Simulation of the elastic scattering contributions to the NRF-based nondestructive assay of nuclear materials

Omer, M.; Hajima, Ryoichi*; Angell, C.*; Shizuma, Toshiyuki*; Hayakawa, Takehito*; Seya, Michio; Koizumi, Mitsuo

Proceedings of INMM 57th Annual Meeting (Internet), 9 Pages, 2016/07

Isotope-specific -rays emitted in the nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) process provide a good technique for a non-destructive detection and assay of nuclear materials. We are developing technologies relevant to -ray nondestructive detection and assay utilizing NRF. A Monte Carlo code to simulate NRF process is necessary for design and evaluation of NDA systems. We are developing NRFGeant4, a Geant4-based simulation code, for this purpose. In NRF experiments, highly-enriched targets are generally used such that the NRF signals are dominant and easily measured. In contrast, a real situation may involve very small contents of isotopes of interest. This results in a difficulty in measuring NRF signals because of the interference with other interactions, e.g. elastic scattering. For example, a typical nuclear fuel pellet contains about 90% of U as a host material and less than 1% of Pu as an isotope of interest. When measuring NRF of Pu, there would be a huge background coming from the elastic scattering of U. Therefore, an estimation of the elastic scattering with the host material is essential for precise determination of isotope of interest. Satisfying estimation of elastic scattering is currently not available except for some calculations. In the present study, we upgrade our simulation code to include the calculation of elastic scattering events.

Corrigendum; Pulse pileup correction in the presence of a large low-energy background [J. Nucl. Sci. Technol. 2015; 52: 426-433]

Angell, C.

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 52(9), P. 1205, 2015/09

Demonstrating the integral resonance transmission method; Conceptual and experimental studies

Angell, C.; Hayakawa, Takehito; Shizuma, Toshiyuki; Hajima, Ryoichi; Quiter, B. J.*; Ludewigt, B. L.*; Karwowski, H. J.*; Rich, G.*; Silano, J.*

Proceedings of INMM 56th Annual Meeting (Internet), 9 Pages, 2015/07

Method for determining individual deposition velocities of radon progeny

Angell, C.; Pedretti, M.*; Norman, E. B.*

Applied Radiation and Isotopes, 98, p.34 - 39, 2015/04

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apradiso.2015.01.006

Demonstration of a transmission nuclear resonance fluorescence measurement for a realistic radioactive waste canister scenario

Angell, C.; Hajima, Ryoichi; Hayakawa, Takehito; Shizuma, Toshiyuki; Karwowski, H.*; Silano, J.*

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B, 347, p.11 - 19, 2015/03

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2015.01.053

Status of -ray nondestructive assay by laser Compton scattered source

Hajima, Ryoichi; Shizuma, Toshiyuki; Nagai, Ryoji; Mori, Michiaki; Hayakawa, Takehito; Angell, C.; Seya, Michio

Kaku Busshitsu Kanri Gakkai (INMM) Nippon Shibu Dai-35-Kai Nenji Taikai Rombunshu (Internet), 7 Pages, 2015/01

no abstracts in English

Validating resonance properties using nuclear resonance fluorescence

Angell, C.; Hajima, Ryoichi; Hayakawa, Takehito; Shizuma, Toshiyuki; Karwowski, H.*; Silano, J.*

Physical Review C, 90(5), p.054315_1 - 054315_6, 2014/11

AA2014-0567.pdf:0.3MB

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.90.054315

Improvement to the semi-empirical germanium detector response model at the Compton edge

Angell, C.

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, 752, p.33 - 35, 2014/07

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2014.03.040

Statistical uncertainties of nondestructive assay for spent nuclear fuel by using nuclear resonance fluorescence

Shizuma, Toshiyuki; Hayakawa, Takehito; Angell, C.; Hajima, Ryoichi; Minato, Futoshi; Suyama, Kenya; Seya, Michio; Johnson, M.*; McNabb, D.*

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, 737, p.170 - 175, 2014/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2013.11.069

We estimated statistical uncertainties of a nondestructive assay system using nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) for spent nuclear fuel including low-concentrations of actinide nuclei with an intense, mono-energetic photon beam. Background counts from radioactive materials inside the spent fuel were calculated with the ORIGEN2.2-UPJ burn-up computer code. Coherent scattering contribution associated with Rayleigh, nuclear Thomson, and Delbrck scattering was also considered. Assuming that the total NRF cross sections are in the range of 3 to 100 eVb at excitation energies of 2.25, 3.5, and 5 MeV, statistical uncertainties of the NRF measurement were estimated. We concluded that it is possible to assay 1% actinide content in the spent fuel with 2.2 to 3.2% statistical precision during 4000 second measurement time for the total integrated cross section of 30 eVb at excitation energies of 3.5 to 5 MeV.

Statistical precision of ERL-based NDA for spent fuel

Shizuma, Toshiyuki; Hayakawa, Takehito; Angell, C.; Hajima, Ryoichi; Minato, Futoshi; Suyama, Kenya; Seya, Michio

JAEA-Conf 2013-001, p.139 - 141, 2013/09

https://doi.org/10.11484/jaea-conf-2013-001

Nondestructive assay (NDA) of nuclear materials in spent fuel is a crucial technology in nuclear security and safeguards perspectives. A technique based on nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) with a mono-energetic source is one that has been proposed as such NDA systems. By calculating the background rays from spent fuel, the statistical precision of the proposed NRF-based NDA system was evaluated.