Calculational Assessment of the Measurability of Key Radionuclides for Severely Failed Nuclear Power Plant Fuel

The RIBD code results and calculated detector pulse-height distributions have been used to assess the capabilities of gamma-ray spectrometry as applied to the measurement of reactor coolant activity in the event of a severe fuel failure in a nuclear power plant. The associated interference effects of nearby photopeaks and the Compton continuum of higher energy gamma rays were considered in this assessment. Key radionuclides representative of differing degrees of fuel damage have been found to be measurable under severe accident conditions.