A Neutrino Detector Design for Safeguarding Small Modular Reactors

TL;DR

This paper explores the design of a remote antineutrino detector tailored for safeguarding small modular reactors, emphasizing its potential for continuous, unattended, and real-time monitoring of reactor operations.

Contribution

It proposes a feasible design for a neutrino detector optimized for small modular reactors, addressing challenges posed by advanced reactor features.

Findings

Determined minimum detector size and depth for effective safeguards

Developed an analytical model based on prior experiments

Suggested a design for remote, real-time reactor monitoring

Abstract

Nuclear reactors have long been a favored source for antineutrino measurements for estimates of power and burnup. With appropriate detector parameters and background rejection, an estimate of the reactor power can be derived from the measured antineutrino event rate. Antineutrino detectors are potentially attractive as a safeguards technology that can monitor reactor operations and thermal power from a distance. Advanced reactors have diverse features that may present challenges for current safeguards methods. By comparison, neutrino detectors offer complementary features, including a remote, continuous, unattended, and near-real-time monitoring capability, that may make them useful for safeguarding certain classes of advanced reactors. This study investigates the minimum depth and size of an antineutrino detector for a SMR to meet safeguards needs for advanced reactors. Extrapolating performance from several prior reactor antineutrino experiments, this study uses an analytical approach to develop a possible design for a remote antineutrino-based monitoring device.