Experimental Verification of the Fission Chamber Gamma Signal Suppression by the Campbelling Mode

Ludo Vermeeren; Marcel Wéber; Ludovic Oriol; Stéphane Breaud; Philippe Filliatre; Benoit Geslot; Christian Jammes; Stéphane Normand; Bernard Lescop; Marc Schyns

doi:10.1109/TNS.2011.2113356

Experimental Verification of the Fission Chamber Gamma Signal Suppression by the Campbelling Mode

Ludo Vermeeren, Marcel Wéber, Ludovic Oriol, Stéphane Breaud, Philippe Filliatre, Benoit Geslot, Christian Jammes, Stéphane Normand, Bernard Lescop, Marc Schyns

Research output › peer-review

Abstract

For the on-line monitoring of high fast neutron fluxes in the presence of a strong thermal neutron component, SCK•CEN and CEA are jointly developing a Fast Neutron Detector System, based on 242Pu fission chambers as sensors and including dedicated electronics and data processing systems. Irradiation tests in the BR2 reactor of 242Pu fission chambers operating in current mode showed that in typical MTR conditions the fission chamber currents are dominated by the gamma contribution. In order to reduce the gamma contribution to the signal, it was proposed to use the fission chambers in Campbelling mode. An irradiation experiment in the BR2 reactor with a 242Pu and a 235U fission chamber, both equipped with a suitable cable for measurements in Campbelling mode, proved the effectiveness of the suppression of the gamma-induced signal component by the Campbelling mode: gamma contribution reduction factors of 26 for the 235U fission chamber and more than 80 for the 242Pu fission chamber were obtained. The experimental data also prove that photofission contributions are negligibly small. Consequently, in typical MTR conditions the gamma contribution to the fission chamber Campbelling signal can be neglected.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	362-369
Journal	IEEE transactions on nuclear Science
Volume	58
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1109/TNS.2011.2113356
State	Published - Apr 2011
Event	2009 - ANIMMA : 1st International Conference on Advancements in Nuclear Instrumentation, Measurement Methods and their Applications - CEA, Marseille Duration: 7 Jun 2009 → 10 Jul 2009

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Cite this

@article{fc8c2da9f49d49738d0517c10a964266,

title = "Experimental Verification of the Fission Chamber Gamma Signal Suppression by the Campbelling Mode",

abstract = "For the on-line monitoring of high fast neutron fluxes in the presence of a strong thermal neutron component, SCK•CEN and CEA are jointly developing a Fast Neutron Detector System, based on 242Pu fission chambers as sensors and including dedicated electronics and data processing systems. Irradiation tests in the BR2 reactor of 242Pu fission chambers operating in current mode showed that in typical MTR conditions the fission chamber currents are dominated by the gamma contribution. In order to reduce the gamma contribution to the signal, it was proposed to use the fission chambers in Campbelling mode. An irradiation experiment in the BR2 reactor with a 242Pu and a 235U fission chamber, both equipped with a suitable cable for measurements in Campbelling mode, proved the effectiveness of the suppression of the gamma-induced signal component by the Campbelling mode: gamma contribution reduction factors of 26 for the 235U fission chamber and more than 80 for the 242Pu fission chamber were obtained. The experimental data also prove that photofission contributions are negligibly small. Consequently, in typical MTR conditions the gamma contribution to the fission chamber Campbelling signal can be neglected.",

keywords = "fast neutron monitoring, fission chamber, current mode, Campbelling mode, in-core instrumentation",

author = "Ludo Vermeeren and Marcel W{\'e}ber and Ludovic Oriol and St{\'e}phane Breaud and Philippe Filliatre and Benoit Geslot and Christian Jammes and St{\'e}phane Normand and Bernard Lescop and Marc Schyns",

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AU - Vermeeren, Ludo

AU - Wéber, Marcel

AU - Oriol, Ludovic

AU - Breaud, Stéphane

AU - Filliatre, Philippe

AU - Geslot, Benoit

AU - Jammes, Christian

AU - Normand, Stéphane

AU - Lescop, Bernard

A2 - Schyns, Marc

N1 - Score = 10

PY - 2011/4

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N2 - For the on-line monitoring of high fast neutron fluxes in the presence of a strong thermal neutron component, SCK•CEN and CEA are jointly developing a Fast Neutron Detector System, based on 242Pu fission chambers as sensors and including dedicated electronics and data processing systems. Irradiation tests in the BR2 reactor of 242Pu fission chambers operating in current mode showed that in typical MTR conditions the fission chamber currents are dominated by the gamma contribution. In order to reduce the gamma contribution to the signal, it was proposed to use the fission chambers in Campbelling mode. An irradiation experiment in the BR2 reactor with a 242Pu and a 235U fission chamber, both equipped with a suitable cable for measurements in Campbelling mode, proved the effectiveness of the suppression of the gamma-induced signal component by the Campbelling mode: gamma contribution reduction factors of 26 for the 235U fission chamber and more than 80 for the 242Pu fission chamber were obtained. The experimental data also prove that photofission contributions are negligibly small. Consequently, in typical MTR conditions the gamma contribution to the fission chamber Campbelling signal can be neglected.

AB - For the on-line monitoring of high fast neutron fluxes in the presence of a strong thermal neutron component, SCK•CEN and CEA are jointly developing a Fast Neutron Detector System, based on 242Pu fission chambers as sensors and including dedicated electronics and data processing systems. Irradiation tests in the BR2 reactor of 242Pu fission chambers operating in current mode showed that in typical MTR conditions the fission chamber currents are dominated by the gamma contribution. In order to reduce the gamma contribution to the signal, it was proposed to use the fission chambers in Campbelling mode. An irradiation experiment in the BR2 reactor with a 242Pu and a 235U fission chamber, both equipped with a suitable cable for measurements in Campbelling mode, proved the effectiveness of the suppression of the gamma-induced signal component by the Campbelling mode: gamma contribution reduction factors of 26 for the 235U fission chamber and more than 80 for the 242Pu fission chamber were obtained. The experimental data also prove that photofission contributions are negligibly small. Consequently, in typical MTR conditions the gamma contribution to the fission chamber Campbelling signal can be neglected.

KW - fast neutron monitoring

KW - fission chamber

KW - current mode

KW - Campbelling mode

KW - in-core instrumentation

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