A direct method for evaluating the concentration of boric acid in a fuel pool using scintillation detectors for joint-multiplicity measurements

The present investigations are aimed at the development of a direct passive non-intrusive method for determining the concentration of boric acid in a spent fuel pool using scintillation detectors with the purpose of correcting joint-multiplicity measurement results. The method utilizes a modified relation between two gamma lines with energy of 480 keV and 2.23 MeV, respectively. The gamma line at 480 keV belongs to the thermal neutron capture in boron. The 2.23 MeV gamma line characterizes the capture of thermal neutrons in hydrogen. Thus, the relation between them can reveal the concentration of the boron in the fuel pool. In order to test this method, first MCNPX and MCNP-PoliMi simulations were performed. Then, based on the results of Monte Carlo simulations, the method was verified by an experimental study with a 241Am-Be source and EJ-309 scintillation detectors. The concentration of boron in water varied from 1550 ppm to 4000 ppm. The results of these tests are provided in the paper and they show that the spectral ratio between these two lines can in principle be used to determine the boron content.