Recent Developments and Capabilities in Neutron Radiography at HEDL

Abstract

Radiographic imaging of irradiated fuels has routinely been qualitative in nature, providing information on the general condition of internal components of a fuel pin. Conventional X-ray and neutron radiographic techniques, applicable to irradiated fuels, have not been of high enough resolution to be useful for quantitative image analysis. Recently, however, high resolution neutron radiographic techniques and image analysis, using precision micro-densitometry, have been developed at HEDL. The versatility of these radiographic techniques and associated image analysis is such that precision measurements of highly radioactive components can be performed with minimal modification. The use of high resolution neutron radiography and associated image analysis techniques can significantly reduce the cost of fuel pin performance evaluation by decreasing the number of destructive examinations required. This paper describes the development of a high resolution neutron radiographic imaging method, and the modification of a previously developed system to obtain quantitative measurements from neutron radiographs.