Particle and Astroparticle Physics Seminar

Imaging Spent Nuclear Fuel with Passive Gamma Emission Tomography

Camille Bélanger-Champagne

Helsinki Institute of Physics

Nuclear safeguards programs are an important part of the implementation of international non-proliferation agreements. New safeguards protocols, and the technology to support them are needed, as countries such as Finland have begun construction of their final disposal facilities for spent nuclear fuel, with operations to begin within the next 10 years. A multipurpose instrument, with passive gamma emission tomography (PGET) as the core technology, is being designed for partial defect verification of spent nuclear fuel, in conjunction with final disposal. A PGET prototype instrument as been built, and preliminary results from recent data taking campaigns at the Loviisa and Olkiluoto nuclear power plants (Finland) will be presented.