PROCESSING APPARATUS AND PROCESSING METHOD

To provide a processing apparatus and a processing method that can improve the workability of the processing work while ensuring criticality safety.SOLUTION: A processing apparatus 100 for processing radioactive materials including nuclear materials comprises: a neutron detector 101 which sequentially observes neutrons in the smallest control unit of a processing tool 102; a neutron measuring device 104 which calculates a neutron count value from the detection signal of the neutron detector 101; and a reactivity estimation device 106 which estimates the input reactivity from each processing operation timing from the past processing operation timing to the latest processing operation timing, the corresponding neutron count value, and neutron response function. The reactivity estimation device 106 estimates the input reactivity by superimposing the neutron response function with the neutron count value measured after the processing operation timing as an input value and the processing operation timing function.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1 【課題】臨界安全を担保しつつ加工作業の作業性を向上し得る加工装置及び方法を提供する。【解決手段】核物質を含む放射性物質を加工する加工装置１００は、加工ツール１０２の最小制御単位で中性子を逐次観測する中性子検出器１０１、中性子検出器１０１の検出信号から中性子計数値を算出する中性子計測装置１０４、及び過去の加工動作タイミングから最新の加工動作タイミングまでの各加工動作タイミングとそれに伴う中性子計数値と中性子応答関数から投入反応度を推定する反応度推定装置１０６を備える。反応度推定装置１０６は、加工動作タイミング以降に計測した中性子計数値を入力値とする中性子応答関数と加工動作タイミング関数を重畳して投入反応度を推定する。【選択図】 図１