Silicon Carbide (SiC) semiconductor radiation detectors offer many advantages for measurement applications in high-temperature and high-radiation environments. In addition to possessing many of the advantages of conventional Si radiation detectors, the relatively wide band gap for SiC (3.27 eV at 300 °C for 4H-SiC) leads to detector leakage currents that are more than three orders of...
The MARIA research reactor is operated by the National Centre for Nuclear Research in Otwock, Poland. The MARIA reactor is a water and beryllium moderated reactor of a pool type with graphite reflector and pressurized channels. The fuel channels are situated in a matrix containing beryllium blocks. The MARIA reactor has been operating since 1974, and it has power up to 30 MW. Current main...
Detectors based on wide bandgap semiconductors and with high radiation hardness are very promising for many applications. The commercial availability of high-quality crystalline material is required for the preparation of high-grade radiation detectors. The 4H-SiC and diamonds are good candidates in term of harsh environment operation. Detectors based on SiC and diamond can operate at higher...
The Jules Horowitz irradiation reactor is under construction in the south of France. The objective of this new 100MWth research reactor is to carry out technological irradiations (Materials and Fuels) in support of current and future nuclear power plants (GEN2, 3 &4). https://jhrreactor.com/
It will also enable the production of artificial radioelements as well as the production of Moly...
Silicon Carbide (SiC)-based radiation detectors are promising candidates for neutron flux monitoring in extreme nuclear environments due to their high radiation resistance, wide bandgap energy, and excellent thermal stability. This study presents the results of irradiation campaigns conducted in different neutron fields to assess the performance and reliability of 4H-SiC P+N junction diodes...
LVR-15 is a 10 MW experimental reactor operated by Centrum výzkumu Řež (CVR), Czech Republic. The LVR-15 reactor is used primarily for irradiation of materials, production of radiopharmaceuticals, and experiments using neutron radiography and other applications of neutron beams. Although the reactor operates at atmospheric pressure and low coolant temperatures, materials can be irradiated...
We report the effects, on the optical properties (photoluminescence and Raman scattering spectra), of high energy (70MeV) proton irradiation of bulk silicon carbide (SiC), at different doses. SiC has risen to prominence in the semiconductor industry for applications in high power and high-speed switching applications, especially in the field of electric vehicles and solar energy inverter...
Crucial nuclear facilities, such as Material Testing Reactors (MTRs), support existing nuclear power plants and future generations of reactors thanks to studies on material and fuels under representative and extreme conditions, including accelerated aging and accidental conditions. Due to the aging of the Material Testing Reactor (MTR) park, the Jules Horowitz Reactor (JHR), a new research...
Semiconducting metal oxides possess a range of beneficial properties that have enabled their widespread use in applications such as photocatalysis, solar cells, and sensors. In gas sensing, metal oxides demonstrate strong performance; however, their limitations include low selectivity and the need for high operating temperatures. This work explores a strategy to overcome these challenges by...
The Jožef Stefan Institute TRIGA Mark II reactor has been used for many experiments to test nuclear instrumentation, to validate particle transport codes as well as to study various multiphysics phenomena. Among them are also experiments to study various temperature related effects. In the presentation we will present recent experiments in this field.
Firstly, the JSI TRIGA reactor will be...
SCK CEN has nearly 50 years of experience in conducting fuel performance assessments and qualifications, irradiating rod segments or plates in dedicated facilities installed at the high flux Belgian Reactor 2 (BR2). When those facilities are equipped with flow rate and temperature measurement, it is possible to deduce in real time the linear power produced in the tested fuel segments....
Large scientific infrastructures must integrate sustainability into their strategies, therefore including detailed plans to reduce their environmental impact.
Reducing the environmental impact generated by research is an aim already reflected as main objective of major current scientific projects. Scientific infrastructures have to deal with the following challenges related with...
Research aimed at addressing profound scientific questions about the universe has driven the development of cutting-edge detectors with exceptional performance, achieved through an unwavering pursuit of sensitivity and resolution. We have successfully applied technologies originally developed for X-ray and gamma-ray space observations-including multipixel superconducting microcalorimeters,...
In this talk, I will provide an overview of the history of LIGO and Virgo, focusing on key advancements in precision measurement and the challenges faced by these kilometer-scale interferometers that make gravitational-wave detections possible. I will summarize the latest results from the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA detectors, starting with the groundbreaking first detection in 2015, and discuss their...
At the VENUS-F zero power reactor, miniature fission chambers have been used to measure fission rate ratios in order to get insights on the neutron flux energy distribution. Monte Carlo models of VENUS-F have been validated against those experimental results.
Customarily, non-threshold (e.g.: of
Concealed contraband (e.g., explosives, illicit drugs, and special nuclear material) can be detected by neutron active interrogation. For detecting explosives and narcotics, prompt gamma rays from fast neutron inelastic scattering on carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen and delayed gamma rays from thermal neutron capture on hydrogen, nitrogen, and chlorine are the primary signatures. Pulsed...
Single-photon counting detectors with direct conversion to electrical signals enable highly accurate, noise-free, real-time particle detection, which is essential for high-precision applications such as dosimetry and beam diagnostics. The Timepix family of hybrid semiconductor pixelated detectors, known for their wide energy range detection capability and high-resolution positional accuracy,...
Silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor radiation detectors are being researched in the field of radiation detection as a promising technology offering superior performance characteristics that address many limitations of traditional detector materials, thanks to inherent advantages of SiC. These are, for radiation detection in particular, its wide bandgap, high thermal conductivity and...
The photofission reaction, which forms the basis of the Active Photon Interrogation (API) nuclear measurement technique, is of great interest from fundamental to applied physics, in particular as part of security checks on cargo containers to detect Special Nuclear Material (SNM) at border controls, as uranium and plutonium isotopes could be potentially involved in terrorist attacks. To...
Positron emission tomography is an important medical diagnostic tool that exploits the process of positron annihilation with an electron in a patient’s tissue, resulting in two gamma-ray photons with 511 keV energy and opposite momenta. The two annihilation photons are also entangled in their polarizations, specifically, their polarizations are mutually orthogonal, a property not yet utilized...
With the revival of the nuclear sector, recruitment needs for the next ten years are very high in France (over 10,000 employees per year). Several initiatives at different academic levels are conducted to promote the nuclear field, its various applications and its shortage occupations, to attract students, graduates and attracted already-employed professionals to this field, and to provide...
Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) is an essential analytical technique in material science, enabling the study of structural and dynamic properties at the nanoscale.
The SAM instrument at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) in Grenoble, France, is a pinhole geometry instrument for SANS experiments, aiming at the determination of the structure of large-scale objects (1 – 100 nm) in various...
Over the last five years starting in 2019, several nuclear measurement systems have been conceived and realized for specific nuclear safeguards applications, as well as for nuclear security, implementing some innovative technologies and methods for attended and unattended nuclear measurements.
Some of those technologies imply the integration of combined gamma and neutron detection systems...
Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is a cancer treatment technique that combines the power of radiation therapy with targeted therapy. In this technique, patients are administered a targeted pharmaceutical containing 10B that selectively accumulates in tumor tissues and are then irradiated with a beam e [epi-]thermal neutrons. These neutrons interact with 10B through a large-cross-section...
In Morocco, the nuclear and radiological applications are covering various socio-economic fields (health, industry, agriculture, security, scientific research, and higher education). The government adopted in 2014 the law 142-12 on nuclear and radiological safety and security and the creation of the regulatory body ‘AMSSNuR’.
AMSSNuR has established an integrated strategic approach to...
Neutron flux in nuclear reactors causes damages to material components. Fast neutrons, above 1 MeV, can modify mechanical and structural properties of materials. These damages are expressed as displacements per atom (dpa). Some experiments carried out in research reactors study the behaviour and ageing of materials irradiated by high neutron fluxes. In these experiments, it is therefore...
Photofission prompt neutron detection methods are of great interest for research and development in the field of nuclear instrumentation and measurement, whether for nuclear waste package characterization, border control and homeland security, but also fundamental nuclear physics. The photofission reaction is generally induced by a linear electron accelerator (LINAC), converting electrons into...
Hadron therapy offers significant advantages over conventional radiotherapy, primarily due to the maximization of the applied dose during treatment at the Bragg peak. However, additional benefits could be realized if a quasi-real-time monitoring system for ion-range verification were available. Such a system would help reduce safety margins and enhance the therapy's potential benefits by...
The Health and Safety Department of Aix Marseille University trains future technicians specializing risk management. Among its programs is the Bachelor’s degree in Radiation protection and Nuclear Safety which able to advise managers about the complex risks in nuclear workplaces as power plants, fuel cycle facilities, research centers or naval propulsion sites.
With the aim of providing new...
Silicon carbide (SiC) detectors have become essential in advancing dosimetry for high-energy and high-dose rate radiotherapy. Achieving accurate dose tracking under high-dose-rate and high-energy conditions requires dosimeters that can withstand challenging environments and provide reliable measurements. Conventional silicon detectors, although sensitive, often experience degradation under...
The growing threat posed by the trafficking of illicit materials, including explosives, narcotics, and chemical weapons, requires the development of robust, non-intrusive detection techniques capable of providing fast and accurate on-site assessments. In this context, active photon interrogation methods have shown potential interest but have remained underexplored in applications not related...
In particle therapy of cancer, patients are typically submitted to a total radiation dose of a few tens of Gy fractionated in several daily sessions of some minutes of treatment time. During recent years evidence has been provided for reduced therapeutic side effects when the same total dose is applied in less than a second. This so-called FLASH effect is the subject of clinical and...
The nuclear disaster in 2011 urged the public to reconsider disaster prevention and energy issues. Osaka University has been working to measure environmental radioactivity in Fukushima Hamadori. Through this work, we have communicated with local people and learned a great deal. We found that the measurements in Hamadori are educational not only from a radiation science perspective but also...
Silicon Carbide (SiC) based neutron sensors present very promising properties for neutron flux measurements: selectivity between neutron and gamma radiations, response linearity, radiation and temperature hardness, pixilation… In particular, p-n and SCHOTTKY diode designs are studied since more than 20 years for almost fission, fusion, medical, spatial and high-energy physics application...
The reinforcement of detection and control measures for Special Nuclear Materials (SNM) and other radioactive substances used in sectors such as medicine, industry, environment, energy, agriculture, space, and research are critical for global security and the safe, sustainable use of radiation sources. SNM, including plutonium and highly enriched uranium, pose significant risks if misused,...
Total-Body Positron Emission Tomography (TB-PET) technology and designs have become very popular in the recent years. These systems are very attractive because of their high sensitivity resulting from their extended axial Field of View (FOV) and potential Time of Flight (TOF) capabilities, allowing for the simultaneous study of the kinetics of multiple organs. Most of TB-PET designs and...
Light-by-light scattering is a quantum-mechanical phenomenon that is forbidden in the classical framework of electrodynamics. It was first anticipated over 70 years ago by Heisenberg and Euler. This process becomes achievable at the Large Hadron Collider due to the significant electromagnetic field intensities produced during the high-energy collisions of lead ions. Through the analysis of...
At present, there is no ‘ideal’ detector. In consequence, the electrical signals induced by ‘events’ in a detector can sometimes be ‘falsely’ recorded or may not be recorded at all. For scintillators, for example, acquiring an event by integrating the electrical charge requires a minimum integration and recording time. During this integration time, one or more other events may occur and are...
With the emergence of major applications in harsh environments, the scientific and industrial community expresses a real need for developing a range of instrumentation dedicated to monitor, control, and check resistance to ageing and damage of a large panel of structure. In nuclear domain, there are needs in the frame of instrumentation of Material Testing Reactors (MTR) and of the new...
The development and optimization of gamma-ray spectrometry tools is crucial for ORANO Mining and uranium geophysical exploration. This study presents a comprehensive characterisation of the ALT QL40-SGR-2G spectrometric probe, equipped with a cerium bromide (CeBr3) detector. This characterization was carried out at the Nuclear Measurement Laboratory of IRESNE, at CEA Cadarache, France. We...
Nuclear waste management requires testing and analyses of the radioactive content and assessing the quality of the final waste forms and packages to characterize the waste and check for potential radiological hazards. The radioactive substances can be contained into a variety of materials, like concrete, steel, wood, etc. Quality of the measurements as well as time and adaptability to...
In this work, the grand unified theory (GUT) of SO(10) is analyzed in the context of Peccei-Quinn (
Scintillation detectors are essential in fields such as nuclear physics, medical imaging, and radiation detection. Simulating their signals is key to develop advanced signal processing algorithms. This paper introduces a Python package, scintiPulses, which simulates signals from scintillation detector with a quantum illumination function, and comprehensive set of parameters and noise...
X/γ/neutron radiography is the most important radiography technology at present, of which X-ray imaging with different energy and different imaging forms is the most developed and widely applied. At the same time, however, due to differences in the principles of neutron imaging and matter interaction, neutron imaging can complement X/gamma imaging in specific areas, such as detection of...
Recent research at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has advanced several technologies usable for structural health monitoring (SHM) in existing and advanced reactors. Advanced SHM capabilities will enable safer operation of existing and advanced reactors by allowing for early detection of operating condition changes caused by wear or damage to essential components. These reactors will also be...
The objective of this work is to develop techniques that allow for a rapid and accurate localization of radioactive sources in a large area using a highly automated unmanned aerial system. It is proposed that searching for sources using paths generated by probabilistic methods can leading to significant reductions in the time taken to localize a source. Additionally, it is also proposed that a...
The Tile Calorimeter (TileCal) is a sampling hadronic calorimeter covering the central region of the ATLAS experiment with steel as the absorber and plastic scintillators as the active medium. Scintillators are read out by wavelength shifting fibers coupled to photomultiplier tubes (PMTs), positioned at the outermost part of the modules. TileCal is crucial for detecting hadronic particles,...
Reliable discrimination between gamma-ray and neutron signals is essential for accurate neutron detection when using an organic scintillation detector. Pulse Shape Discrimination (PSD) techniques are methods of distinguishing between gamma ray and neutron pulse signals by analysing the variations in pulse formation and decay patterns associated with each type of radiation. The Charge...
The VENUS-F zero power reactor was first operated in 2011 at SCK CEN in the framework of the MYRRHA project. Over time, many experimental campaigns were carried out at VENUS-F in support of several - mostly heavy metal cooled - fast reactor designs.
Knowledge about the processing procedures of such experiments is retained by expert users knowing how to interact with the many codes developed...
As one of the world's pioneers in nuclear energy, France has long relied on nuclear power to meet its growing energy needs. In response to the aging of the reactors, fourth-generation sodium-cooled reactor projects have been initiated, requiring advanced instrumentation such as high-temperature ultrasonic transducers developed by the CEA to monitor submerged structures. The High-Temperature...
IRE (Institute of radioelement in Fleurus - Belgium) produces radioisotopes for medical use. To produce them, irradiated uranium targets are dissolved through chemical processes.
These processes generate various kind of high activity waste. These wastes are conditioned in small drums (10L) placed in interim storage in order to decrease the dose rate. When the dose rate is low enough, the...
The Tile Calorimeter is a central sampling hadronic calorimeter of the ATLAS experiment at LHC. The calorimeter is build of alternating layers of stainless steel and plastic scintillating tiles oriented perpendicular to the beam axis. The calorimeter plays a crucial role in the reconstruction of jets and hadronically decaying tau leptons, as well as of the missing transverse energy. Moreover,...
The MATRIX project is pioneering advancements in proton therapy for cancer treatment by developing novel, highly durable detectors that enhance real-time control of irradiation doses, aiming to make treatments faster, more accurate, and reliable. Proton irradiation is one of the most precise cancer therapies available, enabling high-dose tumor targeting while sparing nearby healthy tissue....
From 2020 to 2023, CEA Cadarache and Instrumentation Technologies collaborated on the industrialization of the Libera MONACO 3 (Multichannel Online Neutron Acquisition in Campbell mOde) neutron flux measurement system for research reactors. This instrument provides four independent input channels, enabling data processing across a broad operational range, and can be used with Fission Chamber...
The High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGRs), which have been developed as a next-generation nuclear reactor, have an in-core temperature of about 900 oC. The ultra-high temperatures make it difficult to use conventional nuclear instrumentation systems, and novel neutron detectors with high temperature tolerance are expected to be realized. Neutron detection using BGaN semiconductor is a...
Determination of uranium and plutonium isotopic composition is a key challenge in several application fields of the nuclear industry: MOX fuel fabrication, safeguards, dismantling and decommissioning (D&D) applications, reprocessing plants. Isotopic composition measurements are generally carried out using a High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector, which requires cooling, imposing constraints in...
Compton backscatter imaging is a radiographic non-destructive testing technique that utilizes the Compton scattering effect to acquire internal structural information of objects. It has wide applications in fields such as medicine, pipeline inspection, corrosion detection, security, and aerospace. Compared to other non-destructive testing methods, such as ultrasonic testing and eddy current...
We present characterization of a high efficiency multi-element neutron dosemeter, which is built upon the THick Gas Electron Multiplier (THGEM) technology. The multi-element design enables high neutron detection efficiency and is therefore ideal for building tissue-equivalent proportional counters (TEPC) for taking microdosimetric measurements in weak neutron fields. Unlike traditional TEPCs,...
The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) and France’s Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA) have initiated the CORANI (KAERI/CEA cOllaboration for Research reactor Application of Neutron dosimetry and Instrumentations) project, a collaboration aimed at testing CEA’s instrumentation sensors within KAERI’s research reactor, HANARO (High-Flux Advanced...
The small modular reactor which of development is underway has 170 MW power. As supposed, this reactor is a type of integrated with core, pressurizer, steam generator, and reactor coolant pump, which are all enclosed by the containment vessel as pressure barrier. Despite lots of advantage of the small modular reactor like enhanced safety and less severe accident risk, the narrow space in the...
KAERI(Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) includes diverse R&D environments, such as a research reactor, a nuclear fuel cycle facility, and a radioisotope production facility. These facilities generate low and intermediate level radioactive waste during operational and decommissioning phases. To ensure effective radioactive waste management, we oversee storage and processing facilities...
This paper presents an implementation of a fully pipelined polynomial Support Vector Machine (SVM) decision function in a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), featuring external training and modifiable vectors. Specifically tuned for pulse shape Gamma-Neutron discrimination within the established NGA-01 Neutron Gamma Analyzer, the method would aid in the differentiation of low-energy pulses....
A high number of new fission and fusion reactor designs are set to operate at high temperatures, on the account of increasing the overall electrical energy production efficiency, rely on passive heat dissipation for cooling after shutdown, or use other types of coolant than water such as liquid metal or molten salt. The behavior of these materials and the associated instrumentation must...
Worker radiation protection is essential in many fields, from nuclear to medical. In particular, tasks such as decommissioning operations or interventional radiosurgery require accurate measurement of the dose received at the extremities. This measurement is efficiently performed using passive dosimeters, but the informations are delayed in time. As a result, incidents or dose exceedances are...
This research builds upon the findings of Zidouh et al. (2023), which involved a thorough experimental comparison of thermoluminescent (TL) and optically stimulated luminescent (OSL) dosimetry systems in accordance with international standards set by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). In this first part, the...
The spectrometry of X-ray pulses is hindered whenever ultra-high dose rate or ultra-short pulses are involved because of electronics dead time and pile-up phenomena occurring in PHAs (Pulse Height Analyzers). Ultra-High dose rates (i.e. 1 MGy/s) are produced by dedicated Linear Accelerators (LINACs) for Flash Therapy or fast X-ray imaging purposes, for instance. Ultra-Short X-ray pulses are...
EPFL operates the CROCUS reactor for both teaching and research purposes. While research is inherently valuable and motivated across various topics, the educational mission of the laboratory and the team is equally central. Educational activities span all levels, from providing base access and concepts to numerous visitors, to advanced education at the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and doctoral...
The CABRI experimental pulse reactor is devoted to the study of Reactivity Initiated Accidents (RIA), for the purpose of the CABRI International Program (CIP), managed by the French Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety Institute (IRSN). CABRI’s hodoscope equipment detects the fast neutrons emitted during a power pulse by a tested rod, positioned inside a dedicated test loop reproducing either...
The Radioactive Waste Information Management System (RAWINGS) for the safe management of low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste has been operated in Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) since 2021. From the operation of RAWINGS, KAERI can effectively manage the inventory and history of waste generated at research sites. The system generates information based on data manually...
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is established as the molecular imaging modality of choice for the study and diagnosis of different medical conditions such as cancer or neurodegenerative diseases. Current instrumentation research focuses on increasing the sensitivity of PET systems to provide faster imaging or/and a reduction of the dose administered to the patient. With this objective, it...
The use of Time-of-Flight (TOF) information has become a standard in Positron Emission Tomography (PET). It allows a more precise determination of the radioisotope location, resulting in an improvement of the reconstructed images and better diagnosis of pathologies in patients. The high-performance photodetectors used in clinical scanners are one of the key components for TOF-PET, playing a...
Poland's commitment to establish a nuclear energy program highlights both challenges and opportunities in human capacity building for this emerging sector. The nascent stage of Poland’s nuclear workforce development offers unique insights, underscoring the need not only for specialized training and education programs but also for a robust organizational culture that prioritizes safety,...
Electron linear accelerators (LINACs) are versatile and powerful X-ray sources, which can be used in medical radiotherapy as well as in various industrial applications including non-destructive testing, imaging and security inspection. LINACs accelerate electrons by passing them through a series of oscillating electric fields within a vacuum tube. These high-energy electrons are then directed...
This work focuses on determining the fluence rate of a moderated (
Introduction: A significant advancement in mammography examinations is tomosynthesis, which allows for the three-dimensional reconstruction of breast images and improves detection sensitivity. However, it also leads to an increase in the absorbed dose to the breast. The accuracy of the estimation of the average glandular dose is crucial to ensure the optimal functioning of...
In the last few decades, lanthanum halide scintillators (LaBr
Timepix2 Lite is a new highly miniaturized readout interface applicable for particle physics experiments. The main part of the readout device is the hybrid pixel radiation detector Timepix2, developed by the CERN Medipix Collaboration, a successful successor of the former Timepix pixel detector. Dimensions of the entire Timepix2 Lite device are 73.4 x 22 x 13.5 mm (i.e. size comparable to a...
Low output portable DD and DT neutron generators are used at Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague for variety of research and educational applications. The paper summarizes the acquired experience related to characterisation of these devices (i.e. of the P385 type DD neutron generator and of the MP320 type DT neutron generator both...
Medical cyclotrons, which are used to produce radiopharmaceuticals such as 18F-FDG for cancer diagnosis, cause the activation of the medical cyclotron itself and surrounding structures through various nuclear reactions. In 2024, approximately 30% of the cyclotrons are effectively out of operation in the Republic of Korea. Therefore, there is a growing need for indirect assessment methods to...
Measurements showing the potential to discern the ingrowth of yttrium-90 (Y-90) from its parent strontium-90 (Sr-90) in aqueous media, based on direct β- particle detection will be described. These have been made using an unshielded cerium bromide (CeBr3) detector in a dedicated depth monitoring probe, hereafter referred to as ‘ABACUS’, in media stripped of yttrium. Whilst similar...
Recent advancements in machine learning have shown significant
promise in nuclear applications, particularly in optimizing reactor operations, core design, and improving neutron spectroscopy techniques. This study introduces a novel approach that leverages machine learning algorithms to predict neutron spectra based on data obtained from solid-state detectors, with a specific focus on the...
More recently commercial nuclear propulsion received wide and renewed attention from the deep-sea maritime transportation sector due to marine fuel prices increase as a result of current energy crisis and IMO’s 2023 strategy on the reduction of GHG emissions from ships, demonstrating the practical importance of this technology. The main topic of discussion is around past, existing and future...
The Advanced Test Reactor is a highly versatile, pressurized, light water cooled, beryllium moderated test reactor with a nominal power capacity of 250 Megawatts (thermal). Its unique core design utilizes a serpentine clover leaf of 40 fuel elements to create 9 different flux traps. The Advanced Test Reactor Critical is a full-scale replica of the Advanced Test Reactor core but in a pool in...
Efficient nuclear dismantling requires a separation of activated materials from nonradioactive materials. To determine which regions of a nuclear reactor are activated, the spectral fluence of neutrons has to be known. It can be measured using activation probes while the reactor is still operational, but after it has been shut down, the neutron fluence has to be simulated using a Monte Carlo...
In the wake of the Fukushima nuclear accident, global concerns have been raised about the potential contamination of seafood imported from Japan. In particular, the recent release of treated water into the ocean has caused public concern in neighbouring countries. In the Republic of Korea, various organisations carry out inspections of seafood to ensure the safety of the food supply and to...
Passive spectroscopy is used as a non-intrusive tool for the diagnostic of tokamak edge plasmas [1]: an analysis of the shape and the intensity of atomic spectral lines yields spatially resolved values of the plasma parameters (
Identification of radionuclides is an essential problem especially for border security and field measurements. Today there are two widely used types of methods for identification. They are: classical methods that process separate peaks (so called “peak-by-peak” methods) and newer methods that include different types of machine learning or spectrum convolution (“fit-at-once” methods). Each type...
The release of radionuclides during a nuclear incident can lead to widespread environmental contamination, with these radionuclides eventually finding their way into plants, animals, and food products. In the post-accident phase, the primary risk to the population comes from exposure through the consumption of food contaminated with radioactive deposits. This risk assessment is based on the...
The TRIGA RC-1 is a research reactor with a thermal power output of 1 MW, located at the ENEA Casaccia Research Centre in Rome (RM). This facility is extensively utilized for neutron activation analyses and various neutron-related experiments and applications, owing to its capability to produce a broad range of thermal spectral neutron fluence rates.
Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) can be...
The neutron diagnostics on ITER are essential for the measurement of the fusion power with high accuracy and temporal resolution. The neutron diagnostics will be equipped with a variety of detectors including fission chambers, diamond and germanium detectors and scintillators. These detectors are known for their accuracy and stability, making them suitable for high-radiation...
In recent years, the management of radioactive materials, especially High Activity Sealed Sources (HASS), has come under increased scrutiny due to heightened concerns regarding radiation safety and regulatory compliance. These sources, which have a wide array of applications in industry, medicine, and research, require strict control mechanisms to ensure their safe use and handling. To address...
Proton and Radiotherapy are leading particle therapy tactics used to combat chronic and malignant cancers [1]. Ultrahigh dose rate (UHDR) flash therapy, is a new treatment modality that is currently being studied by several groups. The treatment delivers high doses in a short period of time (40 Gy/s) and is highly effective against tumor cells while maintaining healthy cells. Moreover,...
Brain tumor detection is a critical task in medical diagnostics, where early and accurate identification can significantly impact patient outcomes. This research focuses on the development and optimization of deep learning (DL) models to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of brain tumor detection from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. By leveraging Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs),...
Non-destructive nuclear measurements are widely used in research and industry, in fields ranging from uranium exploration, nuclear reactors, process monitoring, radioactive waste characterization, nuclear accident studies, homeland security, recycling, to the final clean-up and decommissioning of nuclear facilities. Technologies like X-ray imaging, gamma-ray spectroscopy, passive neutron...
The development of next-generation nuclear reactors, particularly those using lead as a coolant, has opened up new possibilities in reactor design, safety, and efficiency. One of the most critical aspects of ensuring the safe and effective operation of these reactors is the development of advanced neutron instrumentation systems. Traditional neutron monitoring technologies face significant...
Reactor dosimetry measurements are commonly used to validate simulation and modeling in nuclear reactor experiments. Numerous standard dosimeter materials exist which are commonly utilized for their sensitivities to different energy ranges of neutrons. At the Advanced Test Reactor, cobalt alloy and pure nickel wires are installed every cycle to monitor thermal- and fast-neutron fluence rates....
Robust and timely detection, localisation and identification of a radioactive source are critical to applications in security, verification treaty and decommissioning. These measurements are usually done with different instruments. Here, we present results from a detector system relevant to security, non-proliferation or decommissioning activities. Nfacet 3D is a segmented dual-scintillator...
Introduction: Ultra-high-dose rate FLASH radiation therapy (UHDR) is an innovative modality that delivers higher dose rates (40 Gy/s) in a pulsed beam structure. At the core of this exciting approach lies the ability to reduce major normal tissue complications without compromising tumor control efficacy, referred to as the "FLASH effect." However, the underlying mechanisms governing the...
The unique physical properties of carbon nanotubes have spurred numerous applications across various fields. In this study, we investigate their electrical properties to develop a detector for fast neutron flux measurement. Previous research has demonstrated their potential in dosimetry for thermal neutrons and gamma radiation using random networks of carbon nanotubes.
For the measurement...
The Fission Wire Measurement System is a custom measurement system designed in the 1960s to measure the beta-particle activity of irradiated uranium-aluminum fission wires. This measurement is conducted to determine the fission rate profile of the Advanced Reactor Test Critical facility. The Advanced Test Reactor Critical facility is an open-pool, low-power test reactor used to qualify...
Gamma-spectrometry is a widely used technique for identifying and quantifying gamma-emitting radionuclides in many nuclear applications such as rapid identification to prevent illegal trafficking of nuclear materials, decommissioning of nuclear facilities or in situ environmental analysis following a radiological or nuclear accident. For many years, there has been a growing trend to address...
Motivation: We present a gamma detector concept for high-energy prompt-gammas based exclusively on Cherenkov light for use in proton range verification (PRV) in proton and heavy ion therapy. The radiation backgrounds in these environments are very harsh, with a high abundance of 511 keV photons due to positron activation, fast neutrons, and pulsed sequences that lead to high emission rates...
In this presentation, we will outline the development of a neutron-sensitive scintillator produced through 3D-printing and its integration into a detector using a high-speed optical camera. The scintillator was produced using the Fused-Deposition Modelling (FDM) method of 3D-printing, whereby a thin plastic filament is heated and extruded to create layers of an object. Two methods for creating...
Knowing the neutron fields in irradiation facilities is crucial for experimental research work in nuclear science and technology. Monte Carlo particle transport techniques are becoming the reference in the context of nuclear reactor analysis and are extensively used for detailed computational characteritzation of irraditation facilities, including the determination of neutron energy spectrum....
The SNIPER-GN, a special nuclear material (SNM) portable identifier developed by CAEN S.p.A., was tested at ENEA's Nuclear Material Characterization and Radioactive Waste Management Laboratory. This advanced neutron-gamma detection system underwent thorough evaluation with a variety of neutron and gamma sources. The primary goal was to assess the system's performance, particularly its neutron...
Proton therapy represents an advancement in modern brain cancer treatment, offering high precision in targeting tumours while sparing healthy brain tissue. A significant challenge still faced in proton therapy is uncertainty in the depth of proton penetration, which critically impacts successful treatment. The current leading candidate to tackle this problem is prompt gamma-ray monitoring,...
To accurately estimate neutron dose rates, accurate measurements of both the initial kinetic energy and the incident flux of neutrons are crucial. This presentation will discuss a project focused on developing a transportable neutron spectrometer/dose rate meter, using multiple detectors embedded within a moderator volume. This development has resulted in the creation of a novel multi-detector...
The Laboratoire National de Métrologie et d'Essais (LNE) coordinates French metrology and represents it internationally across various domains. To fulfill this mission, LNE collaborates with several associated laboratories, including the Laboratoire de micro irradiation, de Métrologie et de Dosimétrie des Neutrons (LMDN) from IRSN/Cadarache/France, which is responsible for the national...
The increasing threat of terrorism involving Radiological Dispersal Devices (RDDs) necessitates comprehensive evaluation and preparedness strategies, especially in densely populated public areas. This study aims to assess the potential consequences of an RDD detonation, focusing on the effective doses received by individuals and the ground deposition of radioactive materials in a hypothetical...
Understanding radiation effects on detectors and electronics is essential for the success of word-class experiments in fundamental physics at particle accelerators. This is of paramount importance in view of the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) program, which aims at discovering new physics beyond Standard Model by increasing the LHC luminosity by up to a factor of 7.5. This...
Fiber Optic Dosimeters (FOD), in particular silica-based ones, are catching on in harsh environments, characterized by ionizing radiations, such as nuclear reactors, space, high energy physics, medical field… Such dosimeters employ mainly two phenomena induced by radiations in the optical fiber (OF) material: the radiation-induced attenuation (RIA) and the radiation-induced emission (RIE),...
The NaTIF (NaIL-based Threats radIation emitters Finder) project is developing a patented next generation Radiation Portal Monitor (RPM) at CEA List Institute. This technology highlights a RPM that can be deployed, on the ground or mounted on vehicles, in highly frequented civilian areas and at national borders. The main goals are to ensure the monitoring and protection of these areas against...
Proton therapy relies on accurate knowledge of patient anatomy to ensure precise dose delivery. Treatment planning systems in proton therapy centers rely on X-ray computed tomography (CT) as the primary imaging modality to calculate proton treatment doses for tumors and surrounding healthy tissues. However, the derivation of proton stopping powers from X-ray images introduces significant...
Giant Liquid Argon Time-Projection Chambers will be used for the far detectors of the next generation of neutrino oscillation experiment: Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). This work focuses on design of the Vertical Drift module (VD), where the chamber consists of two drift volumes separated by a central cathode allowing a nominal electric field of 500 V/cm in each of them. The...
Semiconductor radiation detectors based on the 4H polytype of Silicon Carbide (4H-SiC) have many advantages for high-temperature, high-radiation and mixed-radiation applications. The wide band gap of 4H-SiC (3.27 eV) allows measurements at temperatures up to 700 °C and probably much higher. Conventional lower band-width semiconductors such as silicon or germanium are limited by thermally...
In the context of climate change, the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 represents a major challenge. In France, although renewable energies provide a much greater proportion of electricity than they did a few years ago, their intermittent contribution demands more variability to the nuclear industry. As a result, increasing stresses in the structure and components of nuclear reactor...
The Micro-irradiation, Neutron Metrology and Dosimetry Laboratory (i.e. the LMDN) from IRSN Cadarache in France, is responsible for the national references in the field of neutron dosimetry. For this purpose, the LMDN produces reference neutron fields and has spectrometers to characterize them. Among these instruments is ROSPEC (ROtating SPECtrometer), a multidetector system comprising six...
The Tile Calorimeter (TileCal) is the central hadronic calorimeter of the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. In 2026, the LHC will undergo a series of upgrades leading to the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC), which will provide an instantaneous luminosity 5 to 7 times larger than the nominal LHC design value. The ATLAS Tile Calorimeter Phase-II Upgrade (2026-2030) will...
Silicon carbide or SiC is widely used in various semiconductor devices, including PIN diodes, MOSFETs, and MEMS, due to its wide bandgap, large critical electric field, high thermal conductivity, high electron saturation velocity, chemical inertness, and radiation resistance. Among SiC polymorphs, 4H-SiC, with a bandgap of 3.26 eV, is the most studied and preferred for power electronics,...
Optical fibers provide significant benefits for use in radiation-rich environments. They are immune to electromagnetic interference, support signal multiplexing, and provide high bandwidth for substantial data transfer. Their distributed sensing capabilities can replace complex networks of individual sensors with a single optical fiber, reducing both weight and volume and making them ideal for...
The international radiological and nuclear (RN) community recognizes Improvised Nuclear Devices (INDs) as a significant security threat. Therefore, efficient, and reliable detection solutions at points of entry, our first line of defense, are critical for maintaining secure yet open borders. Screening of containerized cargo for INDs, and RN materials in general, is primarily done using...
The Belle II experiment currently records data at the SuperKEKB e+e- collider, which holds the world luminosity record of 4.7x10^34 cm-2 s-1 and plans to push up to 6x10^35 cm-2 s-1. In such luminosity range for e+e- collisions, the inner detection layers should both cope with a hit rate dominated by beam-induced parasitic particles and provide minute tracking precision. A research and...
The 4H-polytype of SiC still remains a promising semiconductor material for detector preparation. Its wide band-gap (3.23 eV @ room temperature) predestines it for operation not only at room temperature but also at rather high temperatures up to several hundred degrees Celsius. High breakdown voltage (4 MV/cm) leads to high drift velocity of radiation-generated charge carriers and so to fast...
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is developing innovative neutron detectors to support Generation IV reactors. For this purpose, the CEA is working on optical fission chambers, a technology based on noble gas scintillation. An optical fission chamber is a non-polarised fission chamber that uses de-excitation photons emitted by the gas filling the chamber,...
Electricity production primarily based on uranium fission is considered a viable alternative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, the generation and subsequent storage of radioactive waste remain significant challenges associated with this technology. Given the cost, duration and limited space for radioactive waste storage, effective management is essential to minimize the amount of...
The LEGEND experiment is looking for the extremely rare neutrinoless double beta decay of
Wide-bandgap semiconductor-based fast neutron detectors, such as silicon carbide (SiC), show promise in meeting the implementation and performance requirements for fusion and fission environments. These requirements include radiation hardness, as well as thermal and mechanical stability. Therefore, controlling the detector's performance based on neutron energy and sensor characteristics is...
Thanks to their remote sensing capabilities and compact size, Fibre Optic (FO) sensors are exceptionally well-suited for in-pile experiments in Materials Testing Reactors (MTRs) where space is limited. Their lightweight design reduces gamma heating, minimizing thermal effects. These sensors can measure a large range of physical parameters—including strain, displacement, vibration, pressure,...
Photofission reactions represent an important aspect of photonuclear physics, with significant implications for various applications, including the detection of Special Nuclear Materials (SNM) in cargo containers for homeland security, radioactive waste packages characterisation or production of radioisotopes. To obtain the precision required in these high-stakes applications, accurate...
The production of so-called ‘monoenergetic’ neutrons is standardized by ISO 8529 and can be achieved using ion accelerators such as the one at AMANDE facility from the Laboratory for micro-irradiation, neutron metrology and dosimetry (i.e. the LMDN from IRSN/Cadarache/France). The ions, typically proton or deuteron, are accelerated to speeds of up to a few MeV and are sent to a target...
Containment and surveillance (C/S) and monitoring are important measures to complement nuclear material accountancy and control (NMAC) in pursuing IAEA’s Nuclear Safeguards objective of timely detecting the diversion of significant quantities of nuclear material to proscribed purposes. They address the need for maintaining the continuity of knowledge of a safeguarded area or item over the...
The accumulation of radioactive waste from legacy nuclear facilities presents a critical challenge for long-term environmental safety, as precise quantification of nuclear material within these waste drums is necessary to inform safe storage and disposal strategies. In this context, a passive and active neutron measurement system was developed within the MICADO H2020 project to estimate the...
In vitro experiments with rat kidney cells (NRK-52E) exposed to
We report the results of time-of-flight (TOF) measurements used to characterize the spectrum of a neutron beam generated by a proton cyclotron at the National Atomic Research Institute in Taiwan. The quasi-monoenergetic neutron beam is produced through the interaction of 30-MeV protons with a 1-mm-thick beryllium target via the
For nuclear fuel cycle reprocessing, accurate determination of the isotopic composition of nuclear materials, including Uranium, Plutonium, and minor actinides, is crucial for optimizing the spent fuel reprocessing process and ensuring nuclear safety. Current physico-chemical analysis methods face limitations concerning time-consumption, complex chemical operations, and/or lack of precise...
Dismantling constitutes the final stage in the life cycle of a nuclear facility, and after the removal of components, the decontamination of civil engineering structures (floors and walls) is an important step in view of its final decommissioning. This decontamination process is costly and time-consuming, therefore employing fast, precise, and reliable measurement methods is crucial to...
The application of pixel detector technology in medical imaging and radiotherapy monitoring has significantly advanced the precision and efficiency of cancer treatment. Recent innovations, particularly the integration of Timepix3-based pixel detectors, have enhanced treatment monitoring for therapies such as FLASH, carbon ion radiotherapy, and thyroid cancer treatment. These detectors enable...
To support the research on chloride-based molten salt fast reactors, the NAUTILUS project focuses on measuring nuclear data of chlorine. Experimental approaches to reach this goal utilize neutron activation analysis, neutron transmission and pile oscillation methods within the neutron field of the AKR-2 training reactor (Chair of Hydrogen and Nuclear Energy, Dresden University of Technology,...
When facing unknown sources of radiation, first responders are often confronted to the problem of choosing an apparatus to evaluate the nature of the contamination. Multiple detection solutions exist but all are specialized or assume some kind of knowledge of the targeted radiation nature. From the past three years, we developed the Omniscinti™ technology to answer this challenge.
Omniscinti™...
The relance of the nuclear industrial sector in France is an ambitious plan expected to meet the energy needs of the general public in the 21st century. Along with the construction of new nuclear power plants, significant steps are being taken in the fields of the nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear waste management. In order to comply with the criticality limits, nuclear waste is stored in special...
The IRIS group of IFIC has developed a Compton camera for medical applications made of LaBr3 crystals coupled to SiPM arrays. The prototype MACACO III consists of three detector planes, each one composed of a LaBr3 monolithic crystal coupled to a 64-channel SiPM array. The readout is carried out with the ASIC VATA64HDR16 operated with the AliVATA readout board. Besides the tests conducted with...
Cavity Beam Position Monitors (cBPMs) are critical components in the diagnostic systems of next-generation particle colliders. They provide precise beam position measurements, with nanometer-level resolution, essential for guiding and stabilizing high-energy beams to maximize luminosity at the collision point. These resonant BPMs operate by detecting specific electromagnetic modes excited when...
Special nuclear material is often identified and quantified through gamma-ray spectroscopy or characteristic neutron signatures. However, the passive gamma signature of
Low and medium activity nuclear sludges generated during the reprocessing of nuclear spent fuel have been stored since the 1960’s in bitumen. Indeed, bitumen presents many advantages regarding criteria for a long-term storage: high agglomerating power, high chemical inertness, non-permeability, low solubility in water, high confining power… In practice, coprecipitation salts are added to...
At the frontier between research and innovation, POSiCS is a project aiming to build a scalable and handheld gamma-camera for radio-guided surgery. The project is shared between three partners: the University of Geneva, the University Hospital of Geneva and the Fondazione Bruno Kessler. These consortium of institutions have been granted an European grant for innovation and have filled together...
The European Spallation Source ESS is under construction and located at Lund, Sweden. ESS is funded and supported by currently 13 European Countries from in- and outside the EU.
ESS has a 700m long linear accelerator for a 14Hz / 62mA pulsed proton beam heading on a spinning wheel solid state elementary Tungsten target which is directly He-gas cooled in a closed circuit. ESS is designed for 5...
Customs organizations are using since the last 90’s high energies X-rays scanners as a routine inspection technic for detecting smuggling or tax fraud in trucks at terrestrial borders or in containers at ports. This technic is actually 2D radioscopy in a range of energy from 3 to 9 MeV of X-rays. The X-rays source is most of the time a linear accelerator while detection is insured by a...
The Proximity Imaging System for Sort and Segregate Operations (PI3SO) is a gamma radiation proximity scanner table for radioactive waste that aims at speeding up the waste management (re)cycle while reducing direct human intervention. The system exploits proximity imaging to detect hot-spots, then in a second step it performs a medium resolution spectrum analysis for a coarse isotopic...
Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is an experimental form of radiotherapy that uses boron, injected to the patient attached to a target molecule that accumulates selectively in cancerous cells. This therapy exploits the large neutron capture cross-section of boron to deliver a targeted dose from neutron irradiation. One of the primary challenges in current BNCT is the accurate determination...
Oxide film formation is a critical factor in the corrosion resistance of steel components in Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs), providing a protective barrier against aggressive environments. The stability and integrity of this oxide layer are key to maintaining the durability of steels over time. Electrochemical Noise (EN) has emerged as a promising in-situ monitoring tool for investigating oxide...
The measurement of pure β-emitting radioactive gases, such as tritium (³H) and krypton-85 (⁸⁵Kr), is critically important for nuclear safety authorities, particularly for environmental and safety assessments of nuclear facilities. The demand for these measurements is expected to increase with the global expansion of nuclear energy production and the growing need for radioactive waste...
An adaptive measurement approach driven by Bayesian Optimization is described for applications where remote radiation measurements made with robots are constrained by stringent upper thresholds on the mass and power payload of the necessary instrumentation, as well by the time window within which measurements must be made, ultimately affecting their quality and maximum area coverage. The...
The development of radiation measurement instruments that enable in-vivo assessment and control of radiation treatments in brachytherapy is highly recommended by the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO), and it is supported by the Agència Valenciana de la Innovació (AVI). In-vivo dosimetry for high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy requires a miniature-sized dosimeter, that...
Readout circuits for large-area Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) arrays coupled to scintillators are in use for homeland security applications, where high sensitivity is essential. High sensitivity is achieved by increasing the scintillator volume, which requires enlarging the SiPM area, and by adding additional scintillators, which in turn requires adding more SiPMs. Individual readout of SiPM...
The HANARO research reactor has conducted various irradiation tests to meet the demands from academia, industry, and research institutions for nuclear materials and fuel testing. Recently, as research on next-generation nuclear systems designed for high-temperature operations—such as Molten Salt Reactors (MSR), Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors (SFR), and Very High-Temperature Reactors (VHTR)—has...
Water as a primary coolant will play an important role in the performance of fusion reactors, as it causes an ionising radiation field throughout the facility after its irradiation and activation and requires improved shielding for instrumentation and personnel. To support ITER, the KATANA irradiation facility, which utilises a closed-water activation loop, was successfully licenced, built and...
New nuclear power plants such as Small Modular Reactors (SMR) are making efforts to replace conventional analogue instrumentation and control devices, electronic cards, and etc. or to introduce the latest programmable digital devices (PDD) such as Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) for securing diversity and device stability. In Korean nuclear power plants, the systems based on FPGAs are...
A common approach to photomultiplier tube biasing is to use a high-voltage power supply and a passive or active voltage divider to create the necessary electrical potentials to power the amplification process in the photomultiplier tube. The lowest current flows from the photocathode to the first dynode. The highest current flows from the last dynode to the anode. If a standard voltage divider...
We use Monte Carlo simulations to predict the experimental conditions for neutron noise experiments in Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs). Several MSR designs are in the process of obtaining construction and operation licenses around the world. For example, the Danish company Copenhagen Atomics recently announced a cooperation with the Swiss Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) to deploy their 100 MW ‘onion...
This article focuses on the fission chamber axial profiles performed by the CEA LDCI lab within the JSI TRIGA Mark II reactor during a bilateral CEA/JSI experimental campaign. Discretized neutron flux distributions at reduced power are experimentally assessed in different locations inside the reactor core. Four different irradiation locations were specially identified for potential further...
Neutron detection is important in the field of Nuclear Safeguards, Homeland Security, and CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear) defense. In these areas, precise as well as efficient detection and analysis of neutron emissions are necessary for identifying nuclear material or monitoring radioactive sources. On the one hand, neutrons are very difficult to shield and, taking into...
Multimodal imaging systems, such as micro-PET/CT scanners, are essential tools in preclinical research, enabling the acquisition of both anatomical and physiological information in a single imaging session. In these systems, CT-based attenuation maps can be applied to PET data as a correction factor, enhancing the molecular image quality and enable precise PET quantification.
The...
This work deals with the study and optimization of a particle detection chain based on a CMOS-SOI voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) circuit associated to a 3x5 matrix of detection. The matrix is a semiconductor radiation detector, also called solid-state detector. This detector is based on charge collection and amplification using a semiconductor volume such as a p-n junction. For a better...
Xenon-135 (Xe-135) is a high yield fission product with high neutron capture cross section, a commonly encountered reactor reactivity poison. Direct observation of Xe in reactors typically relies on off-gas measurement techniques, which can be challenging or costly to implement and often require high-flux reactors. Gamma spectroscopy of irradiated U or Pu samples provides an alternative method...
The ENEA distributed irradiation facility offers a versatile environment for irradiating samples and conducting experiments with various particles, including neutrons, protons, and electrons. This facility comprises several advanced sub-facilities: the TAPIRO fast nuclear research reactor as a fission neutrons source, the TOP-IMPLART linear accelerator capable of producing proton beams up to...
The active fast neutron multiplicity counting apparatus was consisted of 26 pieces of liquid scintillator detectors in two rings layout, multi-board 500M14bit digitizers based on PXIe platform, the DT neutron generator which was located on the bottom of detector ring, the shielding cone with a hole for neutron injecting to the sample assay area and mechanical mounting structure. The DT neutron...
Lung diseases represent a significant global health challenge, with conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ranking as the third leading cause of death worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. The disease causes inflammation and destruction of lung tissue, making early detection of this and similar conditions crucial for reducing mortality and enhancing patient...
The presented work introduces the results from the KOSTKA experimental device, designed for the measurement of the spatial distribution of the ionizing radiation. KOSTKA consists of a 3D-printed holder of cubic shape, designed to surround the source of the particles of interest with PADC detectors (with maximum of 25 detectors per one side). Structure of KOSTKA allows adding of material (such...
With the growing interest in Generation-IV reactor designs, such as the molten salt fast reactor, new materials are envisioned for use in reactor components, including fuel, structural materials, and coolants. Accurate knowledge of the nuclear properties of these materials is crucial not only for assessing the safety of these designs but also because many of these reactors will operate with...
Raylab Starlite neutron survey meter was evaluated in CANDU neutron fields, against Nested Neutron Spectrometer (NNS) and a current official CANDU neutron survey meter Canberra’s NP-100, also known as Snoopy. The NNS is a cylindrical neutron spectrometer, based on Bonner sphere principles, while Starlite is a novice, multidetector, light neutron survey meter, designed and manufactured by...
The fast neutron multiplicity counting apparatus was consisted of 26 pieces of liquid scintillator detectors in two rings layout, multi-board 500M 14bit digitizers based on PXIe platform, and mechanical mounting structure. Each detector’s light output was calibration with Cs-137 source. The apparatus efficiency for fast neutron detection calibrated with Cf-252 source was about 0.17, and the...
A scintillator-based Compton camera (CC) is a γ-ray detector, often utilized for medical imaging, astronomy, and homeland security. In these applications, high spatial resolution is vital for accurately identifying tumors, resolving distant celestial objects, and guiding decontamination efforts following nuclear incidents. Degradation of the spatial resolution is significantly caused by...
Industrial cyclotrons to accelerate protons have proven their robustness and technological maturity in preparing various kinds of radioisotopes for nuclear medicine, once bonded with suitable biomolecules, and used both as diagnostic and therapeutic against cancer and cardiocirculatory diseases. On the radiopharmaceutical market are present cyclotrons of various sizes, ranging from 9 to 70 MeV...
Neutron radiography is a powerful non-destructive testing method that employs neutron flux to visualize internal structures and defects in materials. Our research focuses on the use of imaging techniques in combination with a deuterium-deuterium (D-D) neutron generator. The primary technique is neutron defectoscopy utilizing fast neutrons. Main advantage of this method is that it allows us for...
The European MULTISCAN 3D project addresses the urgent need for enhanced container inspection technologies for customs border checks, especially in high-throughput seaports such as Rotterdam and Antwerp. Current 2D X-ray systems : suffer from limitation when threat have not well defined shape . This is the case of drugs for example.. Customs agencies typically select containers for inspection...
Radiometabolic therapy is a class of clinical treatments that involves administering radiopharmaceuticals to kill and prevent further development of cancer cells by targeting them at the molecular level. The specificity of this treatment and the possibility of a personalized approach make radiometabolic therapy one of the most promising therapeutic protocol in clinical precision medicine. On...
Hybrid semiconductor detectors using Timepix-family and Medipix-family chips, developed by the Medipix collaboration at CERN, offer direct radiation detection by converting radiation particles into electrical signals within the semiconductor sensor. This design provides excellent detection sensitivity and eliminates analog noise. The sensor chip is divided into 256x256 individual pixels, each...
Nuclear activation is the process of production of radionuclides by irradiation. This phenomenon concerns all operating or soon-to-be dismantled particle accelerators used in various fields, from medical applications with the production of radioisotopes or radiotherapy cancer treatments to industrial applications with the sterilization of materials and food preservation. For more than three...
In the past years, a standard channel solution for the Excore Neutron Flux Instrumentation System has been developed by Framatome. The Framatome Excore standard channels are a highly integrated solution which comprises the analog and digital processing part. One advantage of the automated solution is the use of the Teleperm XS (TXS) Service Unit for calibration and testing with a proven...
The presence of water in a spent nuclear fuel (SNF) analogue has been determined by measuring the prompt 2.223 MeV
Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of female mortality, and radiotherapy is a key therapeutic approach in its treatment. Accurate evaluation of the doses delivered to surrounding tissues is crucial for optimizing treatment plans while minimizing side effects. In this study, we use the Monte Carlo GEANT4 platform to simulate the female thoracic region and evaluate the doses deposited by...
Silicon carbide (SiC) is a promising semiconductor material for the fabrication of radiation detectors, largely due to its advantageous characteristics, including high chemical and temperature stability, as well as radiation hardness. Silicon carbide (SiC) is capable of crystallising in several different modifications, including 3C, 4H and 6H polytypes. The most favourable for the fabrication...
The IFMIF-DONES facility will be an accelerator driven neutron source, delivering around 10E17 n/s with a spectrum tailing above 40 MeV for the irradiation of structural materials for fusion applications. This study focuses on the testing and evaluation of a current-mode micro ionisation chamber (uIC) with experiments conducted in the Linear IFMIF Prototype Accelerator (LIPAc) environment....
CEA Valduc center produces nuclear waste that must be characterized before being discarded. The characterization is mainly done by gamma spectrometry. However, in the case of waste containing high-density metallic items, passive neutron measurements are necessary. To meet this need, and constrained by the difficulty of obtaining supplies of helium-3 tubes, the waste characterization unit had...
Environmental radioactivity monitoring is of fundamental importance not only in routine situations but also in the event of accidental occurrences, such as the Fukushima incident in 2011, and extraordinary situations, such as those currently experienced in war-torn countries with nuclear facilities. In Italy, the National Network for Environmental Radioactivity Surveillance – RESORAD is...
This research investigates the microdosimetry of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) through advanced multicellular modeling. We designed a Geant4-based Monte Carlo simulation featuring a configuration of 7 interconnected cells. The study comparatively evaluates different water models (G4_WATER and H2O) and three distinct physics lists (Geant4-DNA, G4QGSP_BIC, G4QGSP_BIC_HP) to determine...
Undoped lanthanum chloride scintillator crystals possess remarkable capabilities for pulse shape discrimination, leading to the ability to distinguish between different types of radiation based on the shapes of their emitted pulses. This property, together with a reasonable energy resolution, makes it a highly suitable candidate for diverse applications, such as spectroscopy, national...
Detectors based on wide bandgap semiconductors and high radiation hardness are very promising for detection of fast neutrons. Single crystal diamond is a very attractive semiconductor material. It has a bandgap energy of 5.48 eV at room temperature, which gives it an extremely high resistivity. The electron and hole mobilities are 2200 cm2/Vs and 1800 cm2/Vs, respectively. Diamond detector is...
This research presents an enhancement to the Integrated Dry Route (IDR) process for uranium conversion in nuclear fuel fabrication, aiming to create a more adaptive system capable of dynamically responding to fluctuations in key variables. The approach involves applying advanced data conditioning and feature extraction methods to process historical industrial datasets, ensuring effective...
Radiological emergencies, such as those involving contamination of food supplies and inhalation of radioactive isotopes like I-131, pose a significant threat to both public health and environmental safety. The accurate detection and quantification of radiological contamination are critical for implementing effective countermeasures, minimizing exposure, and guiding emergency response efforts....
Ac-225 is a very promising radionuclide for targeted alpha therapy, as demonstrated in a number of pre-clinical experiments and clinical trials. However, due to the extremely low injected activities and the number of emitted gamma-rays, imaging via single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is very challenging. Moreover, SPECT works best at energies in the ~100keV range, so its...
Radioactive Ion Beams (RIBs) are a unique tool to study the properties of nuclear structure, exploring also regions of the nuclei chart, located far from the stability valley. Moreover Radioactive Ion Beams (especially β+ emitters) have the potential to provide a large improvement in image quality and signal-to-noise ratio in image-guided particle therapy. The main hindrance toward a clinical...
Recent years have seen significant advancements in neutrino physics, particularly in the study of reactor neutrinos, which have played a key role in resolving the long-standing reactor neutrino anomaly. Accurate calibration of detectors in reactor neutrino experiments is essential for measuring reactor antineutrino interactions and understanding neutrino oscillations, key phenomena in particle...
The only way to optimize the use of plutonium and minor actinides is to close the fuel cycle. This involves recovering uranium and plutonium from spent fuel to fabricate new fuels, such as MOX. The production of (U,Pu)O2±x oxide must comply with the specifications in terms of precise plutonium content, controlled oxygen deviation from stoichiometry, and homogeneity of the distribution of...
The long-term safe disposal of neutron-emitting radioactive waste necessitates advanced container designs that effectively attenuate neutron radiation and reduce dose rates. This study introduces a multi-layered shielding approach for optimizing waste containers such as boron-based materials, gadolinium-based alloys or oxides, hydrogen-rich moderators, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), and...
The CORELA GRG-01 is a state-of-the-art spectral gamma logger designed for versatile use in both laboratory and field settings. It enables precise K-U-Th concentration pattern logging and gamma ray measurements. These measurements can be supplemental to chemical analysis or XRD. Equipped with a novel array of compact, high-sensitivity radiation detectors, the instrument offers enhanced...
This study presents a new facility developed at Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava. The laboratory aims to production of the fast neutrons for research and educational activities. The main component is the Deuterium- Deuterium neutron generator with the emission rate about 1E8 neutron/sec. to 4π placed in the room with dimensions approximately 11×11×7.5 m3. Internal construction of...
The potentiometric method for determining the corrosion rate of heat-emitting elements is one of the most effective methods for monitoring the condition of nuclear reactor heat-emitting elements materials. It is based on measuring the electrode potential, which is a function of the corrosion potential. The corrosion process is accompanied by changes in the composition of the heat-emitting...
In the evolving landscape of radiation imaging for applications in astrophysics, medical imaging, and homeland security, the Compton gamma camera has proven to be a highly advantageous and versatile tool for imaging and localizing gamma radiation sources. Compton cameras take advantage of Compton scattering kinematics to reconstruct the direction of the incoming gamma rays and hence to...
CADOR project (French ANR) aims at developing a new generation of neutrons detectors (NDs) based on the highly stable carbide heterostructure boron carbide (BxC)/silicon carbide (SiC). In such devices, the few μm thick BxC layer will serve as thermal neutrons converter for the 4H-SiC based semiconductor detector. The high amount of 10B close to SiC detector should enhance the detection...
Building an Automated Setup for Measuring and Reporting linear Neutron Flux Density distribution Using Activation Wires.
As advancements in nuclear instrumentation continue, the High Purity Germanium detectors, a mainstay in gamma spectroscopy, remains an invaluable tool. This poster presents the development and implementation of an automated system utilising an older High Purity...
Currently, there is a need to develop equipment capable of performing the inspection of dry spent fuel storage casks at Nuclear Power Plants as part of their Life Management Plan. The individual modules are composed of a concrete cover that integrates and protects the multipurpose steel capsule that houses the fuel inside. Due to the structural characteristics of the modular tanks and in...
The international community has consistently prioritized the peaceful application of nuclear energy, establishing a framework of safeguard agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency to monitor and verify nuclear materials globally. A cornerstone of these efforts is uranium verification, a critical process designed to ensure that nuclear materials are not diverted for non-peaceful...
Compton imaging represents a promising technique for Prompt Gamma (PG) imaging for range verification in hadron therapy (HT) treatments. As for neutron monitoring, a drawback of most of the available systems is that only integral off-field neutron-fluence values are registered but no information is obtained from its spatial origin. Dual neutron and gamma imaging is also of prime interest for...
The talk will review recent advancements in photodetectors, covering vacuum-based detectors, semiconductor sensors, and gas-based detectors. The focus will be on the detection of low light levels, improved timing resolution, and expanded spectral range. Additionally, the development of photosensors designed for extreme conditions, such as operation in cryogenic environments and high radiation...
The CEZANE facility at the Micro-Irradiation, Neutron Metrology, and Dosimetry Laboratory (LMDN) is equipped with an irradiator using various neutron sources such as ²⁴¹Am-Be, ²⁵²Cf, and (²⁵²Cf+D₂O)/Cd. In the context of its accreditation activities, service provision, and R&D, the laboratory performs calibrations of ambient dose rate meters and individual dosimeters in accordance with ISO...
Today, fiber optic dosimetry is booming technology. This class of detector exploits the effects of radiations, either radiation-induced attenuation (RIA) or radioluminescence (RIL), in silica-based optical fibers to monitor radiation levels. LUMINA is an active point dosimeter, exploiting RIA measurement in a phosphosilicate optical fiber to monitor the dose. This is possible because it was...
To design and propose innovative nuclear instrumentation, Aix-Marseille University and the CEA as part of the LIMMEX joint laboratory (Laboratory for Instrumentation and Measurement in Extreme Environments) created in 2009 are conducting several research programs addressing key values for research reactors and tokamaks, such as fast and thermal neutron fluxes, prompt and delayed photon fluxes...
The dismantling and decommissioning (D&D) of nuclear facilities have become an increasingly significant global endeavour, driven by the number of infrastructures, aging, and technology evolution and awareness in the field. Dimensions of the infrastructures, harsh radiological environment, safety requirements, reliable process, and not least costs, are some of the technical aspects affecting...
The characterization of Bremsstrahlung spectra generated by electron accelerators is becoming increasingly crucial, particularly in radiation processing applications such as sterilization of medical devices or food irradiation. The growing transition from isotopic to electric irradiators presents new challenges related to the control of beam properties. In this context, the technologies and...
Abstract - Optical fiber-based dosimeters are valuable tools for space missions, enabling the measurement of the dose received by humans or equipment in a spacecraft or onboard satellites. These devices could serve to detect the premises of solar eruptions allowing to protect more efficiently through mitigation techniques both electronic systems and humans. In space, especially for human...
Accurate nuclear cross-section measurements are fundamental to advancing nuclear science and technology. To enhance data quality, a novel device is under development with the objective of experimentally simulating high temperatures, enabling fission rate measurements for heavy actinides that significantly influence temperature feedback effects in nuclear reactors. This is achieved with a...
The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) has experienced extensive contamination due to core meltdowns and subsequent hydrogen explosions. This has resulted in elevated levels of α and β surface contamination within the reactor buildings. The ambient radiation dose rate inside these buildings is also high, ranging from several tens to 100 mSv/h. Investigations of the primary...
X-ray spectrometry is routinely performed with fast scintillators associated with Pulse Height Analyzers (PHAs). A PHA discretizes the signal amplitude (proportional to the energy of the incoming photon) and counts the number of pulses incoming in each register, thus generating a pulse-height energy spectrum. In practice, the combination of scintillator and electronics imposes a dead time...
The intense mixed neutron and photon fluxes found in nuclear environments, such as research reactors, lead to energy deposition within the material. This energy deposition is called absorbed dose rate or nuclear heating rate in the case of extreme conditions. This latter quantity is a key parameter for the design and interpretation of the experiments, conducted using major facilities such as...
One of the key challenges in cyclotron infrastructures is the accurate determination of nuclear isotopes inventory, both for radiation protection studies and decommissioning. Indeed, radioactive waste management during the operation and dismantling of cyclotron facilities is a highly demanding process. Until now, radionuclides inventories can be carried out using several software, such as the...
The Laboratory for micro-irradiation, neutron metrology and dosimetry (LMDN) at IRSN is responsible for characterizing various neutrons fields that necessitate the utilization of advanced unfolding techniques. Usually, the LMDN and the laboratory of ionizing Radiation dosimetry (LDRI) use well known unfolding methods among Bayesian inference and GRAVEL algorithm. However, those methods require...
The M-MATISSE (for Mars - Magnetosphere ATmosphere Ionosphere and Space-weather SciencE) is an ESA Medium class (M7) candidate currently in Phase A study by the Europen Space Agency (ESA). The mission concept consists of two satellites observing Mars simultaneously from two different spatial positions. In particular, M-MATISSE will shed light on how the solar wind influences Mars' atmosphere,...
Between the 1970s and the late 1980s, the CEA developed several fission chambers operating at high temperature to instrument French sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFR). These developments, carried out in collaboration with the Exosens Company, led to the marketing of ex-core detectors, referenced CFUC, as well as miniature detectors such as referenced CFUE. These developments were put on hold in...
This study presents a detailed characterization of neutron emissions from irradiated components within Canada Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) reactors, specifically investigating the mechanisms underlying neutron production in pressure and calandria tubes after operational periods of up to 30 years. Given the unique neutron flux profile and heavy water moderation in CANDU reactors, these components...
Orano Mining is evaluating the potential of the CeBr3 spectrometric gamma ray logging probe developed by Advanced Logic Technology (ALT) for estimating uranium concentration in roll-front deposits, where decay chain disequilibrium disrupts its relationship with gamma total count rate. The Nuclear Measurement Laboratory of CEA IRESNE, in Cadarache, France, is working on automatic prediction...
Hard X-ray focusing optics technologies for solar physics space missions aiming at direct imaging of solar flares or hard X-ray space astronomy are challenging the development of time-resolved, high spectral and spatial resolution CdTe detectors.
CEA and 3D PLUS, in the frame of ALB3DO laboratory with support of CNES, the French space agency, have initiated the development of an entirely...
In the context of experiments aimed at characterizing the thermal exchanges between fluids, the determination of the h thermal exchange coefficient at the wall is requested.
In this context, an innovative COEFH thermal sensor has been developed and optimized to precisely measure this coefficient. The robustness of its measurement is obtained by performing various tests of the COEFH sensor's...
Across nuclear sectors, localizing, visualizing and identifying radioactive objects is crucial for security and safety. With uses ranging from waste management and decommissioning to nuclear medicine and homeland security, finding so-called radioactive hotspots has been at stake for many decades. For over thirty years, CEA List has been working on compact and miniaturised gamma imaging systems...
Liquid scintillation is a well-established technique for the detection and measurement of radiation, particularly effective for low-energy beta radiation and low-intensity alpha emitters. This method relies on converting the energy of ionizing particles, into light that are subsequently detected by photodetectors. Various applications use liquid scintillators, including medical diagnostics,...
For several years, the IES laboratory has been working in collaboration with the CEA on the development of acoustic instrumentation in the nuclear field. Within the framework of this collaboration, the IES acoustic team is developing a miniaturized gas composition sensor for in situ measurements of gas composition in material testing reactor. The first experimental evidence of an acoustic...
In the framework of plutonium characterization in radioactive waste drums by passive neutron multiplicity counting, the Nuclear Measurement Laboratory of CEA Cadarache is studying plastic scintillators as a cost-effective alternative to 3He gas proportional counters. Plastic scintillators offer a three order of magnitude faster time response than 3He detectors, large and easy-to-shape...
Gamma ray spectroscopy represents a fundamental instrument for the characterisation of gamma radiation and the identification of its sources. The most common approach is the utilisation of scintillator detectors. In this method, the photodetectors are situated in direct contact with the scintillator and are frequently also subjected to gamma radiation. To enhance the stability and reliability...
HardPix is a miniature radiation monitor based on the Timepix3 sensor and developed for space application by the Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics, Czech Technical University in Prague (IEAP CTU). Its low volume (<0.1 U), mass (<150 g), power consumption (~2 W) and cost make it ideal even for small cubesats and networks of space weather monitoring nanosatellites. Thanks to the...
High Performance Research Reactors (HPRR) produce neutrons for material testing and scientific experiments in a wide range of fields. These neutrons are produced by fissions in the reactor’s fuel elements. During an irradiation cycle, various micro-structural and physical-chemical transformations take place in the HPRR fuel element depending on its specific irradiation history.
The...
One promising next-generation fuel form for advanced nuclear reactors is TRISO (tristructural isotropic) fuel, which consists of sub-millimeter-diameter uranium-bearing fuel kernels encapsulated in multiple layers of carbon and ceramic materials. Thousands of these micro-spheres are then dispersed in a carbon or ceramic matrix. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR)...
The NAUTILUS project aims at determining nuclear data for chlorine to contribute to the research on chloride-based molten salt fast reactors. Therefore, experimental methods based on the principles of neutron activation analysis, neutron transmission and pile oscillation are utilized in the neutron field of the AKR-2 training reactor (Chair of Hydrogen and Nuclear Energy, Dresden University of...
Although water presence in lunar polar regions has been confirmed by orbiters, it remains unclear how accessible these resources are for extraction and use. Sustainability of a potential astronaut base on the Moon would be enhanced if water from local environment could be used. An in-situ exploration by a rover capable of drilling is essential for a better understanding of water abundance in...
Miniature in-core neutron detectors are of interest for a variety of experiments in research reactors, for instance for highly local flux measurements, multi-physics high-resolution measurements, or even in-core noise experiments. The typical challenge associated with in-core detectors is the limited space available within the core between fuel elements. To address the geometrical challenges,...
The detection of 2.223 MeV γ-ray emissions resulting from neutron capture on hydrogen, as a means to monitor water presence in spent nuclear fuel (SNF) assemblies is described. Water detection is crucial because water ingress into dry storage systems or other containment environments poses safety risks and potential criticality concerns. This study thus aims to explore the use of the...
Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs) offer significant advantages for monitoring harsh environments, particularly within nuclear facilities. Their compact size, immunity to electromagnetic interference and their large variety of radiation responses, enable accurate, real-time monitoring of temperature, strain and/or radiation levels, providing reliable data with high detection sensitivity. These...
Silicon microstrip (Si-µstrip) sensors are employed in most of current space detector tracking systems for charged cosmic-rays, such as the DAMPE satellite detector or the AMS-02 detector onboard the ISS. As they allow for large-area coverage with contained electronic channels and power consumptions, they are ideal sensors for high-energy physics applications in space-borne instrumentation,...
Thermal conductivity of nuclear fuel systems is a critical parameter for reactor performance and safety, particularly under accident scenarios. An improved thermal conductivity probe, based on a modified line source technique, has been developed to measure the thermal properties of the surrounding material in which it is embedded. A pioneering irradiation experiment has been designed for the...
This study will describe how hyperspectral imaging (HSI) can be used as a tool to detect and quantify fission products in uranium dioxide (UO₂) nuclear fuel pellets. The rapid, non-contact capabilities of HSI offer a promising approach for spent nuclear fuel analysis in high-risk hot cell environments. An HSI system is used to analyse sintered UO₂ pellets and SIMFuel pellets (UO₂ doped with...
One of the challenges for the deployment of advanced, heavy-metal-cooled reactor technologies is to improve nuclear data of key materials in the fast energy range. VENUS-F, the zero-power fast spectrum research reactor operated at SCK CEN, can play a major role in addressing this challenge. Sample reactivity worth experiments can be performed in VENUS-F to measure the reactor response to a...
In pressurized water reactors (PWRs), including VVER-type reactors, slow changes in reactivity are controlled using boric acid dissolved in the coolant of the primary circuit. Dissolved boric acid is also one of the solutions used by the nuclear industry to prevent any criticality events in spent fuel pools.
Framatome's Continuous Measurement of Boron Concentration (COMBO) allows the early...
Within the framework of the HISTARS (HIE-ISOLDE Timing Array for Reaction Studies) project at the ISOLDE facility at CERN, plans are underway to implement a gamma-ray array dedicated to fast-timing measurements of lifetimes of excited nuclear states populated in Coulomb excitation and transfer reactions.
Advanced scintillator materials such as cerium-doped lanthanum bromide and cerium bromide...
The BLOOM experimental program is an ongoing pile-oscillation program taking place in the CROCUS reactor at EPFL since summer 2024. Pile-oscillations are a type of semi-integral experiment in which a sample is periodically inserted in and extracted from a reactor, inducing a reactivity change. Modern programs, such as BLOOM or the CEA MAESTRO program, go beyond measuring and analysing the...
The Tube Support Plate blockage, also named clogging, is a complex phenomenon that can occur in the steam generator of Pressurized Water Reactors. This deposit of iron oxides, that can reduce the coolant flux and constraint the primary tubes, could have significant consequences on heat exchanges and the integrity of the primary tubes. Since 2014, the representative dedicated equipment, named...
In case of a severe accident in a Sodium Fast Reactor (SFR), several successive physical phenomena, such as temperature rise, sodium boiling, in-vessel pressure increase, relocation of UO2 molten core and neutron fluxes evolution, are coupled. These phenomena can lead to power excursions. In order to inhibit potential power excursions in SFR core in the case of a hypothetical severe accident,...
Data from virtual experiments are becoming a valuable asset for research infrastructures: to develop and optimise current and future instruments, to train in the usage of the instrument control system, to study quantifying and reducing instrumental effects on acquired data. Furthermore large sets of simulated data are also a necessary ingredient for the development of surrogate models...
The power spectrum measurements are key elements to estimate the power spectral density of a fission reactor used in production. At CABRI institute, a research reactor used to simulate a sudden and instantaneous increase in power, known as a power transient, SPESI team developed a dating portable instrumentation named X-MODE to perform this kind of data acquisitions and analysis. The materials...
Detecting and discriminating heavy charged particles from background radiation at high temperatures is of interest for nuclear applications, including basic research in fusion and fission energy, reactor monitoring, fuel reprocessing, and isotope production. We investigated the detection and discrimination between alpha and beta particles compatible with liquid environments, significantly...
The Severe accident experimental lab of CEA IRESNE in Cadarache (LEAG) is a laboratory whose main mission is to increase the knowledge of corium behavior and thermophysical properties and performs experiments on its PLINIUS platform. “Corium” refers to melted core materials and by extension, to other melted materials gradually included all along the severe accident in the nuclear power plant....
KATANA is a water activation facility located in the Jožef Stefan Institute TRIGA Mark II reactor in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Since its commissioning at the end of 2023, it has completed three experimental campaigns that have contributed to a better understanding of the water activation processes and their modeling, which are important in the context of research in nuclear fusion, in particular...
The first HONEY (High-resolution Online Neutronics Experiments for dYnamics) experiment took place in the CROCUS research reactor of EPFL (Switzerland) in April 2024. With this campaign, designed to enhance our knowledge of the physical parameters governing the reactor kinetics, we aim to achieve a high spatial resolution analysis of the reactor’s time response to both reactivity insertions...
In the frame of the partnership between Électricité de France (EDF), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA) and FRAMATOME, ultrasonic acoustic instrumentation is developed to measure mixing grid vibrations on assemblies in the HERMES P loop on the POSEIDON platform at CEA Cadarache. This facility is a full-scale model of a Pressurised Water Reactor assembly,...
The KATANA irradiation facility was commissioned at the Jožef Stefan Institute in early 2024 with the aim of investigating water activation in fusion reactors such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) and the Demonstration Power Plant (DEMO). It is a closed-water activation loop designed to perform benchmark experiments to validate the newly developed fluid activation...
Neutrons are a major source of secondary radiations in particle accelerators, posing significant challenges in radiation protection for research, medical, and industrial facilities. Key concerns include radiation dose exposure (impacting workers and patients) and neutron activation, which affects accelerator components and surrounding materials. Regardless of application, minimizing these...
The accurate assessment of fissile mass within radioactive waste drums is crucial for effective radioactive waste management, nuclear safety, and criticality prevention. Passive and active neutron measurements are indispensable tools for quantifying residual actinides of interest, such as plutonium and uranium, in both waste management and spent fuel reprocessing contexts. For several years,...
Stable, accurate, and precise temperature measurements are critical for efficient reactor operation, reactor lifetime extensions, and for the advancement or reliable modeling and simulation routines. In addition, traditionally implemented thermocouples experience decalibration and drift when they are exposed to the high temperatures and neutron fluence, common to the next generation nuclear...
Advances in medical imaging instrumentation have lead to significant improvements in the accuracy and sensitivity of the scanners and a reduction of the dose administered to the patients. This trend continues to be pursued by current research in the field, aligned with the advances in biology and medicine. In addition, the new technologies in diagnostic imaging that are being developed at the...
This paper presents a research project carried out as part of the BPI France udd@ORANO project to instrument the plug of a diagnostic sleeve with a fiber-optic dosimeter. These endoscope sleeves are used to insert tools for monitoring the ageing of the bowl of a decanter centrifuge used in ORANO's La Hague plant. The objectives of this study are the following: 1) to monitor the concerned...
The CABRI experimental reactor, operated by CEA at the Cadarache research center, is a versatile facility, which can function at steady-state power (up to 25 MW), and allows the realization of energetic transients with a peak power up to 20 GW.
Our facility is involved in the realization of two important experimental programs. The first one concerns the safety studies of the PWR fuel and...
Nuclear Power reactors of all generations and types require for their safe and efficient operation a set of instrumentation systems to monitor reactor conditions and allow for countermeasures in case the measured parameters exceed certain thresholds. The lifecycle of the instrumentation systems encompasses several steps from design and development of a prototype to operation in a commercial...
Multimod’Air is a CEA internal project aiming at developing a demonstrator of a mobile platform for environmental measurement in any place of interest from cities, rural or industrial outdoor areas.
The platform comprises a dozen of detectors including gas sensors (NO2, O3, NH3, N3, CL2, Ox, H2S, SO2), fine particle sensors (PM1, PM2.5, PM10) for pollution monitoring, as well as a complete...
We present development of the Charged & Neutral Particle Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter (CNP-TEPC) instrument that is aimed at measuring charged particle and neutron dose rates in real time in the low Earth orbit (LEO). The CNP-TEPC consists of a central TEPC and a plastic scintillator guard detector, which enables both an accurate radiation dose measurement and a particle...
Measurements of reactors inform nuclear data through validation benchmarks and serve to monitor reactor behavior during critical, startup, and shutdown phases. Reactor measurements contribute to the accuracy of reactor modeling, support safe operational practices, and provide insights for design and operating teams, as well as regulatory bodies. The CROCUS zero-power research reactor provides...
The renewed interest in nuclear power as clean energy source is fueled by the development of a new generation of advanced reactor concepts focused on compact and modular designs. These small modular reactors (20 to 300 MWe) and microreactors (1 to 20 MWe) are designed to enable flexibility and scalability for deployment, which increases their marketability while maintaining the promise of...
The automatic network of environmental radioactivity, REMRAD, managed by the National Inspectorate for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ISIN), consists of highly sensitive radiological monitoring stations through automatic sampling and spectrometric analysis systems of atmospheric particulate matter, deposited on a large filter splitted into 15 separate circular areas where the same...
Protection of opto-electronics devices and components susceptible of radiation damage is of foremost importance in intense ionizing radiation environments like the ones produced by particle accelerators, radioisotopes production facilities nuclear infrastructures and waste. Monitoring such radiation levels using accurate dosimetry is accordingly necessary to prevent components’ failure and...
As part of a collaborative international effort organized by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), with key participants from L’Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire (IRSN), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), a series of high-multiplication subcritical neutron and gamma noise measurements were planned and executed. The primary...
The Excore measurement system is crucial for maintaining the performance and safety of the European Pressurized Water Reactor (EPR). As a Generation III+ nuclear reactor, the EPR incorporates state-of-the-art safety systems designed to enhance operational safety and reliability. The Excore system further strengthens this safety architecture by enabling continuous, real-time monitoring of core...
Nuclear measurements play a major role in geological strata characterization. Our main goal is to describe the properties of the rock (density, porosity, composition) and the fluids contained inside it. Logging techniques serve to evaluate natural resources and to understand geological processes. The subsurface is a harsh environment that combines high temperature (up to 175°C), pressure...
Nuclear materials such as uranium and plutonium commonly used in industries or laboratories are major emitters of alpha particles (or α particles). Monitoring contamination of infrastructures and people in contact with them is a major radiation safety issue. Detectors currently in use for this purpose have to be close to the radiation sources. It increases the likelihood of contamination on...
A wireless in-core radio transmitter which is currently under development will be able to amplify a signal measured inside a reactor core and transmit the signal to a receiver located outside the core without using instrumentation cables. The transmitter uses vacuum tubes as active components as these are judged – unlike transistors based on semi-conductors – to be able to withstand in-core...
Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC is developing the eVinci™ microreactor, a next generation reactor capable of rapid deployment to several unique energy applications. The eVinci™ is designed to produce an energy output of 5MWe and15MWth for eight or more full-power years before refueling. The microreactor’s innovative heat pipe design combines technological innovation with the support of 60+...
This paper presents an analysis of initial operational data from three newly developed ground-level neutron monitors, the NM-2023, and compares them with established monitors reporting to the Neutron Monitor Database (NMDB). The NM-2023s are deployed at the Camborne Met Office Observatory in Cornwall, United Kingdom, Lancaster University, United Kingdom, and the University of Rome Tor Vergata,...
The LECA-STAR hot cell laboratory (Laboratory for Active Fuel Studies and the Treatment, Decontamination, and Reconditioning Station) is a facility dedicated to R&D activities on irradiated nuclear fuel, located at the CEA-Cadarache center. Seventeen shielded cells and a microanalysis laboratory allow the handling of fuel elements, from rod size to sub-micronic scale. Four of these cells are...
Since 2018, EPFL has been conducting an experimental program called COLIBRI, focusing on fuel rod displacement within the CROCUS reactor. This program allowed contributing to the European project CORTEX on noise analysis. Through three dedicated experimental campaigns COLIBRI has provided relevant validation data on fuel rod vibrations, which are a known source of power noise in pressurized...
During the irradiation process, fission gases, such as helium, xenon and krypton, are released and the pressure inside the fuel rods increases. The internal pressure as well as the composition of the fission gases present within the plenum of the fuel rod are of major interest to nuclear power plant operators as they can be accurate indicators of the fuel behavior and reflect the overall fuel...
The global use of radioactive isotopes across diverse sectors—such as industry, research, energy production, medicine, and healthcare—has led to the widespread distribution of these materials in society. This proliferation has raised significant concerns among governments and organizations about the potential for accidental radioactive releases into the environment, which could lead to...
Inorganic scintillators are commonly used in various gamma spectroscopy applications due to their excellent energy resolution, reliable performance, relatively low cost, and high detection efficiency. Nevertheless, many inorganic scintillators have high refractive indices and experience significant light losses at the collection surface caused by total internal reflection (TIR). This project...
We outline the development of explicit neutron noise simulations via Monte Carlo codes to determine integral kinetic parameters such as the prompt decay constant of fissile systems. Experimentally, measuring the prompt decay constant during steady-state reactor operation offers a non-invasive way to determine point kinetic parameters, which are important for predicting reactor behaviour during...
We outline the development and optimization of a neutron imaging beamline at the CROCUS zero-power research reactor by the means of Monte Carlo simulations. Neutron imaging is a radiographic technique that uses neutrons, providing advantages due to its sensitivity to light elements, such as hydrogen. It has the potential to support neutron imaging, serving as a neutron source for this...
Idaho National Laboratory (INL), in collaboration with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), French Atomic and Alternative Energies Commission (CEA), Joint Research Centre (JRC), Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group (NRG), and Research Center Rez (CVR), is the operating agent of a joint experimental program (JEEP) project that operates within the...
