Stand-off nuclear reactor monitoring with neutron detectors for safeguards and non-proliferation applications.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 31036838.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-019-09967-4 and PMC identifier 6488674.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Safeguards measures are employed at nuclear reactor facilities worldwide, to ensure that nuclear material is not diverted from peaceful uses. Typical safeguards measures involve periodic inspections, off-line verification and video surveillance of fuel cycle activities. Real-time verification of the fissile contents via stand-off monitoring can enhance continuity of knowledge for non-traditional reactor types, including research reactors and small modular reactors. Here we demonstrate the feasibility of using large-area neutron detectors for monitoring nuclear reactors at stand-off distances up to 100 m outside reactor shielding, as a potential reactor safeguards tool. Since the neutron yield per unit reactor power depends upon the isotopic composition of the reactor core, declared changes in fissile composition can be verified without accessing the core. The supporting results of experiments conducted at the National Research Universal reactor in Canada, are presented.