Error reduction in gamma-spectrometric measurements of nuclear materials enrichment

Abstract

The paper provides the analysis of the uncertainty in determining the uranium samples enrichment using non-destructive methods to ensure the functioning of the nuclear materials accounting and control system. The measurements were performed by a scintillation detector based on a sodium iodide crystal and the semiconductor germanium detector. Samples containing uranium oxide of different masses were used for the measurements. Statistical analysis of the results showed that the maximum enrichment error in a scintillation detector measurement can reach 82%. The bias correction, calculated from the data obtained by the semiconductor detector, reduces the error in the determination of uranium enrichment by 47.2% in average. Thus, the use of bias correction, calculated by the statistical methods, allows the use of scintillation detectors to account and control nuclear materials.