The Multi-Isotope Process Monitor Project: FY11 Progress and Accomplishments

Summary The Multi-Isotope Process (MIP) Monitor represents a potentially new and efficient approach to monitoring process conditions in reprocessing facilities with the high-level goal of aiding in the “...(minimization of) the risks of nuclear proliferation and terrorism” (Office of Technology Assessment 1995). This approach relies on multivariate analysis and gamma spectroscopy of spent fuel product and waste streams to automatically and simultaneously monitor a variety of process conditions (e.g., acid concentrations, burnup, cooling time, etc.) in near real-time (NRT). While the conceptual basis for the MIP Monitor has been shown to be effective in an aqueous reprocessing system, the fundamental approach should also be viable in a pyro-processing recycle system. The MIP Monitor may be calibrated to provide online quantitative information about process variables for process control or domestic safeguards applications; or it can simply monitor, with a built-in information barrier, for off-normal conditions in process streams, making the approach well-suited for applications were it is necessary to respect proprietary information or for international safeguards applications. Proof-of-concept simulations and experiments were performed in previous years demonstrating the validity of this tool in a laboratory setting. This report details follow-on research and development efforts sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energymore » Fuel Cycle Research and Development (FCR&D) related to the MIP Monitor for fiscal year 2011 (FY11).« less