title: High-intensity power-resolved radiation imaging of an operational nuclear reactor.
abstract: Knowledge of the neutron distribution in a nuclear reactor is necessary to ensure the safe and efficient burnup of reactor fuel. Currently these measurements are performed by in-core systems in what are extremely hostile environments and in most reactor accident scenarios it is likely that these systems would be damaged. Here we present a compact and portable radiation imaging system with the ability to image high-intensity fast-neutron and gamma-ray fields simultaneously. This system has been deployed to image radiation fields emitted during the operation of a TRIGA test reactor allowing a spatial visualization of the internal reactor conditions to be obtained. The imaged flux in each case is found to scale linearly with reactor power indicating that this method may be used for power-resolved reactor monitoring and for the assay of ongoing nuclear criticalities in damaged nuclear reactors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Engineering, Gillow Avenue, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YW, UK.
authors.forename: Jonathan S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Beaumont
authors.affiliation: Createc Ltd., Derwent Mills Commercial Park, Cockermouth CA13 0HT, UK.
authors.forename: Matthew P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Mellor
authors.affiliation: Atominstitut, Vienna University of Technology, 1020 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Villa
authors.affiliation: Department of Engineering, Gillow Avenue, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YW, UK.|Hybrid Instruments Ltd., Unit 16, ICT Centre, Birmingham Research Park, Vincent Drive, Edgbaston B15 2SQ, UK.
authors.forename: Malcolm J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Joyce