A Summary of JAEA's R&D programs for advanced technologies for nuclear security and safeguards

Bolind, A.; Seya, Michio

This paper reports on the recent progress on research and development programs for advanced technologies for the measurement and detection of nuclear material for security and safeguards. One program is based on a neutron detector that uses a ZnS ceramic scintillator material instead of He gas. We will conduct benchmark experiments to compare the performance of NDA systems that use the new scintillator detectors against the existing NDA systems that use He detectors. Our Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence (NRF) program is developing an NDA technique using NRF for measurement of nuclear material isotopes. NRF NDA uses a high-intensity, mono-energetic ray beam, which is produced by a Laser Compton Scattering (LCS) system with an energy-recovery linac (ERL). We have conducted several important NRF experiments this past year. Our Neutron Resonance Densitometry (NRD) program is also being designed to measure the nuclear material in melted nuclear-fuel debris. Also, our collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory to test a PNAR+SINRD NDA detector on used nuclear fuel assemblies at Fugen has greatly progressed.