Topic
Nuclear material
About: Nuclear material is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 649 publications have been published within this topic receiving 4870 citations.
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Book•
1 Jan 1991TL;DR: This book emphasizes passive NDA techniques, although certain active techniques like gamma-ray absorption densitometry and x-ray fluorescence are discussed here because of their intimate relation to passive assay techniques.
Abstract: The term nondestructive assay (NDA) is applied to a series of measurement techniques for nuclear fuel materials. The techniques measure radiation induced or emitted spontaneously from the nuclear material; the measurements are nondestructive in that they do not alter the physical or chemical state of the nuclear material. NDA techniques are characterized as passive or active depending on whether they measure radiation from the spontaneous decay of the nuclear material or radiation induced by an external source. This book emphasizes passive NDA techniques, although certain active techniques like gamma-ray absorption densitometry and x-ray fluorescence are discussed here because of their intimate relation to passive assay techniques. The principal NDA techniques are classified as gamma-ray assay, neutron assay, and calorimetry. Gamma-ray assay techniques are treated in Chapters 1--10. Neutron assay techniques are the subject of Chapters 11--17. Chapters 11--13 cover the origin of neutrons, neutron interactions, and neutron detectors. Chapters 14--17 cover the theory and applications of total and coincidence neutron counting. Chapter 18 deals with the assay of irradiated nuclear fuel, which uses both gamma-ray and neutron assay techniques. Chapter 19 covers perimeter monitoring, which uses gamma-ray and neutron detectors of high sensitivity to check that no unauthorized nuclear materialmore » crosses a facility boundary. The subject of Chapter 20 is attribute and semiquantitative measurements. The goal of these measurements is a rapid verification of the contents of nuclear material containers to assist physical inventory verifications. Waste and holdup measurements are also treated in this chapter. Chapters 21 and 22 cover calorimetry theory and application, and Chapter 23 is a brief application guide to illustrate which techniques can be used to solve certain measurement problems.« less
702 citations
1 Jan 2011
TL;DR: The IAEA safety standards are designed to facilitate this, and I encourage all Member States to make use of them as mentioned in this paper. But they are not suitable for all types of applications.
Abstract: “Governments, regulatory bodies and operators everywhere must ensure that nuclear material and radiation sources are used beneficially, safely and ethically. The IAEA safety standards are designed to facilitate this, and I encourage all Member States to make use of them.”
470 citations
TL;DR: The key issue is the identification of the origin of the material, in order to improve the physical protection measures and prevent future thefts or diversions.
Abstract: Reports on seizures of nuclear material (i.e., uranium or plutonium) and of radioactive sources continue to attract the attention of the public and are a reason for concern due to the hazard associated with such material. Once the material has been detected and secured, the questions on the intended use, the radiological hazard and the origin of the material need to be answered. Classical forensic techniques address the criminalistic part of the case, i.e., the identification of the suspect criminal. The phenomenon of nuclear smuggling and illicit trafficking of nuclear material has led to the development of a new branch of science: nuclear forensics. The key issue is the identification of the origin of the material, in order to improve the physical protection measures and prevent future thefts or diversions. The key challenge is the specificity and complexity of the nuclear area and the particular requirements for handling such material. Nuclear forensic science makes use of analytical techniques that were actually developed for applications related to the nuclear fuel cycle, hence appropriate and safe handling of the samples during the investigations is assured. For interpretation of the results, nuclear forensic science relies to a large extent on the expertise and experience of the investigating scientists. Knowledge in areas such as radiochemistry, nuclear physics, reactor physics, materials science and in the nuclear fuel cycle are required. The conclusions, however, need to be supported by reference data wherever possible. Language: en
222 citations
202 citations
21 Jan 2012-Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section A-accelerators Spectrometers Detectors and Associated Equipment
TL;DR: Active interrogation is a vigorous area of research and development due to its promise of offering detection and characterization capabilities of special nuclear material in environments where passive detection fails as mentioned in this paper, and advocates hope that active interrogation will provide a solution to the problem of detecting shielded uranium.
Abstract: Active interrogation is a vigorous area of research and development due to its promise of offering detection and characterization capabilities of special nuclear material in environments where passive detection fails. The primary value added by active methods is the capability to penetrate shielding—special nuclear material itself, incidental materials, or intentional shielding—and advocates hope that active interrogation will provide a solution to the problem of detecting shielded uranium, which is at present the greatest obstacle to interdiction efforts. The technique also provides a unique benefit for quantifying nuclear material in high background-radiation environments, an area important for nuclear material safeguards and material accountancy. Progress has been made in the field of active interrogation on several fronts, most notably in the arenas of source development, systems integration, and the integration and exploitation of multiple fission and non-fission signatures. But penetration of interrogating radiation often comes at a cost, not only in terms of finance and dose but also in terms of induced backgrounds, system complexity, and extended measurement times (including set up and acquisition). These costs make the calculus for deciding to implement active interrogation more subtle than may be apparent. The purpose of this review is thus to examine existing interrogation methods, compare and contrast their attributes and limitations, and identify missions where active interrogation may hold the most promise.
149 citations
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Performance Metrics
| Year | Papers |
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| 2025 | 9 |
| 2024 | 15 |
| 2023 | 45 |
| 2022 | 35 |
| 2021 | 20 |
| 2020 | 25 |