Spins of low-energy neutron resonances in 235U

The spins of 15 resonances in the ²³⁵U slow neutron cross section lying in the neutron energy range between 0.1 and 15 eV were determined by measuring the transmission of polarized monoenergetic neutrons through a target in which the ²³⁵U nuclei were polarized. The magnetic moment of ²³⁵U is concluded to be negative.     

Breeding of 233U in the thorium–uranium fuel cycle in VVER reactors using heavy water

A method is proposed for achieving optimal neutron kinetics and efficient isotope transmutation in the ²³³U–²³²Th oxide fuel of water-moderated reactors with variable water composition (D₂O, H₂O) that ensures breeding of the ²³³U and ²³⁵U isotopes. The method is comparatively simple to implement.     

Search for heavy neutron clusters in nuclear fission

An experiment on search for heavy neutron clusters in fission of ²³⁵U nuclei has been carried out on a nuclear reactor. The method of searching for neutron clusters is based on irradiation of tellurium dioxide and lead oxide targets in reactor channels near the active zone and far from it. The method of γ-spectrometric analysis of irradiated targets was used to search for nuclei whose occurrence in the targets cannot be explained by other nuclear reactions, except for the reactions of original target nuclei with neutron clusters. The reactions of tellurium and lead nuclear fission by neutron clusters (nuclei) and direct capture of neutron clusters have been revealed.     

Application of solid state track recorders for neutron spectra measurements in a reactor irradiation facility

Abstract

In connection with the IAEA-neutron seed irradiation Programme, a standard neutron irradiation facility has been constructed. The application of solid state track recorders for fast neutron spectra measurements inside this facility is discussed. Fissionable targets of ²³⁵U, ²³⁹Pu, ²³⁷Np, ²³⁸W and ²³²Th will be used, an approximative solution for the incident neutron spectrum will be obtained by a five-group method.     

Calibration of ITER Instant Power Neutron Monitors: Recommended Scenario of Experiments at the Reactor

Instant power is a key parameter of the ITER. Its monitoring with an accuracy of a few percent is an urgent and challenging aspect of neutron diagnostics. In a series of works published in Problems of Atomic Science and Technology, Series: Thermonuclear Fusion under a common title, the step-by-step neutronics analysis was given to substantiate a calibration technique for the DT and DD modes of the ITER. A Gauss quadrature scheme, optimal for processing “expensive” experiments, is used for numerical integration of ²³⁵U and ²³⁸U detector responses to the point sources of 14-MeV neutrons. This approach allows controlling the integration accuracy in relation to the number of coordinate mesh points and thus minimizing the number of irradiations at the given uncertainty of the full monitor response. In the previous works, responses of the divertor and blanket monitors to the isotropic point sources of DT and DD neutrons in the plasma profile and to the models of real sources were calculated within the ITER model using the MCNP code. The neutronics analyses have allowed formulating the basic principles of calibration that are optimal for having the maximum accuracy at the minimum duration of in situ experiments at the reactor. In this work, scenarios of the preliminary and basic experimental ITER runs are suggested on the basis of those principles. It is proposed to calibrate the monitors only with DT neutrons and use correction factors to the DT mode calibration for the DD mode. It is reasonable to perform full calibration only with ²³⁵U chambers and calibrate ²³⁸U chambers by responses of the ²³⁵U chambers during reactor operation (cross-calibration). The divertor monitor can be calibrated using both direct measurement of responses at the Gauss positions of a point source and simplified techniques based on the concepts of equivalent ring sources and inverse response distributions, which will considerably reduce the amount of measurements. It is shown that the monitor based on the average responses of the horizontal and vertical neutron chambers remains spatially stable as the source moves and can be used in addition to the staff monitor at neutron fluxes in the detectors four orders of magnitude lower than on the first wall, where staff detectors are located. Owing to low background, detectors of neutron chambers do not need calibration in the reactor because it is actually determination of the absolute detector efficiency for 14-MeV neutrons, which is a routine out-of-reactor procedure.     

Characterization and performance evaluation of a new passive neutron albedo reactivity counter for safeguards measurements

A prototype ³He-based Passive Neutron Albedo Reactivity (PNAR) counter was developed and tested at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in collaboration with the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) to measure the fissile content in electrochemical recycling (ER) product materials. The counter consists of 16 ³He cylindrical gas-filled proportional counters at 4 atm of pressure embedded in high-density polyethylene. In this work, experimental measurements were performed at LANL to characterize the performance of the PNAR counter using surrogate materials for the uranium metal ingot. The purpose of these experiments was to: 1) measure the operating and calibration parameters of the PNAR counter (e.g. efficiency profiles, coincidence gate fractions, die-away time) and 2) evaluate the accuracy and sensitivity of the PNAR method and the time correlated induced fission (TCIF) method for quantifying the ²³⁵U mass in PWR fresh LEU fuel rods and Materials Testing Reactor (MTR) HEU fuel plates. A small ²⁴⁴Cm reference source (13,373 n/s) was placed in the center of the fuel rods and fuel plates to simulate spontaneous fission from sub-ppm (parts per million) levels of Cm contamination in the U ingot. In order to compare the relative accuracy of the PNAR and TCIF methods for quantifying ²³⁵U mass, calibration curves were generated for the net doubles rate and the doubles Cd ratio using the Deming software. The results from this experiment will be used to obtain a better understanding of the sensitivity of the PNAR and TCIF methods for samples with low neutron multiplication. Furthermore, this experimental measurement data will also help inform safeguards research and development (R&D) efforts on the viability of nondestructive assay (NDA) techniques and detector designs for quantifying fissile content in ER product materials. Future work will include performing measurements with the PNAR counter on small samples of U/TRU materials.     

Study of α-particles produced in thermal neutron induced reactions on 235U

The ²³⁵U(n_th, α) reaction and the α-particles emitted in the thermal neutron induced fission of ²³⁵U were measured using a very pure thermal neutron beam of the Grenoble high flux reactor. An upper limit of 0.66 mb was determined for the ²³⁵U(n_th, α) reaction cross section, which is lower than all the previous results. The energy distribution of the α-particles produced by the ²³⁵U(n_th, f) reaction was measured down to 7 MeV with a non-shielded surface-barrier detector telescope assembly. The measured distribution has a quasi-Gaussian shape; it reveals, however, a pronounced deviation from such a shape at lower α-energies. Several possible explanations for this deviation are discussed.     

On the role of fusion neutron source with thorium blanket in forming the nuclide composition of the nuclear fuel cycle of the Russian Federation

The possible role of available thorium resources of the Russian Federation in utilization of thorium in the closed (U–Pu)-fuel cycle of nuclear power is considered. The efficiency of application of fusion neutron sources with thorium blanket for economical use of available thorium resources is demonstrated. The objective of this study is the search for a solution of such major tasks of nuclear power as reduction of the amount of front-end operations in the nuclear fuel cycle and enhancement of its protection against uncontrolled proliferation of fissile materials with the smallest possible alterations in the fuel cycle. The earlier results are analyzed, new information on the amount of thorium resources of the Russian Federation is used, and additional estimates are made. The following basic results obtained on the basis of the assumption of involving fusion reactors with Th-blanket in future nuclear power for generation of the light uranium fraction ^232+233+234U and ²³¹Pa are formulated. (1) The fuel cycle would shift from fissile ²³⁵U to ²³³U, which is more attractive for thermal power reactors. (2) The light uranium fraction is the most “protected” in the uranium fuel component, and being mixed with regenerated uranium, it would become reduced-enrichment uranium fuel, which would relieve the problem of nonproliferation of the fissile material. (3) The addition of ²³¹Pa into the fuel would stabilize its neutron-multiplying properties, thus making it possible to implement a long fuel residence time and, as a consequence, increase the export potential of the whole nuclear power technology. (4) The available thorium resource in the vicinity of Krasnoufimsk is sufficient for operation of the large-scale nuclear power industry of the Russian Federation with an electric power of 70 GW for more than one quarter of a century. The general conclusion is that involvement of a small number of fusion reactors with Th-blanket in the future nuclear power industry of the Russian Federation would to a large extent solve its problems and increase its export potential.     

基于支持向量机的~(252)Cf中子裂变信号时频特征分析及识别

基于裂变中子(252Cf)对裂变链(235U系统)依存关系,在对252Cf中子裂变信号的测量原理及信号特点分析基础上,开展了基于支持向量机的中子裂变信号时频特征分析及识别研究工作。采用小波分解和去噪小波包分解方法,提取不同状态下随机核信号的时频能量特征,借助于统计学习理论的支持向量机(SVM)分类器原理进行训练和分类。研究结果表明:通过直接小波分解或去噪小波包分解,以获取核信号特征的方法是有效的;去噪小波包分解特征提取方式,较之直接小波分解特征提取方式更能反映中子裂变核系统的内部特征和规律;基于SVM核信号样本的分类,训练后的SVM分类器有着大于70%以上的正确率,且较好地克服了训练样本数较少的问题,验证了方法的可行性和有效性。     

Emission properties of fission fragments and their isomeric ratios

The properties of neutron emission from fragments formed in the spontaneous fission of ²⁵²Cf and in the thermal-neutron-induced fission of ²³⁵U are analyzed on the basis of the statistical model of nuclear reactions. Upon extracting the mean excitation energies of fission fragments from experimental data on the mean multiplicities of neutrons, the observables of neutron emission can be described over wide ranges of total kinetic energies and masses. The observed values of mean fragment spins are also reproduced. A method for calculating the isomeric ratios of the independent yields of fission fragments that is based on the cascade-evaporation model of excited-nucleus decay is employed to describe experimental data on ²³⁵U fission induced by thermal neutrons and on ²³⁸U fission induced by alpha particles. The effect exerted on the isomeric ratios for fission fragments by two different assumptions on the spin distributions of primary-fragment populations—the assumption of the distribution associated with rotational degrees of freedom and the assumption of the distribution associated with the internal degrees of freedom of fully accelerated fragments—is investigated.     

Non-destructive assay and computational model for enrichment verification of UF6 cylinders

Verification of ²³⁵U enrichment in uranium hexafluoride (UF₆) cylinders is often achieved by destructive (DA) and non-destructive assay (NDA) techniques. These techniques are time consuming and need suitable and similar standard. This is in addition to the loss of nuclear material in the case of destructive analysis.This paper introduces an innovative approach for verifying of ²³⁵U enrichment in UF₆ cylinder. The approach is based on measuring dose rate (μSv/h) due to the emitted gamma rays of ²³⁵U at the surface of the cylinder and then calculating the activity of uranium and enrichment percentage inside the cylinder by a developed three dimensional model. Attenuation of the main ²³⁵U gamma transitions due to the cylinder wall (5B type of Ni alloy) was also calculated and corrected for. The method was applied on UF₆ cylinders enriched with 19.75% of ²³⁵U. The calculated enrichment was found to be 18% with 9% uncertainty. By the suggested method, the calculated total uranium activity inside one of the investigated UF₆ cylinder was found close to the target (certified) value (5.6 GBq) with 9% uncertainty. The method is currently developed by taking into consideration other parameters.     

Detailed Investigations of Neutron–Neutron Angular Correlations in Slow-Neutron-Induced Fission of <Superscript>233</Superscript>U, <Superscript>235</Superscript>U,and <Superscript>239</Superscript>Pu

An experiment devoted to studying neutron–neutron angular correlations in the slow-neutroninduced fission of ²³³U, ²³⁵U and ²³⁹Pu nuclei was performed. The experimentally determined angular dependence of the number of neutron–neutron coincidences was compared with the results of a Monte Carlo simulation for various values of the neutron-detection threshold in the range between 490 and 2080 keV. It was found that the experimental angular distributions in question can be described well under the assumption that 2% to 5% of all prompt fission neutrons are emitted isotropically in the laboratory frame. Probably, such neutrons can be interpreted as so-called scission neutrons directly associated with the nuclear-rupture instant. Energy distributions of this component were also obtained from the present analysis.     

Operation of CANDU power reactor in thorium self-sufficient fuel cycle

This paper presents the results of calculations for CANDU reactor operation in thorium fuel cycle. Calculations are performed to estimate the feasibility of operation of heavy-water thermal neutron power reactor in self-sufficient thorium cycle. Parameters of active core and scheme of fuel reloading were considered to be the same as for standard operation in uranium cycle. Two modes of operations are discussed in the paper: mode of preliminary accumulation of ²³³U and mode of operation in self-sufficient cycle. For the mode of accumulation of ²³³U it was assumed for calculations that plutonium can be used as additional fissile material to provide neutrons for ²³³U production. Plutonium was placed in fuel channels, while ²³²Th was located in target channels. Maximum content of ²³³U in target channels was estimated to be ∼13 kg/t of ThO₂. This was achieved by irradiation for six years. The start of the reactor operation in the self-sufficient mode requires ²³³U content to be not less than 12 kg/t. For the mode of operation in self-sufficient cycle, it was assumed that all channels were loaded with identical fuel assemblies containing ThO₂ and certain amount of ²³³U. It is shown that nonuniform distribution of ²³³U in fuel assembly is preferable.      

Performance of an active well coincidence counter for HEU samples

Neutron coincidence counting is the reference NDA technique used in nuclear safeguards to measure the mass of nuclear material in samples. For high-enriched uranium (HEU) samples active neutron interrogation is generally performed and the most common device used by nuclear inspectors is the Active Well Coincidence Counter (AWCC).Within her master thesis at the Polytechnic of Milan, the first author performed an intensive study on the characteristics and performances of the AWCC in order to assess the ²³⁵U mass in HEU oxide samples at the PERLA laboratory of JRC. The work has been summarised in this paper that starts with the optimisation of the use of AWCC for nuclear safeguards, describing the calibration procedure, reporting results of a series of verification measurements, summarising the performances that can be obtained with this instruments during inspections at fuel production plants and concluding with the discussion of uncertainties related to these measurements.     

The emission of Long-Range α-particles in the thermal neurtron induced fission of233U,235U,and239Pu

The yields of the long-range α-particles (LRA) in the thermal neutron induced fission 0f²³³U,²³⁵U, and²³⁹Pu have been determined relative to the corresponding binary fiassion yield. The measurements were performed with surface harrier detectors on a thermalized reactor beam. We obtained for²³³U,²³⁵U and²³⁹Pu binary-to-LRA ratios the values 485±20 respectively 615±20, 475±20. Some of the discrepancies between the published data were explained and experimental indications for²³⁵U(n, α)- and²³⁹Pu(n, α)-reactions are present. Finally the LRA-yield was correlated with some other fission characteristics.     

Hyperfine structure and isotope shift measurements on 235U and laser separation of uranium isotopes by two-step photoionization

Two-step photoionization of an atomic beam and quadrupole mass analysis have been used for the precise measurement of the isotope shift between uranium isotopes 235 and 238 and the hyperfine structure of ²³⁵U. For the 5915 Å ground-state transition 15 hfs components were found. The residual atomic beam was isotopically enriched by factors 2.5 and 10 for ²³⁵U and ²³⁸U, respectively.     

The procedure and results of calculations of the equilibrium isotopic composition of a demonstration subcritical molten salt reactor

A subcritical molten salt reactor with an external neutron source is studied computationally as a facility for incineration and transmutation of minor actinides from spent nuclear fuel of reactors of VVER-1000 type and for producing ²³³U from ²³²Th. The reactor configuration is chosen, the requirements to be imposed on the external neutron source are formulated, and the equilibrium isotopic composition of heavy nuclides and the key parameters of the fuel cycle are calculated.     

Measurements of Fission and Radioactive Capture Reaction Rates Inside the Fuel of the Ipen/MB-01

This work presents the measures of the nuclear reaction rates along the radial direction of the fuel pellet by irradiation and posterior gamma spectrometry of a thin slice of fuel pellet of UO₂ at 4.3% enrichment. From its irradiation, the rate of radioactive capture and fission had been measured as a function of the radius of the pellet disk using a Ortec GMX HPGe detector. Lead collimators had been used for this purpose. Simulating the fuel pellet in the pin fuel of the IPEN/MB-01 reactor, a thin UO₂ disk is used, being inserted in the interior of a dismountable fuel rod. This fuel rod is then placed in the central position of the IPEN/MB-01 reactor core and irradiated during 1 h under a neutron flux of 5 ×10⁸ n/cm² s. In gamma spectrometry, 10 collimators with different diameters have been used; consequently, the nuclear reactions of radioactive capture that occurs in atoms of ²³⁸U and the fission that occurs on both ²³⁵U and ²³⁸U are measured in function of 10 different regions (diameter of collimator) of the UO₂ fuel pellet disk. Nuclear fission produces different fission products such as ¹⁴³Ce with a yield fission of 5.9% which decay is monitored in this work. Corrections in geometric efficiency due to introduction of collimators on HPGe detection system were estimated using photon transport of MCNP-4C code. Some calculated values of nuclear reaction rate of radioactive capture and fission along the radial direction of the fuel pellet obtained by Monte Carlo methodology, using the MCNP-4C code, are presented and compared to the experimental data showing very good agreement.     

Angular correlation of neutrons from thermal-neutron fission of 235U

The neutron-neutron angular correlation for neutrons with energies ? 1 MeV emitted in thermal-neutron-induced fission of ²³⁵U has been measured. The correlation could be adequately described by a simple model, assuming isotropic neutron emission in the fully accelerated fragment frames together with a 20% isotropic scission component and using binomial distributions to simulate the neutron multiplicity (instead of the usual gaussian form) for each fission fragment. The results give no indication of enhanced polar emission.     

Fission decay properties of ultra neutron-rich uranium isotopes

The fission decay of highly neutron-rich uranium isotopes is investigated which shows interesting new features in the barrier properties and neutron emission characteristics in the fission process. ²³³U and ²³⁵U are the nuclei in the actinide region in the beta stability valley which are thermally fissile and have been mainly used in reactors for power generation. The possibility of occurrence of thermally fissile members in the chain of neutron-rich uranium isotopes is examined here. The neutron number N = 162 or 164 has been predicted to be magic in numerous theoretical studies carried out over the years. The series of uranium isotopes around it with N = 154–172 are identified to be thermally fissile on the basis of the fission barrier and neutron separation energy systematics; a manifestation of the close shell nature of N = 162 (or 164). We consider here the thermal neutron fission of a typical representative ²⁴⁹U nucleus in the highly neutron-rich region. Semiempirical study of fission barrier height and width shows that ²⁵⁰U nucleus is stable against spontaneous fission due to increase in barrier width arising out of excess neutrons. On the basis of the calculation of the probability of fragment mass yields and the microscopic study in relativistic mean field theory, this nucleus is shown to undergo exotic decay mode of thermal neutron fission (multi-fragmentation fission) whereby a number of prompt scission neutrons are expected to be simultaneously released along with the two heavy fission fragments. Such properties will have important implications in stellar evolution involving r-process nucleosynthesis.