The use of ionising radiation to image nuclear fuel: A review

Imaging of nuclear fuel using radiation has been carried out for decades for a variety of reasons. Two important reasons are Physical Invertory Verification (PIV) and Quality Assurance (QA). The work covered in this review focuses on the imaging of nuclear fuel using ionising radiation. The fuels investigated are both fresh and spent, composed of assorted materials, and in various physical forms. The radiations used to characterise the nuclear fuel include γ, α, β, muons, neutrons and X-rays. The research covered in this review, spans the past four decades and show how the technology has developed over that time. The advancement of computing technology has greatly helped with the progression of the images that are produced. The field began with 2D images in black and white showing the density profiles of γ rays from within an object, culminating in 2013 when a pebble bed fuel element was reproduced in 3D showing each 0.5 mm UO2 globule within it. With the ever increasing computing technology available to the industry, this can only mean an increase in the rate of development of imaging technologies like those covered in this review.