DEVELOPMENT OF FUGEN GATE MONITOR

Year
1997
Author(s)
J. K. Halbig - Los Alamos National Laboratory
S. Klosterbuer - Los Alamos National Laboratory
H.O. Menlove - Los Alamos National Laboratory
T.R. Wenz - Los Alamos National Laboratory
T. Iwamoto - Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation
E. Umebayashi - Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation
N. Ebara - Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation
Abstract
Fuel assemblies in the reactor core of Fugen can not be verified directly due to the unique reactor structure so the IAEA inspection goal had not been atta ined since reactor began operation. To obtain the inspection goal, Japan and IAEA had established the safeguards approach. The discussion with the IAEA led to a dual CIS (by a surveillance camera) and a radiation monitor. However, fo r the development ofthe monitor, many technical problems were identified and a long development time was anticipated. PNC and LANL developed the Fugen Gate Monitor (FUGM) under the PNC/DOE cooperation agreement. FUGM detectors contain ion chambers, He-3 tubes and fission chambers. The FUGM can verify the number of fuel transfers, direction ofthe transfers and type of fuel assembly. FUGM was installed in December 1995, and it has been used for the routine IAEA inspection since January 1996 so that requi rement of the inspection goal attainment can be achieved.