Applications of point kernel estimates to the fuel conditioning facility shield test program

Use of a multigroup point kernel gamma ray attenuation program helped Argonne National Laboratory complete a project that verified the integrity of the shields in the Fuel Conditioning Facility (FCF). Test procedures were developed based on predictions of dose equivalents as functions of source strengths, source-to-detector distances, and thickness of various shield materials. Tables and plots of these data were used to select and position the test sources and to compare as-built shields to their design thicknesses. Part of the program involved a study of the penetration of photons from spent fuel as a function of cooling time. Such information is important to estimate the effectiveness of FCF shields on mixed fission product sources from various reactors.