Validation of ORIGEN for VVER-440 Spent Fuel with Application to Fork Detector Safeguards Measurements

Volume: 60, June 2020, pages 28-42,

Authors: Jianwei Hu¹, Ian. C. Gauld¹, Stefano Vaccaro^{2, a}, Tapani Honkamaa³, Germina Ilas¹

¹_{Oak Ridge National Laboratory}
²_{European Commission, DG Energy}
³_{Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, Finland}

Abstract: The US Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) are collaborating with the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority in Finland to assess spent fuel verification methods for potential application to measurements at the planned spent fuel encapsulation plant and geological repository prior to final disposal in Finland. The fork detector (FDET) used to measure the neutron and gamma radiation from a given spent fuel assembly is an existing technology widely used by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Euratom for the safeguards verification of spent fuel operator declaration. Recently, an FDET data analysis software, referred to as the ORIGEN module, was developed and incorporated into the IAEA/Euratom Integrated Review and Analysis Program. This module uses the ORIGEN burnup code to calculate the nuclide concentrations and the neutron and gamma source terms in the spent fuel based on operator declarations. Then, to predict the expected FDET signals for a given fuel assembly, the module combines the source terms calculated by ORIGEN with FDET response functions that were pre-generated using MCNP models. The inspector can compare the calculated signals to the measured values in real time to identify possible anomalies in fuel assembly’s operator declaration, integrity, or measurement. In this work, the capability of the ORIGEN module was extended from application to typical light water reactor fuels to use for VVER-440 assembly types. The accuracy of ORIGEN for this type of fuel assembly calculations was assessed by comparing calculated nuclide concentrations against destructive assay measurements for VVER-440 spent fuel. The performance of the ORIGEN module for FDET safeguards verification in routine inspections was assessed using FDET measurement data for 13 spent VVER-440 assemblies that were measured at the Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant in Finland, by comparing the calculated signals to the measured quantities. The results show that the calculated FDET neutron and gamma detector signals are generally within 12% of the measurements except for one assembly. These results are applicable to future safeguards verification in the planned Finland encapsulation plant, such as for passive neutron albedo reactivity safeguards measurements.

Keywords: spent fuel safeguards; Fork; FDET; ORIGEN; safeguards verification; encapsulation

Reference guidline:

Hu, J., Gauld, I.C., Vaccaro, S., Honkamaa, T., & Ilas, G. (2020). Validation of ORIGEN for VVER-440 Spent Fuel with Application to Fork Detector Safeguards Measurements. ESARDA Bulletin - The International Journal of Nuclear Safeguards and Non-proliferation, 60, 28-42. https://doi.org/10.3011/ESARDA.IJNSNP.2020.3