Response functions for calculating axial power-density profiles in fuel rods using in-core neutron detectors

Micro-pocket fission detectors (MPFDs) have recently been fabricated and successfully tested as in-core flux monitoring devices in the nuclear reactor in Kansas State University. These detectors are sufficiently small to be inserted between fuel elements. Data from an MPFD array can be converted into a 3D power-density map of the reactor core for real-time flux monitoring. In the present study, the necessary mathematical models are developed that relate the power-density profiles in fuel rods to the MPFDs' response. The applicability of an inversion algorithm proposed for obtaining power-density profiles is also verified in this study.