Testing a direct method for evaluating the concentration of boron in a fuel pool using scintillation detectors, and a 252Cf and an 241Am-Be source

Paper in proceeding, 2013

The present investigations are aimed at the development and testing of a direct non-destructive method for evaluating the concentration of boron in a fuel pool using scintillation detectors. The method uses a modified ratio between two gamma lines with energy of 480 keV and 2.23 MeV. These lines belong to the capture of a thermal neutron in boron and hydrogen, respectively. The relation between them can reveal the concentration of boron in the fuel pond. The method proposed was tested in a laboratory experiment with a 252Cf and an 241Am-Be source. EJ-309 liquid scintillation detectors were used for measurements of gamma spectra. The concentration of boron in water varied from 1550 ppm to 4200 ppm. The optimization and test studies were performed via MCNPX simulations. The results of these tests are provided in the present paper and they show that the boron content in water can be determined through using the characteristics of gamma lines with energy of 480 keV and 2.23 MeV.