A custom-tailored FAMOS burn-up meter for VVER 440 fuel assemblies

The FAMOS fuel assembly monitoring system had been originally developed for monitoring irradiated fuel assemblies of the Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Center concentrating on neutron detection systems for special applications.The measurements in the past had demonstrated that FAMOS can perform precise measurements to control or measure with accuracy the main physical parameters of spent fuel. The FAMOS 3 system is specialized for burn-up determination of fuel assemblies. Thus it is possible to take into account the burn-up for the purposes of storage and transportation. The Kola NPP VVER 440 requirements necessitated developing an especially adopted FAMOS 3 system. In addition to the passive neutron measurement, a gross gamma detection and a boron concentration monitoring system are implemented. The new system was constructed as well as tested in laboratory experiments. The monitoring system has been delivered to the customer and is ready for use.