Author/Editor		Oudinet, Ghislain; Munoz, Isabelle; Becker, Jean-Marie
Title		A genetic algorithm for the modeling of plutonium particle size distribution in a nuclear fuel
Type		članek
Source		Image Anal Stereol
Vol. and No.		Letnik 20, št. Suppl 1
Publication year		2001
Volume		str. 438-43
Language		eng
Abstract		The distribution of plutonium in the MOX type nuclear fuel (Mixed OXide of uranium and plutonium) is a significant parameter for irradiation inside a nuclear reactor. A good knowledge of its microstructure is essential. Only plane sections of this kind of ceramics are available. A widespread method allowing the "umfolding" of 3D size distributions from 2D information is the Johnson-Saltykov method (Saltykov 1967). This method, adapted to convex particles, has given unsatisfying results for our kind of material. This paper presents an alternative method, based on a genetic algorithm which, unlike the Johnson-Saltykov method, works on any kind of shape; moreover, no prior analytical knowledge about those shapes is needed. It is therefore a valuable method for investigating the influence of the plutonium aggregate morphology on the size distribution.
Descriptors		CERAMICS PARTICLE SIZE PLUTONIUM IMAGE PROCESSING, COMPUTER-ASSISTED POWER PLANTS