclear Systems Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA

    Jason M. Harp

  4. Physics Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA

    Charles T. Kelsey

  5. Nuclear Engineering Department, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

    Jay Lin & Peter Hosemann

  6. Forschungs-Neutronenquelle Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II), 85748, Garching b. München, Germany

    Adrian S. Losko

  7. Nuclear Physics Institute, Technische Universität Darmstadt, 64289, Darmstadt, Germany

    Markus Roth

  8. Space Science Laboratory, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

    Anton S. Tremsin

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  1. Sven C. Vogel
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Correspondence to Sven C. Vogel.

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Vogel, S.C., Bourke, M.A.M., Craft, A.E. et al. Advanced Postirradiation Characterization of Nuclear Fuels Using Pulsed Neutrons. JOM 72, 187–196 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-019-03849-2

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