Using X-ray, K-edge densitometry in spent fuel characterization

There are instances where records for spent nuclear fuel are incomplete, as well as cases where fuel assemblies have deteriorated during storage. To bring these materials into compliance for long term storage will require determination of parameters such as enrichment, total fissionable material, and burnup. To obtain accurate estimates of these parameters will require the combination of information from different inspection techniques. A method which can provide an accurate measure of the total uranium in the spent fuel is X-ray K-edge densitometry. To assess the potential for applying this method in spent fuel characterization, the authors have measured the amount of uranium in stacks of reactor fuel plates containing nuclear materials of different enrichments and alloys. They have obtained good agreement with expected uranium concentrations ranging from 60 mg/cm{sup 2} to 3,000 mg/cm{sup 2}, and have demonstrated that these measurements can be made in a high radiation field (> 200 mR/hr)