NEUTRINO METHOD REMOTE MEASUREMENT OF REACTOR POWER AND POWER OUTPUT

The neutrino method is essentially a remote method and does not require contact with the elements of the reactor. The accuracy and reproducibility of the neutrino procedure in measurements of the power and power output of the VVÉR-540 reactor are close to the data obtained with thermal measurements. For other types of reactors the neutrino method can be more accurate than the traditional methods. The neutrino method makes it possible to monitor plutonium production directly during the plutonium production process. It is possible to develop a method of neutrino tomography for monitoring the spatial nonuniformity of energy release in the fuel core of the reactor as well as methods for monitoring in the case of accidents. Neutrino installations are now portable and compact, and they can be further improved. We are not offering the neutrino method as an alternative to other methods of monitoring, which have been checked over a period of many years, but rather we regard it as a method for extracting additional information in order to obtain a more complete picture of reactor operation. We thank A. G. Vershinskii for providing the electronics for the experiment, and I. N. Machulin for helpful discussions and for calculating the composition of the fuel core, and the management and personnel of the nuclear power plant for assistance. © 1994 Plenum Publishing Corporation.