Preparation and verification of mixed high-energy neutron crosssection library for ADS

An accelerator-driven subcritical system(ADS)is driven by an external spallation neutron source, which is generated from a heavy metal spallation target to maintain stable operation of the subcritical core, where the energy of the spallation neutrons can reach several hundred megaelectron volts. However, the upper neutron energy limit of nuclear cross-section databases, which are widely used in critical reactor physics calculations, is generally 20 MeV.This is not suitable for simulating the transport of highenergy spallation neutrons in the ADS. We combine the Japanese JENDL-4.0/HE high-energy evaluation database and the ADS-HE and ADS 2.0 libraries from the International Atomic Energy Agency and process all the data files for nuclides with energies greater than 20 MeV. We use the continuous pointwise cross-section program NJOY2016 to generate the ACE-formatted cross-section data library IMPC-ADS at multiple temperature points. Using the IMPC-ADS library, we calculate 10 critical benchmarks of the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project manual, the 14-MeV fixed-source problem of the Godiva sphere, and the neutron flux of the ADS subcritical core by MCNPX. To verify the correctness of the IMPCADS, the results were compared with those calculated using the ENDF/B-VII.0 library. The results showed thatthe IMPC-ADS is reliable in effective multiplication factor and neutron flux calculations, and it can be applied to physical analysis of the ADS subcritical reactor core.     

Impact of PHITS spallation models on the neutronics design of an accelerator-driven system

The impact of different spallation models and parametrisation of nucleon–nucleus interactions in the particle transport code PHITS on the nuclear characteristics of an accelerator-driven system (ADS) is investigated. Cut-off neutrons below 20 MeV calculated using the default option of the current spallation model (i.e. Liège intranuclear cascade (INC) model version 4.6, INCL4.6) are found to be 14% less than those calculated by the old spallation model (i.e. Bertini INC model). This decrease increases the proton beam current that drives the 800-MW thermal power and impacts various ADS parameters, including material damage, nuclear heating of the proton beam window and the inventory of spallation products. To validate these options based on the ADS neutronics design, we conduct benchmark calculations of the total and non-elastic cross sections, thick target neutron yields and activation reaction rate distributions. The results suggest that Pearlstein–Niita systematics, which is a default option of the nucleon–nucleus interaction parametrisation, would be the best option and that Bertini INC is better suited for cut-off neutrons than INCL4.6. However, because of the difficulty in making a definite conclusion on the spallation models, we conclude that relatively large uncertainty in the cut-off neutrons, which is the difference between the two spallation models (i.e. 14%), should be considered.     

Preliminary study on the thorium-loaded accelerator-driven system with 100 MeV protons at the Kyoto University Critical Assembly

At the Kyoto University Critical Assembly (KUCA), spallation neutrons generated by high-energy proton beams are injected into the thorium-loaded systems on March 2010. By combining the Fixed Field Alternating Gradient (FFAG) accelerator with the thorium-loaded system at KUCA, a series of the ADS experiments is carried out under conditions whereby the spallation neutrons are generated at a tungsten target by 100 MeV protons at an intensity of 30 pA. Prompt neutron behavior in the time evolution is observed and thorium fission reactions are attained through the experiments and calculations, respectively. And the effects of neutron leakage and spectrum softening are experimentally observed through the neutron multiplication and reaction rate analyses. From the experimental and numerical analyses, in the future, experimental conditions need to be improved to attain further neutron multiplication using the variation of fuels (thorium, highly-enriched and natural uranium) and moderators (graphite, polyethylene, aluminum and beryllium).     

Neutronic performance of the MEGAPIE spallation target under high power proton beam

The MEGAPIE project, aiming at the construction and operation of a megawatt liquid lead-bismuth spallation target, constitutes the first step in demonstrating the feasibility of liquid heavy metal target technologies as spallation neutron sources. In particular, MEGAPIE is meant to assess the coupling of a high power proton beam with a window-concept heavy liquid metal target. The experiment has been set at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Switzerland and, after a 4-month long irradiation, has provided unique data for a better understanding of the behavior of such a target under realistic irradiation conditions. A complex neutron detector has been developed to provide an on-line measurement of the neutron fluency inside the target and close to the proton beam. The detector is based on micrometric fission chambers and activation foils. These two complementary detection techniques have provided a characterization of the neutron flux inside the target for different positions along its axis. Measurements and simulation results presented in this paper aim to provide important recommendations for future accelerator driven systems (ADS) and neutron source developments.     

ADS散裂中子源材料不锈钢和钨的辐照效应(英文)

研究了80 MeV碳或85 MeV氟离子辐照在国产改进型316L不锈钢、普通不锈钢和钨中产生的辐照效应。实验结果表明,不锈钢的抗辐照性能比钨的好;它们中,国产改进型316L不锈钢具有最好的抗辐照性能。选用不锈钢做ADS散裂中子源的束窗等材料是较好的选择,采用国产改进型316L不锈钢是最佳的选择。     

活化法测量散裂靶中子能谱的实验验证

散裂靶中子的能谱对加速器驱动次临界系统的倍增因数和嬗变率等影响很大,计算表明散裂靶中子谱在MeV能区与裂变中子谱相近。本文利用活化法测量临界装置的泄漏中子谱和中子注量率,提出了用In、Al、Mg、Ti、Au、Zn、Ni、Rh、Fe和Co等活化箔测量散裂靶中子能谱和中子注量率的方案。结果表明,将活化箔在散裂靶中子场中辐照5h,中子注量最高达5×1014 cm-2量级,辐照后1h内取出活化箔,根据半衰期的长短安排测量顺序,可测量散裂靶的中子能谱和中子注量率。     

Measurement and calculation of high-energy neutron spectra behind shielding at the CERF 120 GeV/c hadron beam facility

Neutron energy spectra were measured behind the lateral shield of the CERF (CERN-EU High Energy Reference Field) facility at CERN with a 120 GeV/c positive hadron beam (a mixture of mainly protons and pions) on a cylindrical copper target (7-cm diameter by 50-cm long). An NE213 organic liquid scintillator (12.7-cm diameter by 12.7-cm long) was located at various longitudinal positions behind shields of 80- and 160-cm thick concrete and 40-cm thick iron. The measurement locations cover an angular range with respect to the beam axis between 13 and 133°. Neutron energy spectra in the energy range between 32 MeV and 380 MeV were obtained by unfolding the measured pulse height spectra with the detector response functions which have been verified in the neutron energy range up to 380 MeV in separate experiments. Since the source term and experimental geometry in this experiment are well characterized and simple and results are given in the form of energy spectra, these experimental results are very useful as benchmark data to check the accuracies of simulation codes and nuclear data.Monte Carlo simulations of the experimental set up were performed with the FLUKA, MARS and PHITS codes. Simulated spectra for the 80-cm thick concrete often agree within the experimental uncertainties. On the other hand, for the 160-cm thick concrete and iron shield differences are generally larger than the experimental uncertainties, yet within a factor of 2. Based on source term simulations, observed discrepancies among simulations of spectra outside the shield can be partially explained by differences in the high-energy hadron production in the copper target.     

Benchmarking of JEFF-3.2, FENDL-3.0 and TENDL-2014 evaluated data for tungsten with 14.8 MeV neutrons

Integral experiments on tungsten slab samples were carried out on the D-T neutron source facility at China Institute of Atomic Energy.Leakage neutron spectra from the irradiated tungsten target were measured by the time-of-flight technique.Accuracy of the nuclear data for tungsten was examined by comparing the measured neutron spectra with the leakage neutron spectra simulated using the MCNP-4C code with evaluated nuclear data of the JEFF-3.2,FENDL-3.0 and TENDL-2014 libraries.The results show that the calculations with JEFF-3.2 agree well with the measurements in the whole energy range and all angles,whereas the spectra calculated with FENDL-3.0 and TENDL-2014 have some discrepancies with the experimental data.     

Benchmarking of JEFF-3.2, FENDL-3.0 and TENDL-2014 evaluated data for tungsten with 14.8 MeV neutrons

Integral experiments on tungsten slab samples were carried out on the D-T neutron source facility at China Institute of Atomic Energy.Leakage neutron spectra from the irradiated tungsten target were measured by the time-of-flight technique.Accuracy of the nuclear data for tungsten was examined by comparing the measured neutron spectra with the leakage neutron spectra simulated using the MCNP-4C code with evaluated nuclear data of the JEFF-3.2,FENDL-3.0 and TENDL-2014 libraries.The results show that the calculations with JEFF-3.2 agree well with the measurements in the whole energy range and all angles,whereas the spectra calculated with FENDL-3.0 and TENDL-2014 have some discrepancies with the experimental data.     

可用一台ADS验证装置的150 MeV固态金属散裂中子靶的性质研究

对可以用于中国“加速器驱动洁净核能系统”的入射质子能量为150MeV,束流为3 mA的固态金属靶进行了研究。采用锥型几何结构作为靶的结构,材料选择钨,靶厚度为3 mm,对“靶-束窗”一体化结构进行了研究。研究了泄露中子产额和中子产额,泄露中子的能谱分布和空间分布,散裂碎片的分布以及能量沉积和辐射损伤。     

Shielding design and analyses of KIPT neutron source facility

Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) of USA and Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology (KIPT) of Ukraine have been collaborating on the conceptual design development of a neutron source facility. An electron accelerator drives a sub-critical facility (ADS) is used for generating the neutron source. The facility will be utilized for performing basic and applied nuclear researches, producing medical isotopes, and training young nuclear specialists. Monte Carlo code MCNPX has been utilized as the major design tool for the design, due to its capability to transport electrons, photons, and neutrons at high energies. However the ADS shielding calculations with MCNPX need enormous computational resources and the small neutron yield per electron makes sampling difficulty for the Monte Carlo calculations. The high energy electrons (E > 100 MeV) generate very high energy neutrons and these neutrons dominant the total radiation dose outside the shield. The radiation dose caused by high energy neutrons is ∼3-4 orders of magnitude higher than that of the photons. However, the high energy neutron fraction within the total generated neutrons is very small, which increases the sampling difficulty and the required computational time. To solve these difficulties, the user subroutines of MCNPX are utilized to generate a neutron source file, which record the generated neutrons from the photonuclear reactions caused by electrons. This neutron source file is utilized many times in the following MCNPX calculations for weight windows (importance function) generation and radiation dose calculations. In addition, the neutron source file can be sampled multiple times to improve the statistics of the calculated results. In this way the expensive electron transport calculations can be performed once with good statistics for the different ADS shielding problems. This paper presents the method of generating and utilizing the neutron source file by MCNPX for the ADS shielding calculation and similar accelerator facilities, and the accurate radiation dose analyses outside the shield using modest computational resources.     

Heat deposition in thick targets due to interaction of high energy protons and thermal hydraulics analysis

Heat deposition inside thick targets due to interaction of high energy protons (E_p ∼ GeV) has been estimated using an improved version of the Monte Carlo simulation code CASCADE.04.h. The results are compared with the available experimental data for thick targets of Be, Al, Fe, Cu, Pb and Bi at proton energies of 0.8 GeV, 1.0 GeV and 1.2 GeV. A more continuous heat deposition approach which has been adopted in CASCADE.04.h yields results which are in better agreement with the experimental data as compared to the ones from the earlier version of CASCADE.04. The results are also compared with the predictions of the FLUKA Monte Carlo code. Both CASCADE.04.h and FLUKA predictions are nearly similar for heavy targets and both agree with the experimental measurements. However, they do have differences in predictions for lighter targets where measurements also differ from the predictions. It is observed that the maximum heat loss in thick targets occurs at the beginning of the target due to increasing nuclear reaction contributions. This aspect is crucial in designing the window of a spallation neutron target employed in an accelerator driven sub-critical system (ADS) as this is the first material to be traversed by the proton beam and is subjected to the maximum temperature gradient. Optimization of the target-window parameters requires a careful estimation of heat deposition in the window region and this has been demonstrated through thermal hydraulic studies related to the design of a realistic lead bismuth eutectic (LBE) spallation neutron target for an ADS system.     

Neutron measurements for advanced nuclear systems: The n_TOF project at CERN

A few years ago, the neutron time-of-flight facility n_TOF was built at CERN to address some of the urgent needs of high-accuracy nuclear data for Accelerator Driven Systems and other advanced nuclear energy systems, as well as for nuclear astrophysics and fundamental nuclear physics. Thanks to the characteristics of the neutron beam, and to state-of-the-art detection and acquisition systems, high quality neutron cross-section data have been obtained for a variety of isotopes, many of which radioactive. Following an important upgrade of the spallation target and of the experimental area, a new measurement campaign has started last year. After a brief review of the most important results obtained so far at n_TOF, the new features of the facility are presented, together with the first results on the commissioning of the neutron beam. The plans for future measurements, in particular related to nuclear technology are finally discussed.     

先进裂变核能的关键核数据测量和CSNS白光中子源

在设计加速器驱动的次临界系统（ADS）、核废料嬗变装置及钍基熔盐堆时亟需一些关键核数据,当前核数据库受实验条件或中子能区的限制,存在核数据精度不高甚至少部分核素数据缺失的情况。本文综述了国内外相关的核数据研究和相应的白光中子源情况。基于中国散裂中子源(CSNS)的反角通道白光中子源实验终端的中子束流具有非常宽的能谱（0.01 eV~200 MeV）和很好的时间特性。模拟得到距靶80 m处的实验终端的中子注量率为9.3×10⁶cm^-2•s^-1,1 eV ~ 1 MeV能量间隔内的中子数占总中子数的53%;同时,加速器运行在双束团模式或单束团模式,时间分辨率均在0.3%～0.9%之间,适合开展核数据测量。     

Investigation of Lead Target Nuclei Used on Accelerator-Driven Systems for Tritium Production

High-current proton accelerators are being researched at Los Alamos National Laboratory and other laboratories for accelerator production of tritium, transmuting long-lived radioactive waste into shorter-lived products, converting excess plutonium, and producing energy. These technologies make use of spallation neutrons produced in (p,xn) and (n,xn) nuclear reactions on high-Z targets. Through (p,xn) and (n,xn) nuclear reactions, neutrons are produced and are moderated by heavy water. These moderated neutrons are subsequently captured on ³He to produce tritium via the (n,p) reaction. Tritium self-sufficiency must be maintained for a commercial fusion power plant. Rubbia succeeded in a proposal of a full scale demonstration plant of the Energy Amplifier. This plant is to be known the accelerator-driven system (ADS). The ADS can be used for production of neutrons in spallation neutron source and they can act as an intense neutron source in accelerator-driven subcritical reactors, capable of incinerating nuclear waste and of producing energy. Thorium and Uranium are nuclear fuels and Lead, Bismuth, Tungsten are the target nuclei in these reactor systems. The spallation targets can be Pb, Bi, W, etc. isotopes and these target material can be liquid or solid. Naturally Lead includes the ²⁰⁴Pb (%1.42), ²⁰⁶Pb (%24.1), ²⁰⁷Pb (%22.1) and ²⁰⁸Pb (%52.3) isotopes. The design of ADS systems and also a fusion-fission hybrid reactor systems require the knowledge of a wide range of better data. In this study, by using Hartree–Fock method with an effective nucleon-nucleon Skyrme interactions rms nuclear charge radii, rms nuclear mass radii, rms nuclear proton, neutron radii and neutron skin thickness were calculated for the ^{204, 206, 208}Pb isotopes. The calculated results have been compared with those of the compiled experimental and theoretical values of other studies.     

70MeV质子加速器产生的白光中子源强度和能谱的计算

用７０ＭｅＶ质子束轰击厚靶可产生白光中子源。选用金属钨作厚靶材料，应用适用于几十ＭｅＶ能区的核反应模型程序计算了中子能谱和角分布。结果表明：７０ｍｅＶ质子束在钨厚靶中终止前有４．６％的质子发生了反应，２００μＡ的７０ＭｅＶ质子束流产生的中子总强度为１．０１×１０１４Ｓ－１，中子平均能量为４．２ＭｅＶ，１０ＭｅＶ以上的中子强度为１．１５×１０１３Ｓ－１，高能中子主要在朝前的小角度区发射。     

Neutron production in bombardments of thin and thick W, Hg, Pb targets by 0.4, 0.8, 1.2, 1.8 and 2.5 GeV protons

Neutron experimental data relevant to the design of the target of neutron spallation sources are presented and discussed. The data include the reaction cross-sections for W, Hg and Pb investigated with 0.4, 0.8, 1.2, 1.8 and 2.5 GeV proton beams as well as the neutron production, neutron multiplicity distribution, as determined event per event using a high-efficiency detector. The production as a function of target material is investigated for both thin (with a single reaction) and thick targets (multiple reactions). Comparisons are made with the predictions of a high-energy transport code.     

加速器驱动的次临界系统散裂靶热工水力研究

散裂靶位于加速器驱动的次临界系统（ADS）的中心,为核嬗变提供所需的中子源。通过分析散裂靶的热工要求,选取铅铋合金（LBE）作为ADS的靶材料和冷却剂。使用MCNP程序计算质子束轰击靶区产生的能量沉积,并使用CFD程序FLUENT计算靶区热工特性。分析了不同设计参数及不同靶窗形状对ADS靶区温度分布和速度分布的影响,得到满足热工要求的可选方案。     

A function to provide neutron spectrum produced from the 9Be + p reaction with protons of energy below 12 MeV

A function to give the total neutron production cross section, angular distribution, and energy spectrum via the ⁹Be + p reaction has been created by fitting experimental data to characterize compact neutron sources with thick Be targets bombarded by protons with energy below 12 MeV. To examine the suitability of the function, calculations of the angle-dependent neutron energy spectra produced in thick Be targets with 4- and 12-MeV protons using the function were compared with corresponding experiments and calculations using the nuclear data libraries of ENDF/B-VII.0 and JENDL4.0/HE. The function was in better agreement with the experiments than the calculations using the libraries except for at backward angles. The ¹¹⁵In(n,n’)^115mIn reaction rates calculated using GEANT4 with source neutrons given by both the function and ENDF/B-VII.0 were compared with that measured at the RIKEN Accelerator-Driven Compact Neutron Source to evaluate the neutron spectrum above 1 MeV. The function slightly overestimated the measurement by 14% and the calculation with ENDF/B-VII.0 underestimated by 35%. It was concluded that the function can be applied in compact neutron source designs.