The irradiated fuel-burnup experiment of Tehran Research Reactor using nondestructive gamma-ray spectroscopy

S Bagheri; H Khalafi

doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2020.109444

The irradiated fuel-burnup experiment of Tehran Research Reactor using nondestructive gamma-ray spectroscopy

Appl Radiat Isot. 2021 Jan:167:109444. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2020.109444. Epub 2020 Sep 30.

Authors

S Bagheri¹, H Khalafi²

Affiliations

¹ Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (NSTRI), Tehran, P.O. Box:, 14395-836, Iran.
² Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (NSTRI), Tehran, P.O. Box:, 14395-836, Iran. Electronic address: hkhalafi@aeoi.org.ir.

PMID: 33039758
DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2020.109444

Abstract

In this work, a nondestructive gamma scanning technique has been applied to determine the irradiated fuel burnup of Tehran Research Reactor (TRR). Thereby, a system was designed and installed at the rim of the TRR pool, which includes a High-Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector and associated electronics-devices, a proper shield, a collimator, and an elevator to radioactive fuel handling for any longitudinal and transverse fuel movement. In the system, it also was possible to measure fuel burnup for fuels with short cooling times at the minimum distance between the fuel and the detector. Five Standard Fuel Elements (SFEs) have been studied with U3O8Al fuel in burnup range of 14%-60% FIMA and cooling time range of 60 days-550 days. Then, by analyzing the gamma-ray emitted from 137Cs isotope as a fuel burnup indicator, an axial profile of fuel burnup was measured in the active fuel length of 61.5 cm and an active width of 6 cm. Finally, verification of results from reactor physics calculations was conducted based on fuel burnup measurements using a nondestructive gamma scanning technique that represents a well enough agreement between calculations and measurements.

Keywords: Fuel burnup axial profile; Fuel burnup experiment; Irradiated fuel; Non-destructive gamma-ray spectroscopy; Tehran research reactor.