Measurement of decay heat in irradiated gold foil using whole energy absorption spectrometer

In a reactor design the decay power estimation and decay heat removal plays an important role. In IGCAR, the decay power is theoretically estimated using codes such as ORIGEN2, CHANDY etc. For gaining confidence in the decay power (heat) predictions and to reduce the uncertainty margins in estimations the decay power measurements are essential. For measuring decay power form irradiated samples, Whole Energy Absorption Spectrometer (WEAS) was commissioned. It consists of two Bismuth Germanate (BGO) scintillators based detectors and associated electronics. The irradiated sample is sandwiched by the detectors to realize the 4π geometry. The beta and gamma energies of the irradiated sample are deposited on the detectors which in turn is converted to decay heat