ANALYSIS OF NEUTRON FIELDS GENERATED IN SPALLATION TARGETS OF B-URAN EXPERIMENTAL ASSEMBLY USING MONTE CARLO METHOD

The aim of this paper is to introduce experimental assembly B-URAN and the results of Monte Carlo simulations of neutron fields, which will be generated by using various spallation targets. This experimental assembly was constructed in Joint Institute of Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russian Federation, in order to study accelerator driven systems fundamental characteristics. Beam of 660 MeV protons should be used for that purpose. The MCNP model of such set-up has been developed at Brno University of Technology, Czech Republic. The goal is to get data needed for prediction of reaction rates in detectors placed in B-URAN experimental channels. Such data will be experimentally validated later. Furthermore, simulations of radiation exposure around this xperimental assembly were performed

Cross-sections of residual nuclei from deuteron irradiation of thin thorium target at energy 7 GeV

The residual nuclei yields are of great importance for the estimation of basic radiation-technology characteristics (like a total target activity, production of long-lived nuclides etc.) of accelerator driven systems planned for transmutation of spent nuclear fuel and for a design of radioisotopes production facilities. Experimental data are also essential for validation of nuclear codes describing various stages of a spallation reaction. Therefore, the main aim of this work is to add new experimental data in energy region of relativistic deuterons, as similar data are missing in nuclear databases. The sample made of thin natural thorium foil was irradiated at JINR Nuclotron accelerator with a deuteron beam of the total kinetic energy 7 GeV. Integral number of deuterons was determined with the use of aluminum activation detectors. Products of deuteron induced spallation reaction were qualified and quantified by means of gamma-ray spectroscopy method. Several important spectroscopic corrections were applied to obtain results of high accuracy. Experimental cumulative and independent cross-sections were determined for more than 80 isotopes including meta-stable isomers. The total uncertainty of results rarely exceeded 9%. Experimental results were compared with MCNP6.1 Monte-Carlo code predictions. Generally, experimental and calculated cross-sections are in a reasonably good agreement, with the exception of a few light isotopes in a fragmentation region, where the calculations are highly under-estimated. Measured data will be useful for future development of high-energy nuclear codes. After completion, final data will be added into the EXFOR database

Cross-sections of residual nuclei from deuteron irradiation of thin thorium target at energy 7 GeV

The residual nuclei yields are of great importance for the estimation of basic radiation-technology characteristics (like a total target activity, production of long-lived nuclides etc.) of accelerator driven systems planned for transmutation of spent nuclear fuel and for a design of radioisotopes production facilities. Experimental data are also essential for validation of nuclear codes describing various stages of a spallation reaction. Therefore, the main aim of this work is to add new experimental data in energy region of relativistic deuterons, as similar data are missing in nuclear databases. The sample made of thin natural thorium foil was irradiated at JINR Nuclotron accelerator with a deuteron beam of the total kinetic energy 7 GeV. Integral number of deuterons was determined with the use of aluminum activation detectors. Products of deuteron induced spallation reaction were qualified and quantified by means of gamma-ray spectroscopy method. Several important spectroscopic corrections were applied to obtain results of high accuracy. Experimental cumulative and independent cross-sections were determined for more than 80 isotopes including meta-stable isomers. The total uncertainty of results rarely exceeded 9%. Experimental results were compared with MCNP6.1 Monte-Carlo code predictions. Generally, experimental and calculated cross-sections are in a reasonably good agreement, with the exception of a few light isotopes in a fragmentation region, where the calculations are highly under-estimated. Measured data will be useful for future development of high-energy nuclear codes. After completion, final data will be added into the EXFOR database

Distribution of neutrons and protons in elongated targets

Analysis of neutron distribution was carried out for two elongated targets. The targets have cylindrical shape and are made of lead and carbon, respectively. The dimensions are approximately one meter in length and 19 cm in diameter. The targets were irradiated with 660 MeV proton beam at Phasotron accelerator at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research. The total number of protons was 2.35(18)E15 for the experiment with carbon target and the total number of particles at the second experiment was 2.32(19)E15. The produced neutron field was monitored by cobalt threshold activation detectors at various positions. The activation detectors were measured by means of gamma spectroscopy using HPGe detectors. Reaction rates of different radionuclides produced in the activation detectors were determined and the results from both experiments were compared. The ratios were calculated for 7 reactions produced in cobalt detectors. The ratio of the reaction rates shows that the number of residual nuclei with higher threshold energies is higher for experiment with carbon target than for the experiment with the lead target

Measurement of the high energy neutron flux on the surface of the natural uranium target assembly QUINTA irradiated by deuterons of 4 and 8 GeV energy

Experiments with the natural uranium target assembly “QUINTA” exposed to 4 and 8 GeV deuteron beams of the Nuclotron accelerator at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (Dubna) are analyzed. The reaction rates of 27Al(n,y1)24Na, 27Al(n,y2)22Na and 27Al(n,y3)7Be reactions with effective threshold energies of 5, 27, and 119 MeV were measured at both 4 GeV and 8 GeV deuteron beam energies. The average neutron fluxes between the effective threshold energies and the effective ends of the neutron spectra (which are 800 or 1000 MeV for 4 or 8 GeV deuterons) were determined. The evidence for the intensity shift of the neutron spectra to higher neutron energies with the increase of the deuteron energy from 4 GeV to 8 GeV was found from the ratios of the average neutron fluxes. The reaction rates and the average neutron fluxes were calculated with the MCNPX 2.7 code