Characterization of melted fuel by neutron resonance spectroscopy

Neutrons can be used as a tool to study properties of materials and objects. An evolving activity in this field focusses on neutron induced reaction cross sections. The probability that a neutron interacts with a nucleus strongly depends on the energy of the neutron. The cross sections reveal the presence of resonance structures, the energy and width of which are nuclide specific. As such, these resonance structures can be used as fingerprints to determine the elemental and isotopic composition of materials and objects. They are the basis of two analytical methods which have been developed at the Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (EC-JRC-IRMM): Neutron Resonance Capture Analysis (NRCA) and Neutron Resonance Transmission Analysis (NRTA). The first technique is based on the detection of gamma rays emitted during a neutron capture reaction in the sample being studied; the latter determines the fraction of neutrons transmitted through a sample positioned in a neutron beam. In the past both techniques have been applied to determine the composition of archaeological objects and to characterize nuclear reference materials. More recently a combination of NRTA and NRCA is being studied as a non-destructive method to determine the heavy metal content of particle-like debris of melted fuel that is formed in severe nuclear accidents such as the one which occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. This study is part of a collaboration between the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) and EC-JRC-IRMM and is a spin-off from the core activity of IRMM, i.e. the production of nuclear data for nuclear technology applications. This contribution focusses on a newly developed NRTA measurement station that has been set up recently at one of the flight paths of the neutron time-of-flight facility GELINA at the EC-JRC-IRMM. The basic principles of NRTA and first results of measurements at the new set up will be discussed.