• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권9호
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• pp.3553-3557
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• 2024

This manuscript describes a neutron counting system based on cylindrical fission counters that can monitor neutron activity for high-energy neutron flux above 10 MeV under electrically noisy environments with intense gamma rays. Miniature fission counters with depleted uranium as sensitive material and modular electronics were built for digital signal processing and high-countrate operation. The counters are 9.5 mm in diameter and 71.1 mm in active length. The author presents the results of Monte Carlo simulations of the fission-counter response for selected neutron sources and energies based on ENDF7.1, JENDL-5, and TENDL-2021 nuclear data libraries from 1 meV to 200 MeV. For a white neutron beam (Ē = 16.36 MeV) that irradiates the front face of a counter, the intrinsic efficiency is evaluated to be (2.24 ± 0.02) × 10^-5 counts/n, while the efficiency of the counter in the array appears to increase by at most 6.7%.

• Journal of the Korean Physical Society
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• 제80권
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• pp.953-963
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• 2022

Post-neutron emission fission product mass distributions are calculated by using pre-neutron emission fission product yields (FPYs) and neutron multiplicity. A semi-empirical model is used to calculate the pre-neutron FPY, first. Then the neutron multiplicity for each fission fragment mass is used to convert the pre-neutron FPY to the post-neutron FPY. In doing so, assumptions are made for the probability for a pre-emission fission fragment with a mass number A^* to decay to a post-emission fragment with a mass number A. The resulting post-neutron FPYs are compared with the data available. The systems where the experimental data of not only the pre- and post-neutron FPY but also neutron multiplicity are available are the thermal neutron-induced fission of ²³³U, ²³⁵U and ²³⁹Pu. Thus, we applied the model calculations to these systems and compared the calculation results with those from the GEF and the data from the ENDF and the EXFOR libraries. Both the pre- and post-neutron fission product mass distributions calculated by using the semi-empirical model and the neutron multiplicity reproduce the overall features of the experimental data.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권5호
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• pp.1895-1901
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• 2024

The fission model, G4ParaFissionModel, was enhanced in this study, mainly focusing on refining the energy dependence of the peak-to-valley ratio in the mass distribution and the energy dependence of the average total kinetic energy (TKE). The enhanced model was employed to investigate the characteristics of fission products from ²³⁵U(n, f) reaction. The calculated results, including fission yield, TKE distribution, prompt fission neutron and gamma spectra, were compared with both evaluated and experimental data. The comparison shows that these physical observables related nuclear data, which are of importance for developments of the nuclear power and physics, can be reasonably well reproduced.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제49권3호
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• pp.549-555
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• 2017

A lead slowing-down spectrometer (LSDS) system is under development to analyze isotopic fissile content that is applicable to spent fuel and recycled material. The source neutron mechanism for efficient and effective generation was also determined. The source neutron interacts with a lead medium and produces continuous neutron energy, and this energy generates dominant fission at each fissile, below the unresolved resonance region. From the relationship between the induced fissile fission and the fast fission neutron detection, a mathematical assay model for an isotopic fissile material was set up. The assay model can be expanded for all fissile materials. The correction factor for self-shielding was defined in the fuel assay area. The corrected fission signature provides well-defined fission properties with an increase in the fissile content. The assay procedure was also established. The assay energy range is very important to take into account the prominent fission structure of each fissile material. Fission detection occurred according to the change of the Pu239 weight percent (wt%), but the content of U235 and Pu241 was fixed at 1 wt%. The assay result was obtained with 2~3% uncertainty for Pu239, depending on the amount of Pu239 in the fuel. The results show that LSDS is a very powerful technique to assay the isotopic fissile content in spent fuel and recycled materials for the reuse of fissile materials. Additionally, a LSDS is applicable during the optimum design of spent fuel storage facilities and their management. The isotopic fissile content assay will increase the transparency and credibility of spent fuel storage.

• 한국방사성폐기물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국방사성폐기물학회 2003년도 가을 학술논문집
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• pp.590-595
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• 2003

An Exponential experiment system which is composed of a neutron detector, a signal analysis system and a neutron source, Cf-252 has been installed in order to experimentally determine the neutron effective multiplication factor for a PWR spent fuel assembly. The axial background neutron flux is measured in a preliminary performance test. From the results, the spacer grid position is determined to be consistent with the design specifications within a 2.3% relative error. The induced fission neutron for four of the assemblies is also measured by scanning the neutron source, Cf-252 or the neutron detector. The exponential decay constants have been evaluated by the application of the Poisson regression to the net induced fission neutron counts. The measured keffs determined on the basis of the exponential decay constants of Cl5 appeared to be 0.541, 0.540, 0.597 and 0.556, respectively, which are comparable with 0.55195$\pm$0.00232 of the MCNP calculation.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제11권4호
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• pp.295-301
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• 1979

열중성자에 의한 $U^{235}$의 핵분열 시에 가벼운 쪽 핵분열 생성물의 핵전하 분포를 질량수에 따라 계산했다. 1차 핵분열 생성물의 핵전하 분포를 계산해서 실험치와의 비교를 통해, 지금까지 게시된 핵분열 조각의 핵전하 분포를 결정하는 이론의 타당성을 검토한 결과 어느 이론도 핵분열 조각의 핵전하 분포를 정확하게 기술할 수 없는 것이 판명됐다. 핵분열 조각의 최빈전하 ($Z_{P}$)와 불변전하밀도($Z_{UCD}$, UCD : Unchanged Charge Density)와의 차이는 0.45~0.5 사이로 질량수에 따라 크게 변동하지 않음을 보여준다. 핵분열 조각의 핵전하 분포에서 분산도를 나타내는 표준편차 ($\sigma$)는 ~0.5의 값을 갖는 것으로 나타났다. 핵분열 생성물에서 중성자의 Odd-Even 효과가 나타나려면, 즉발중성자 방출확률에도 Odd-Even 효과가 나타나야 한다는 결론을 얻었다.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제34권1호
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• pp.9-14
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• 2009

High density polyethylene (HDPE) is degraded due to a radiation-induced oxidation when it is used as a neutron moderator in a neutron counter for a nuclear material accounting of spent fuels. The HDPE exposed to the gamma-ray emitted from the fission products in a spent nuclear fuel results in a radiation-induced degradation which changes its original molecular structure to others. So a neutron moderating power variation of HDPE, irradiated by a gamma radiation, was investigated in this work. Five HDPE moderator structures were exposed to the gamma radiation emitted from a $^{60}Co$ source to a level of $10^5-10^9$ rad to compare their post-irradiation properties. As a result of the neutron measurement test with 5 irradiated HDPE structures and a neutron measuring system, it was confirmed that the neutron moderating power for the $10^5$ rad irradiated HDPE moderator revealed the largest decrease when the un-irradiated pure one was used as a reference. It implies that a neutron moderating power variation of HDPE is not directly proportional to the integrated gamma dose rate. To clarify the cause of these changes, some techniques such as a FTIR, an element analysis and a densitometry were employed. As a result of these analyses, it was confirmed that the molecular structure of the gamma irradiated HDPEs had partially changed to others, and the contents of hydrogen and oxygen had varied during the process of a radiation-induced degradation. The mechanism of these changes cannot be explained in detail at present, and thus need further study.

• 한국방사성폐기물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국방사성폐기물학회 2005년도 춘계 학술대회
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• pp.344-349
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• 2005

Neutron count rate measurements to assay fissile content of uranium powder have been carried out in a neutron counter. The induced fission neutrons by Cf-252 neutron source are counted as the variation of fissile material in fuel material. The measured counts are compared with equivalent results obtained from calculation. It shows that the measured neutron counts versus quantity of $UO_2$ powder enrichment agreed reasonably well with the calculated values.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제54권8호
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• pp.3073-3084
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• 2022

The propagation of radiation source uncertainties in spent nuclear fuel (SNF) cask shielding calculations is presented in this paper. The uncertainty propagation employs the depletion and source term outputs of the deterministic code STREAM as input to the transport simulation of the Monte Carlo (MC) codes MCS and MCNP6. The uncertainties of dose rate coming from two sources: nuclear data and modeling parameters, are quantified. The nuclear data uncertainties are obtained from the stochastic sampling of the cross-section covariance and perturbed fission product yields. Uncertainties induced by perturbed modeling parameters consider the design parameters and operating conditions. Uncertainties coming from the two sources result in perturbed depleted nuclide inventories and radiation source terms which are then propagated to the dose rate on the cask surface. The uncertainty analysis results show that the neutron and secondary photon dose have uncertainties which are dominated by the cross section and modeling parameters, while the fission yields have relatively insignificant effect. Besides, the primary photon dose is mostly influenced by the fission yield and modeling parameters, while the cross-section data have a relatively negligible effect. Moreover, the neutron, secondary photon, and primary photon dose can have uncertainties up to about 13%, 14%, and 6%, respectively.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제37권1호
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• pp.101-108
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• 2005

The neutron induced nuclear cross-section data for Pd-105, Ag-109, Xe-131, and Cs-133 were calculated and evaluated from an unresolved energy to 20 MeV. The energy dependent optical model potential parameters were extracted based on recent experimental data and applied up to 20 MeV. A spherical optical model and a statistical model for the equilibrium energy, and a multistep direct and a multistep compound model for the pre-equilibrium energy were used in the calculation. The direct capture model was recently introduced for fast neutron capture. The theoretically calculated cross-sections were compared with the experimental data and the evaluated files. The total and capture cross-sections calculated using the model were in good agreement with the reference experimental data. The evaluated cross-section results were compiled in ENDF-6 format and merged with the resonance component, already adopted in the ENDF/B-VI release 8. New data library files covering from thermal to 20 MeV were created. They are at the preliminary stage of an ENDF/B- VII release.