Capabilities of the INL ZPPR to Support Active Interrogation Research with SNM

Abstract

For over 40 years Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and its predecessor organizations have maintained and operated the Zero‐Power Physics Reactor (ZPPR) as a test bed for studying reactor physics and nuclear reactor design. Although ZPPR is no longer operated as an active research reactor, its infrastructure (radiation shielding, safety systems, physical safeguards) and special nuclear material (SNM) inventory (variably enriched uranium and plutonium fuels available in metallic, oxide, alloy, and other forms) still make the facility a unique national resource for research and development activities involving the use of SNM. Recently INL has utilized this resource to serve as a test and evaluation facility for active interrogation research and development. This facility is currently hosting scoping experiments using neutron and x‐ray radiation sources to characterize SNM active interrogation signatures and to develop tools and techniques to detect and identify shielded SNM. This paper presents an overview of the facility’s infrastructure and assets and describes recent active interrogation experiments that have taken place using high‐energy x‐ray sources and compact electronic neutron generators.