Nuclear Spent Fuel Parameter Determination using Multivariate Analysis of Fission Product Gamma Spectra

• In this paper, we investigate the application of multivariate data analysis methods to the analysis of gamma spectroscopy measurements of spent nuclear fuel (SNF). Using a simulated irradiation and cooling of nuclear fuel over a wide range of cooling times (CT), total burnup at discharge (BU) and initial enrichments (IE) we investigate the possibilities of using a multivariate data analysis of the gamma ray emission signatures from the fuel to determine these fuel parameters. This is accomplished by training a multivariate analysis method on simulated data and then applying the method to simulated, but perturbed, data.We find that for SNF with CT less than about 20 years, a single gamma spectrum from a high resolution gamma spectrometer, such as a high-purity germanium spectrometer, allows for the determination of the above mentioned fuel parameters.Further, using measured gamma spectra from real SNF from Swedish pressurized light water reactors we were able to confirm the operator declared fuel parameters. In this case, a multivariate analysis trained on simulated data and applied to real data was used.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Subatomär fysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Subatomic Physics (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Multivariate analysis

principal component analysis

partial least squares regression

gamma ray

nuclear fuel

safeguards

Fysik med inriktning mot tillämpad kärnfysik

Physics with specialization in Applied Nuclear Physics

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)