Measurements of neutron capture cross-sections for nuclides of interest in decommissioning; Sc, Cu, Zn, Ag, and In

Nakamura, Shoji; Shibahara, Yuji*; Endo, Shunsuke; Rovira Leveroni, G.; Kimura, Atsushi

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 61(11), p.1415 - 1430, 2024/11

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2024.2346347

Neutron capture cross-sections of nuclides targeted for decommissioning are necessary to contribute to the evaluation of radioactivity produced. The present study, Sc, Cu, Zn, Ag and In nuclides were selected as target ones, and their thermal-neutron capture cross-sections were measured by an activation method at Kyoto University Research Reactor. The thermal-neutron capture cross-sections were obtained as follows: 27.180.28 barn for Sc(n, )Sc, 4.340.06 barn for Cu(n, )Cu, 0.7190.011 barn for Zn(n, )Zn, 4.050.05 barn for Ag(n, )Ag and 8.530.27 barn for In(n, ) In. The results for Sc and Zn nuclides supported evaluated values within the limits of uncertainties, while those for the other nuclides were slightly different from evaluated ones. The obtained results are useful not only for the evaluation of production amount, but also for the monitor selection other than Au and Co by considering those nuclides as flux monitors.

Total and double differential scattering cross-section measurements of isotropic graphite

Kimura, Atsushi; Endo, Shunsuke; Nakamura, Shoji

EPJ Web of Conferences, 294, p.01002_1 - 01002_7, 2024/04

https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202429401002

A Comparative study of efficient sampling techniques for uncertainty quantification due to cross-section covariance data

Fujita, Tatsuya

Proceedings of International Conference on Physics of Reactors (PHYSOR 2024) (Internet), p.718 - 727, 2024/04

https://doi.org/10.13182/PHYSOR24-43640

The convergence process of the k-infinity uncertainty during random-sampling-based uncertainty quantification was compared between several efficient sampling techniques. The k-infinity uncertainty was evaluated by statistically processing several times of SERPENT 2.2.1 calculations using perturbed ACE files based on JENDL-5 cross-section covariance data. The antithetic sampling (AS), the Latin hypercube sampling (LHS), the control variates (CV), and the combination approaches of them were focused on in the present paper. In PWR-UO fuel assembly geometry without the nuclide depletion, as discussed in past studies, AS and LHS showed higher efficient convergence than nominal sampling without any efficient sampling techniques. In terms of CV, though a stand-alone application did not have a large impact on the k-infinity uncertainty convergence, its performance was improved in combination with AS, as discussed in the past study. In addition, a new combined approach of LHS and CV (CV+LHS) was proposed in the present paper. CV+LHS improved the k-infinity uncertainty convergence and was more efficient than CV+AS. The main reason for this improvement was that the convergence for the mean value of alternative parameters in CV was enhanced by applying LHS. Consequently, this study proposed the new combined approach of CV+LHS and confirmed its efficiency performance for the random-sampling-based uncertainty quantification in the PWR-UO fuel assembly geometry. The applicability of CV+LHS for the nuclide-depletion calculations will be confirmed in future studies.

Verification of direct coupling code system using FRENDY version 2 and GENESIS for light water reactor lattices

Fujita, Tatsuya; Yamamoto, Akio*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 18 Pages, 2024/00

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2024.2410918

This study newly established a direct coupling code system consisting of the nuclear data processing code FRENDY version 2, and the three-dimensional heterogeneous transport code GENESIS (FRENDY-V2/GENESIS) for easy implementation of the random-sampling-based uncertainty quantification considering the implicit effect due to nuclear cross-section (XS) perturbations. The multi-group macroscopic XSs prepared for GENESIS were generated by FRENDY version 2, where the Dancoff factor was calculated by the neutron current method. Then the background XSs were evaluated based on the Carlvik two-term rational approximation. The infinite multiplication factor (k-infinity) and the fission reaction rate distribution in UO and MOX lattice geometries were compared with MVP3 to verify the calculation accuracy of FRENDY-V2/GENESIS. The sensitivity analyses on the discretization conditions such as the ray tracing of the method of characteristics were also carried out. Through several comparisons between FRENDY-V2/GENESIS and MVP3, FRENDY-V2/GENESIS with the SHEM 361-group structure calculates the k-infinity within approximately 50 pcm and the fission reaction rate distribution within approximately 0.1% by the root mean square, respectively. Consequently, the applicability of FRENDY-V2/GENESIS was verified, and FRENDY-V2/GENESIS can be used to discuss the implicit effect due to multi-group XS perturbations.

Measurements of neutron total and capture cross sections of La and evaluation of resonance parameters

Endo, Shunsuke; Kawamura, Shiori*; Okudaira, Takuya*; Yoshikawa, Hiromoto*; Rovira Leveroni, G.; Kimura, Atsushi; Nakamura, Shoji; Iwamoto, Osamu; Iwamoto, Nobuyuki

European Physical Journal A, 59(12), p.288_1 - 288_12, 2023/12

https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/s10050-023-01203-4

no abstracts in English

Measurements of capture cross-section of Nb by activation method and half-life of Nb by mass analysis

Nakamura, Shoji; Shibahara, Yuji*; Endo, Shunsuke; Kimura, Atsushi

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 60(11), p.1361 - 1371, 2023/11

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2023.2198526

The thermal-neutron capture cross section () and resonance integral (I) for Nb among nuclides for decommissioning were measured by an activation method and the half-life of Nb by mass analysis. Niobium-93 samples were irradiated with a hydraulic conveyer installed in the research reactor in Institute for Integral Radiation and Nuclear Science, Kyoto University. Gold-aluminum, cobalt-aluminum alloy wires were used to monitor thermal-neutron fluxes and epi-thermal Westcott's indexes at an irradiation position. A 25-m-thick gadolinium foil was used to sort out reactions ascribe to thermal-and epi-thermal neutrons. Its thickness provided a cut-off energy of 0.133 eV. In order to attenuate radioactivity of Ta due to impurities, the Nb samples were cooled for nearly 2 years. The induced radio activity in the monitors and Nb samples were measured by -ray spectroscopy. In analysis based on Westcott's convention, the and I values were derived as 1.110.04 barn and 10.50.6 barn, respectively. After the -ray measurements, mass analysis was applied to the Nb sample to obtain the reaction rate. By combining data obtained by both -ray spectroscopy and mass analysis, the half-life of Nb was derived as (2.000.15)10 years.

Neutron total and capture cross-section measurements of Gd and Gd in the thermal energy region with the Li-glass detectors and NaI(Tl) spectrometer installed in J-PARCMLFANNRI

Kimura, Atsushi; Nakamura, Shoji; Endo, Shunsuke; Rovira Leveroni, G.; Iwamoto, Osamu; Iwamoto, Nobuyuki; Harada, Hideo; Katabuchi, Tatsuya*; Terada, Kazushi*; Hori, Junichi*; et al.

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 60(6), p.678 - 696, 2023/06

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2022.2134224

Thermal-neutron capture cross-section measurements of neptunium-237 with graphite thermal column in KUR

Nakamura, Shoji; Shibahara, Yuji*; Endo, Shunsuke; Kimura, Atsushi

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 59(11), p.1388 - 1398, 2022/11

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2022.2058639

The present study selected Np among radioactive nuclides and aimed to measure the thermal-neutron capture cross-section for Np in a well-thermalized neutron field by an activation method. A Np standard solution was used for irradiation samples. A thermal-neutron flux at an irradiation position was measured with neutron flux monitors: Sc, Co, Mo, Ta and Au. The Np sample and flux monitors were irradiated together for 30 minutes in the graphite thermal column equipped with the Kyoto University Research Reactor. The similar irradiation was carried out twice. After the irradiations, the Np samples were quantified using 312-keV gamma ray emitted from Pa in a radiation equilibrium with Np. The reaction rates of Np were obtained from gamma-ray peak net counts given by Np, and then the thermal-neutron capture cross-section of Np was found to be 173.84.4 barn by averaging the results obtained by the two irradiations. The present result was in agreement with the reported data given by a time-of-flight method within the limit of uncertainty.

High accuracy, high resolution U(n,f) cross section from n_TOF (CERN) from 18 meV to 10 keV

Mastromarco, M.*; Amaducci, S.*; Colonna, N.*; Kimura, Atsushi; 118 of others*

European Physical Journal A, 58(8), p.147_1 - 147_13, 2022/08

https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/s10050-022-00779-7

R&D on Accelerator Driven Nuclear Transmutation System (ADS) at J-PARC, 4; Proton beam technology and neutronics

Meigo, Shinichiro; Nakano, Keita; Iwamoto, Hiroki

Purazuma, Kaku Yugo Gakkai-Shi, 98(5), p.216 - 221, 2022/05

For the realization of accelerator-driven transmutation systems (ADS) and the construction of the ADS target test facility (TEF-T) at J-PARC, it is necessary to study the proton beam handling technology and neutronics for protons in the GeV energy region. Accordingly, the Nuclear Transmutation Division of J-PARC has studied these issues with using J-PARC's accelerator facilities, and so on. This paper introduces these topics.