Development of a real time detection str

Reprocessing nuclear fuel is becoming increasingly viable in the United States due to the anticipated rise in the construction of nuclear power plants, the growing stockpile of existing used nuclear fuel, and a public desire to minimize this fuel. This research aimed to establish a proof of concept for a detection strategy leveraging well-established gamma and neutron measurement techniques to characterize samples from the Uranium Extraction Plus 3a (UREX+3a) reprocessing method using various detector types and measurement durations. The implementation of real-time gamma detection equipment in a reprocessing facility is likely to enhance product quality control and yield additional advantages, such as waste volume reduction. Monte Carlo N Particle (MCNP) simulations indicated no significant self-shielding for internal pipe diameters below 5.08 cm, suggesting that correction factors for self-shielding are unnecessary. Furthermore, High Purity Germanium (HPGe) N-type detectors exhibited the requisite gamma ray energy resolution and neutron damage resistance for use in such facilities. The gamma spectra for the analyzed samples were simulated and extended to predict outcomes from a genuine reprocessing scenario involving UREX+3a on fuel that had decayed for 3 years, revealing that this decayed fuel is more representative of commercially reprocessed fuel and facilitates more effective real-time process monitoring.