7 research outputs found
Analysis of Core Physics Experiments on Fresh and Irradiated BR3 MOX Fuel in REBUS Program
Experimental determination of the energy generated in nuclear cascades by a high energy beam
EXPERIMENTAL-DETERMINATION OF THE ENERGY GENERATED IN NUCLEAR CASCADES BY A HIGH-ENERGY BEAM
An already existing, sub-critical arrangement made of natural uranium
and water moderator has been exposed to a low intensity (approximate to
10(9) ppp) proton beam from CERN-PS at several kinetic energies from 600
MeV to 2.75 GeV. The energy delivered by the hadronic cascade induced by
the beam in the device has been measured by the temperature rise of
small sampling blocks of uranium located in several different positions
inside the device and counting the fissions in thin probe foils of
natural uranium. We find typically G approximate to 30 in reasonable
agreement with calculations, where G is the ratio of the energy produced
in the device to the energy delivered by the beam. This result opens the
way to the realisation of the so-called Energy Amplifier, a practical
device to produce energy from thorium or depleted uranium targets
exposed to an intense high energy proton beam. Results show that the
optimal kinetic energy is greater than or equal to 1 GeV, below which G
decreases but is still acceptable in the energy range explored