Abstract
The measurement of uranium holdup, the residual material left in process equipment such as pipes or ducts, is an integral element of material control and accountability. Not only are the measurements important for accountability, they are also important for criticality safety. The goal in measuring holdup is to quantify the amount of material in the pipes to verify that all material is accounted for (inventory in – [inventory out + holdup] = 0) and to ensure that the amount of material “heldup” is not a criticality risk. There are a number of ways to measure holdup in process equipment; however, this paper will evaluate only two methods (i.e., Holdup Measurement System 4 (HMS-4) and In Situ Object Counting Software (ISOCS)) for specific measurement scenarios. The comparison will use measurements of well-known reference materials in various configurations and will examine the results, uncertainties, repeatability, time required, portability, and cost of each system.
