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, 11 Pages, 2023/00

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.

Bias effects on g- and s-factors in Westcott convention

Harada, Hideo

Applied Sciences (Internet), 11(14), p.6558_1 - 6558_20, 2021/07

https://doi.org/10.3390/app11146558

For accuracy improvement of neutron activation analysis and neutron capture cross section, bias effects are investigated on g- and s-factors in the Westcott convention. As origins of biases, a joining function shape, neutron temperature and sample temperature, have been investigated. Biases are quantitatively deduced for two 1/v isotopes (Au, Co) and six non-1/v isotopes (Am, Eu, Rh, In, Hf, Ra). The s-factor calculated with a joining function deduced recently by a detailed Monte Carlo simulation is compared to s-factors calculated with traditional joining functions by Westcott. The results show the bias induced by sample temperature is small as the order of 0.1% for g-factor and the order of 1% for s-factor. On the other hand, biases induced by a joining function shape for s-factor depend significantly on both isotopes and neutron temperature. As the result, reaction rates are also affected significantly as well. The bias size on reaction rate is given in the case of epithermal neutron index r = 0.1, for the eight isotopes.

A New convention for the epithermal neutron spectrum for improving accuracy of resonance integrals

Harada, Hideo; Takayama, Naoki; Komeda, Masao

Journal of Physics Communications (Internet), 4(8), p.085004_1 - 085004_17, 2020/08

https://doi.org/10.1088/2399-6528/aba735

A new convention of epithermal neutron spectrum is formulated for improving accuracy of resonance integrals. The new type function is proposed as an approximating function of epithermal neutron spectrum based on calculations by the state-of-art Monte Carlo code MVP-3. Bias effects on determination of resonance integrals due to utilizing approximating functions of the traditional types and the new type are compared. The other bias effect is also investigated, which is caused by neglecting position dependence of a neutron spectrum inside an irradiation capsule. For demonstrating the bias effects due to these assumptions on neutron spectrum quantitatively in a practical case, the thermal neutron-capture cross section and resonance integral of Cs measured at a research reactor JRR-3 are re-evaluated. A superior property of the proposed new convention is discussed. The experimental method is proposed to determine the new shape factor introduced in the convention by a combinational use of triple flux monitors (Au, Co and Zr), and its analytical methodology is formulated.

Measurements of thermal-neutron capture cross-section of cesium-135 by applying mass spectrometry

Nakamura, Shoji; Shibahara, Yuji*; Kimura, Atsushi; Iwamoto, Osamu; Uehara, Akihiro*; Fujii, Toshiyuki*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 57(4), p.388 - 400, 2020/04

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2019.1691077

The thermal-neutron capture cross-section () and resonance integral(I) were measured for the Cs(n,)Cs reaction by an activation method and mass spectrometry. We used Cs contained as an impurity in a normally available Cs standard solution. An isotope ratio of Cs and Cs in a standard Cs solution was measured by mass spectrometry to quantify Cs. The analyzed Cs samples were irradiated at the hydraulic conveyer of the research reactor in Institute for Integral Radiation and Nuclear Science, Kyoto University. Wires of Co/Al and Au/Al alloys were used as neutron monitors to measure thermal-neutron fluxes and epi-thermal Westcott's indices at an irradiation position. A gadolinium filter was used to measure the , and a value of 0.133 eV was taken as the cut-off energy. Gamma-ray spectroscopy was used to measure induced activities of Cs, Cs and monitor wires. On the basis of Westcott's convention, the and I values were derived as 8.570.25 barn, and 45.33.2 barn, respectively. The obtained in the present study agreed within the limits of uncertainties with the past reported value of 8.30.3 barn.

Measurements of thermal-neutron capture cross-section and resonance integral of neptunium-237

Nakamura, Shoji; Kitatani, Fumito; Kimura, Atsushi; Uehara, Akihiro*; Fujii, Toshiyuki*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 56(6), p.493 - 502, 2019/06

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2019.1598304

The thermal-neutron capture cross-section()and resonance integral(I) were measured for the Np(n,)Np reaction by an activation method. A method with a Gadolinium filter, which is similar to the Cadmium difference method, was used to measure the with paying attention to the first resonance at 0.489 eV of Np, and a value of 0.133 eV was taken as a cut-off energy. Neptunium-237 samples were irradiated at the pneumatic tube of the Kyoto University Research Reactor in Institute for Integral Radiation and Nuclear Science, Kyoto University. Wires of Co/Al and Au/Al alloys were used as monitors to determine thermal-neutron fluxes and epi-thermal Westcott's indices at an irradiation position. A -ray spectroscopy was used to measure activities of Np, Np and neutron monitors. On the basis of Westcott's convention, the and I values were derived as 186.96.2 barn, and 100990 barn, respectively.

Study on neutron beam pulse width dependence in the nuclear fuel measurement by the neutron resonance transmission analysis

Kitatani, Fumito; Tsuchiya, Harufumi; Toh, Yosuke; Hori, Junichi*; Sano, Tadafumi*; Takahashi, Yoshiyuki*; Nakajima, Ken*

KURRI Progress Report 2017, P. 99, 2018/08

https://www.rri.kyoto-u.ac.jp/PUB/report/PR/ProgRep2017/CO2.pdf

Evaluation of neutron resonance parameters for Zr isotopes

Ichihara, Akira

JAEA-Conf 2017-001, p.103 - 108, 2018/01

https://doi.org/10.11484/jaea-conf-2017-001

In the Nuclear Data Center of Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA-NDC), we are engaged in the evaluation activity for the next version of the Japanese Evaluated Nuclear Data Library, JENDL-4.0. Zirconium is an important structural material in nuclear reactors, and zircaloys are being employed in fuel rods. Also, Zr is a long-lived fission product (LLFP) with a half-life of 1.6110 years. At present we are investigating resonance parameters of Zr isotopes using experimental data published after the evaluation of JENDL-4.0. Through this work, a negative resonance of Zr in JENDL-4.0 was removed to reproduce the J-PARC/MLF/ANRRI experiment. The resonance parameters for other natural Zr isotopes will be altered by adopting the data obtained at CERN n-TOF experiments.

Development of neutron resonance densitometry as a technique of material accountancy of nuclear materials with complicated shapes and components; Development of a technique of nuclear material measurements in particle like debris

Koizumi, Mitsuo; Harada, Hideo; Schillebeeckx, P.*

Nihon Genshiryoku Gakkai-Shi ATOMO, 58(9), p.563 - 567, 2016/09

no abstracts in English

Techniques of neutron resonance capture analysis and prompt -ray analysis for active neutron NDA

Koizumi, Mitsuo; Tsuchiya, Harufumi; Kitatani, Fumito; Kureta, Masatoshi; Seya, Michio; Harada, Hideo; Heyse, J.*; Kopecky, S.*; Mondelaers, W.*; Paradela, C.*; et al.

Proceedings of 37th ESARDA Annual Meeting (Internet), p.852 - 858, 2015/08

JAEA-ISCN development programs of advanced NDA technologies of nuclear material

Seya, Michio; Kobayashi, Naoki; Naoi, Yosuke; Hajima, Ryoichi; Soyama, Kazuhiko; Kureta, Masatoshi; Nakamura, Hironobu; Harada, Hideo

Book of Abstracts, Presentations and Papers of Symposium on International Safeguards; Linking Strategy, Implementation and People (Internet), 8 Pages, 2015/03

https://www.iaea.org/safeguards/symposium/2014/home/eproceedings/sg2014-papers/000069.pdf

https://www.iaea.org/safeguards/symposium/2014/home/eproceedings/sg2014-slides/000069.pdf

JAEA-ISCN has been implementing basic development programs of the advanced NDA technologies for nuclear material (NM) since 2011JFY (Japanese Fiscal Year), which are (1) NRF (Nuclear resonance fluorescence) NDA technology using laser Compton scattered (LCS) -rays (intense mono-energetic -rays), (2) Alternative to He neutron detection technology using ZnS/BO ceramic scintillator, and (3) NRD (Neutron resonance densitometry) using NRTA (Neutron resonance transmission analysis) and NRCA (Neutron resonance capture analysis). These programs are going to be finished in 2014JFY and have demonstration tests in February - March 2015.