Download or read book On line Interrogation of Pebble Bed Reactor Fuel Using Passive Gamma ray Spectometry written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Pebble Bed Reactor (PBR) is a helium-cooled, graphite-moderated high temperature nuclear power reactor. In addition to its inherently safe design, a unique feature of this reactor is its multipass fuel cycle in which graphite fuel pebbles (of varying enrichment) are randomly loaded and continuously circulated through the core until they reach their prescribed end-of-life burnup limit (8̃0,000-100,000 MWD/MTU). Unlike the situation with conventional light water reactors (LWRs), depending solely on computational methods to perform in-core fuel management will be highly inaccurate. As a result, an on-line measurement approach becomes the only accurate method to assess whether a particular pebble has reached its end-of-life burnup limit. In this work, an investigation was performed to assess the feasibility of passive gamma-ray spectrometry assay as an approach for on-line interrogation of PBR fuel for the simultaneous determination of burnup and enrichment on a pebble-by-pebble basis. Due to the unavailability of irradiated or fresh pebbles, Monte Carlo simulations were used to study the gamma-ray spectra of the PBR fuel at various levels of burnup. A pebble depletion calculation was performed using the ORIGEN code, which yielded the gamma-ray source term that was introduced into the input of an MCNP simulation. The MCNP simulation assumed the use of a high-purity coaxial germanium detector. Due to the lack of one-group high temperature reactor cross sections for ORIGEN, a heterogeneous MCNP model was developed to describe a typical PBR core. Subsequently, the code MONTEBURNS was used to couple the MCNP model and ORIGEN. This approach allowed the development of the burnup-dependent, one-group spectral-averaged PBR cross sections to be used in the ORIGEN pebble depletion calculation. Based on the above studies, a relative approach for performing the measurements was established. The approach is based on using the relative activities of Np-239/I-132 in combination with the relative activities of Cs-134/Co-60 (Co-60 is introduced as a dopant) to yield the burnup and enrichment for each pebble. Furthermore, a direct consequence of the relative approach is the ability to apply a self-calibration scheme using the multiple gamma lines of Ba-La-140 to establish the relative efficiency curve of the HPGe detector. An assessment of the expected uncertainty components in this approach showed that a maximum uncertainty of less than 5% should be feasible. To confirm the above findings, gamma-ray scans were performed on irradiated PULSTAR reactor fuel assemblies at North Carolina Sate University. The measurements used a 40% efficient n-type coaxial HPGe detector connected to an ORTEC DSPECplus digital Gamma-Ray Spectrometer, and a data acquisition computer.

Download or read book Design and Construction of a Prototype Advanced On line Fuel Burn up Monitoring System for the Modular Pebble Bed Reactor written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Modular Pebble Bed Reactor (MPBR) is a high temperature gas-cooled nuclear power reactor currently under study as a next generation reactor system. In addition to its inherently safe design, a unique feature of this reactor is its multi-pass fuel circulation in which the fuel pebbles are randomly loaded and continuously cycled through the core until they reach their prescribed End-of-Life burn-up limit. Unlike the situation with a conventional light water reactor, depending solely on computational methods to perform in-core fuel management for MPBR will be highly inaccurate. An on-line measurement system is needed to accurately assess whether a given pebble has reached its End-of-Life burn-up limit and thereby provide an on-line, automated go/no-go decision on fuel disposition on a pebble-by-pebble basis. This project investigated approaches to analyzing fuel pebbles in real time using gamma spectroscopy and possibly using passive neutron counting of spontaneous fission neutrons to provide the speed, accuracy, and burn-up range required for burnup determination of MPBR. It involved all phases necessary to develop and construct a burn-up monitor, including a review of the design requirements of the system, identification of detection methodologies, modeling and development of potential designs, and finally, the construction and testing of an operational detector system. Based upon the research work performed in this project, the following conclusions are made. In terms of using gamma spectrometry, two possible approaches were identified for burnup assay. The first approach is based on the measurement of the absolute activity of Cs-137. However, due to spectral interference and the need for absolute calibration of the spectrometer, the uncertainty in burnup determination using this approach was found to range from (almost equal to) "40% at beginning of life to (almost equal to) "10% at the discharge burnup. An alternative approach is to use a relative burnup indicator. In this case, a self-calibration method was developed to obtain the spectrometer's relative efficiency curve based upon gamma lines emitted from 14°La. It was found that the ratio of 239Np/132I can be used in burnup measurement with an uncertainty of (almost equal to) "3% throughout the pebble's lifetime. In addition, by doping the fuel with 6°Co, the use of the 6°Co/134Cs and 239Np/132I ratios can simultaneously yield the enrichment and burnup of each pebble. A functional gamma-ray spectrometry measurement system was constructed and tested with light water reactor fuels. Experimental results were observed to be consistent with the predictions. On using the passive neutron counting method for the on-line burnup measurement, it was found that neutron emission rate of an irradiated pebble is sensitive to its burnup history and the spectral-averaged cross sections used in the depletion calculations; thus a large uncertainty exists in the correlation between neutron emission and burnup. At low burnup levels, the uncertainty in the neutron emission/burnup correlation is too high and neutron emission rate is too low so that it is impossible to determine a pebble's burnup by on-line neutron counting. At high burnup levels, due to the decreasing of the uncertainty in neutron emission rate and the super-linear feature of the correlation, the uncertainty in burnup determination was found to be (almost equal to)7% at the discharge burnup, which is acceptable for determining whether a pebble should be discharged or not. In terms of neutron detection, because an irradiated pebble is a weak neutron source and a much stronger gamma source, neutron detector system should have high neutron detection efficiency and strong gamma discrimination capability. Of all the commonly used neutron detectors, the He-3 and BF3 detector systems were found to be able to satisfy the requirement on detection efficiency; but their gamma discrimination capability is only marginal for this on-line application. Even with thick gamma shielding, these two types of detectors shall deteriorate in performance after a certain period of time of operation. Thus, two or more detector systems must be used alternatively for continuous measurement.

Download or read book Investigation on Using Neutron Counting Techniques for Online Burnup Monitoring of Pebble Bed Reactor Fuels written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Modular Pebble Bed Reactor (MPBR) is a high temperature gas-cooled nuclear power reactor. In addition to its inherently safe design, a unique feature of this reactor is its multi-pass fuel circulation in which the fuel pebbles are randomly loaded and continuously cycled through the core until they reach their prescribed End-of-Life burnup limit. Unlike the situation with a conventional light water reactor, depending solely on computational methods to perform in-core fuel management for MPBR will be highly inaccurate. An on-line measurement system is needed to accurately assess whether a given pebble has reached its End-of-Life burnup limit and thereby provide an on-line, automated go/no-go decision on fuel disposition on a pebble-by-pebble basis. This project investigated the feasibility of using the passive neutron counting and active neutron/gamma counting for the on line fuel burnup measurement for MPBR. To investigate whether there is a correlation between neutron emission and fuel burnup, the MPBR fuel depletion was simulated under different irradiation conditions by ORIGEN2. It was found that the neutron emission from an irradiated pebble increases with burnup super-linearly and reaches to 10 4 neutron/sec/pebble at the discharge burnup. The photon emission from an irradiated pebble was found to be in the order of 10 13 photon/sec/pebble at all burnup levels. Analysis shows that the neutron emission rate of an irradiated pebble is sensitive to its burnup history and the spectral-averaged one-group cross sections used in the depletion calculations, which consequently leads to large uncertainty in the correlation between neutron emission and burnup. At low burnup levels, the uncertainty in the neutron emission/burnup correlation is too high and the neutron emission rate is too low so that it is impossible to determine a pebble2s burnup by on-line neutron counting at low burnup levels. At high burnup levels, the uncertainty in the neutron emission rate becomes less but is still large in quantity. However, considering the super-linear feature of the correlation, the uncertainty in burnup determination was found to be ̃7% at the discharge burnup, which is acceptable. Therefore, total neutron emission rate of a pebble can be used as a burnup indicator to determine whether a pebble should be discharged or not. The feasibility of using passive neutron counting methods for the on-line burnup measurement was investigated by using a general Monte Carlo code, MCNP, to assess the detectability of the neutron emission and the capability to discriminate gamma noise by commonly used neutron detectors. It was found that both He-3 and BF 3 detector systems are able to satisfy the requirement on detection efficiency; but their gamma discrimination capability is only marginal.

Download or read book Dissertation Abstracts International written by and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 858 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Passive Nondestructive Assay of Nuclear Materials written by Doug Reilly and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 700 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Liquid Life written by Rachel Armstrong and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 600 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If we lived in a liquid world, the concept of a "machine" would make no sense. Liquid life is metaphor and apparatus that discusses the consequences of thinking, working, and living through liquids. It is an irreducible, paradoxical, parallel, planetary-scale material condition, unevenly distributed spatially, but temporally continuous. It is what remains when logical explanations can no longer account for the experiences that we recognize as part of "being alive."Liquid Life references a third-millennial understanding of matter that seeks to restore the agency of the liquid soul for an ecological era, which has been banished by reductionist, "brute" materialist discourses and mechanical models of life. Offering an alternative worldview of the living realm through a "new materialist" and "liquid" study of matter, Armstrong conjures forth examples of creatures that do not obey mechanistic concepts like predictability, efficiency, and rationality. With the advent of molecular science, an increasingly persuasive ontology of liquid technologies can be identified. Through the lens of lifelike dynamic droplets, the agency for these systems exists at the interfaces between different fields of matter/energy that respond to highly local effects, with no need for a central organizing system.Liquid Life seeks an alternative partnership between humanity and the natural world. It provokes a re-invention of the languages of the living realm to open up alternative spaces for exploration, including contributor Rolf Hughes' "angelology" of language, which explores the transformative invocations of prose poetry, and Simone Ferracina's graphical notations that help shape our concepts of metabolism, upcycling, and designing with fluids. A conceptual and practical toolset for thinking and designing, liquid life reunites us with the irreducible "soul substance" of living things, which will neither be simply "solved," nor go away.

Download or read book Springer Handbook of Mechanical Engineering written by Karl-Heinrich Grote and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-01-13 with total page 1588 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This resource covers all areas of interest for the practicing engineer as well as for the student at various levels and educational institutions. It features the work of authors from all over the world who have contributed their expertise and support the globally working engineer in finding a solution for today‘s mechanical engineering problems. Each subject is discussed in detail and supported by numerous figures and tables.

Download or read book Technology in Forensic Science written by Deepak Rawtani and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2020-11-02 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book "Technology in Forensic Science" provides an integrated approach by reviewing the usage of modern forensic tools as well as the methods for interpretation of the results. Starting with best practices on sample taking, the book then reviews analytical methods such as high-resolution microscopy and chromatography, biometric approaches, and advanced sensor technology as well as emerging technologies such as nanotechnology and taggant technology. It concludes with an outlook to emerging methods such as AI-based approaches to forensic investigations.

Download or read book Pedometrics written by Alex. B. McBratney and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-04-24 with total page 715 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents the basic concepts of quantitative soil science and, within this framework, it seeks to construct a new body of knowledge. There is a growing need for quantitative approach in soil science, which arises from a general demand for improved economic production and environmental management. Pedometrics can be defined as the development and application of statistical and mathematical methods applicable to data analysis problems in soil science. This book shows how pedometrics can address key soil-related questions from a quantitative point of view. It addresses four main areas which are akin to the problems of conventional pedology: (i) Understanding the pattern of soil distribution in character space – soil classification, (ii) Understanding soil spatial and temporal variation, (iii) Evaluating the utility and quality of soil and ultimately, (iv) Understanding the genesis of soil. This is the first book that address these problems in a coherent quantitate approach.

Download or read book Introduction to Mineral Exploration written by Charles Moon and published by Wiley-Blackwell. This book was released on 2006-01-23 with total page 496 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This new, up dated edition of Introduction to Mineral Exploration provides a comprehensive overview of all aspects of mineral exploration. Covers not only the nature of mineral exploration but also considers other factors essential to successful exploration, from target evaluation to feasibility studies for extraction and production. Includes six detailed case studies, selected for the range of different problems and considerations they present to the mineral explorationist. Features new chapters on handling mineral exploration data and a new case study on the exploration for diamonds. Essential reading for upper level undergraduates studying ore geology, mineral exploration, mining geology, coal exploration, and industrial minerals, as well as professional geologists. Artwork from the book is available to instructors online at www.blackwellpublishing.com/moon.

Download or read book The Archaeology Coursebook written by Jim Grant and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-03-27 with total page 692 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This fully updated and revised edition of the best-selling title The Archaeology Coursebook is a guide for students studying archaeology for the first time. Including new methods and key studies in this fourth edition, it provides pre-university students and teachers, as well as undergraduates and enthusiasts, with the skills and technical concepts necessary to grasp the subject. The Archaeology Coursebook: introduces the most commonly examined archaeological methods, concepts and themes, and provides the necessary skills to understand them explains how to interpret the material students may meet in examinations supports study with key studies, key sites, key terms, tasks and skills development illustrates concepts and commentary with over 400 photos and drawings of excavation sites, methodology and processes, tools and equipment provides an overview of human evolution and social development with a particular focus upon European prehistory. Reflecting changes in archaeological practice and with new key studies, methods, examples, boxes, photographs and diagrams, this is definitely a book no archaeology student should be without.

Download or read book Nuclear Fuel Cycle Science and Engineering written by Ian Crossland and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2012-09-21 with total page 649 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The nuclear fuel cycle is characterised by the wide range of scientific disciplines and technologies it employs. The development of ever more integrated processes across the many stages of the nuclear fuel cycle therefore confronts plant manufacturers and operators with formidable challenges. Nuclear fuel cycle science and engineering describes both the key features of the complete nuclear fuel cycle and the wealth of recent research in this important field. Part one provides an introduction to the nuclear fuel cycle. Radiological protection, security and public acceptance of nuclear technology are considered, along with the economics of nuclear power. Part two goes on to explore materials mining, enrichment, fuel element design and fabrication for the uranium and thorium nuclear fuel cycle. The impact of nuclear reactor design and operation on fuel element irradiation is the focus of part three, including water and gas-cooled reactors, along with CANDU and Generation IV designs. Finally, part four reviews spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste management. With its distinguished editor and international team of expert contributors, Nuclear fuel cycle science and engineering provides an important review for all those involved in the design, fabrication, use and disposal of nuclear fuels as well as regulatory bodies and researchers in this field. Provides a comprehensive and holistic review of the complete nuclear fuel cycle Reviews the issues presented by the nuclear fuel cycle, including radiological protection and security, public acceptance and economic analysis Discusses issues at the front-end of the fuel cycle, including uranium and thorium mining, enrichment and fuel design and fabrication

Download or read book Body Sensor Networks written by Guang-Zhong Yang and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-04-16 with total page 572 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The last decade has witnessed a rapid surge of interest in new sensing and monitoring devices for wellbeing and healthcare. One key development in this area is wireless, wearable and implantable in vivo monitoring and intervention. A myriad of platforms are now available from both academic institutions and commercial organisations. They permit the management of patients with both acute and chronic symptoms, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, treatment of epilepsy and other debilitating neurological disorders. Despite extensive developments in sensing technologies, there are significant research issues related to system integration, sensor miniaturisation, low-power sensor interface, wireless telemetry and signal processing. In the 2nd edition of this popular and authoritative reference on Body Sensor Networks (BSN), major topics related to the latest technological developments and potential clinical applications are discussed, with contents covering. Biosensor Design, Interfacing and Nanotechnology Wireless Communication and Network Topologies Communication Protocols and Standards Energy Harvesting and Power Delivery Ultra-low Power Bio-inspired Processing Multi-sensor Fusion and Context Aware Sensing Autonomic Sensing Wearable, Ingestible Sensor Integration and Exemplar Applications System Integration and Wireless Sensor Microsystems The book also provides a comprehensive review of the current wireless sensor development platforms and a step-by-step guide to developing your own BSN applications through the use of the BSN development kit.

Download or read book 2011 International Conference on Semiconductor Technology for Ultra Large Scale Integrated Circuits and Thin Film Transistors ULSIC vs TFT written by and published by The Electrochemical Society. This book was released on 2011 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Neutron Radiography 3 written by Shigenori Fujine and published by Springer. This book was released on 1990-07-31 with total page 1046 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Proceedings of the Third World Conference held in Osaka, Japan, May 14-18, 1989

Download or read book Proximal Soil Sensing written by Raphael A. Viscarra Rossel and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2010-07-25 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book reports on developments in Proximal Soil Sensing (PSS) and high resolution digital soil mapping. PSS has become a multidisciplinary area of study that aims to develop field-based techniques for collecting information on the soil from close by, or within, the soil. Amongst others, PSS involves the use of optical, geophysical, electrochemical, mathematical and statistical methods. This volume, suitable for undergraduate course material and postgraduate research, brings together ideas and examples from those developing and using proximal sensors and high resolution digital soil maps for applications such as precision agriculture, soil contamination, archaeology, peri-urban design and high land-value applications, where there is a particular need for high spatial resolution information. The book in particular covers soil sensor sampling, proximal soil sensor development and use, sensor calibrations, prediction methods for large data sets, applications of proximal soil sensing, and high-resolution digital soil mapping. Key themes: soil sensor sampling – soil sensor calibrations – spatial prediction methods – reflectance spectroscopy – electromagnetic induction and electrical resistivity – radar and gamma radiometrics – multi-sensor platforms – high resolution digital soil mapping - applications Raphael A. Viscarra Rossel is a scientist at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) of Australia. Alex McBratney is Pro-Dean and Professor of Soil Science in the Faculty of Agriculture Food & Natural Resources at the University of Sydney in Australia. Budiman Minasny is a Senior Research Fellow in the Faculty of Agriculture Food & Natural Resources at the University of Sydney in Australia.

Download or read book The New Nuclear Forensics written by Vitaly Fedchenko and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2015 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nuclear material changes its form and properties as it moves through the nuclear fuel cycle, from one facility to another. Each step of the fuel cycle or each use of the material will inevitably leave its mark. The science of determining the history of a sample of nuclear material through the study of these characteristics is known as nuclear forensics. While nuclear forensic analysis has normally been associated with investigations and prosecutions in the contextof trafficking of nuclear materials or nuclear terrorism, it had wider applications in in national security contexts, such as nuclear non-proliferation, disarmament, and arms control. The New Nuclear Forensics is the first book to give a definitive guide to this broader definition of nuclear forensic analysis. This book describes the various methods used in nuclear forensics, giving first a broad introduction to the process followed by details of relevant measurement techniques and procedures. In each case, the advantages and limitations are outlined. To put these methods in context, the book also recounts the history of the discipline anddescribes the diverse contemporary applications of nuclear forensics.