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Title: Measuring and monitoring KIPT Neutron Source Facility Reactivity

Abstract

Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) of USA and Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology (KIPT) of Ukraine have been collaborating on developing and constructing a neutron source facility at Kharkov, Ukraine. The facility consists of an accelerator-driven subcritical system. The accelerator has a 100 kW electron beam using 100 MeV electrons. The subcritical assembly has keff less than 0.98. To ensure the safe operation of this neutron source facility, the reactivity of the subcritical core has to be accurately determined and continuously monitored. A technique which combines the area-ratio method and the flux-to-current ratio method is purposed to determine the reactivity of the KIPT subcritical assembly at various conditions. In particular, the area-ratio method can determine the absolute reactivity of the subcritical assembly in units of dollars by performing pulsed-neutron experiments. It provides reference reactivities for the flux-to-current ratio method to track and monitor the reactivity deviations from the reference state while the facility is at other operation modes. Monte Carlo simulations are performed to simulate both methods using the numerical model of the KIPT subcritical assembly. It is found that the reactivities obtained from both the area-ratio method and the flux-to-current ratio method are spatially dependent on the neutron detectormore » locations and types. Numerical simulations also suggest optimal neutron detector locations to minimize the spatial effects in the flux-to-current ratio method. The spatial correction factors are calculated using Monte Carlo methods for both measuring methods at the selected neutron detector locations. Monte Carlo simulations are also performed to verify the accuracy of the flux-to-current ratio method in monitoring the reactivity swing during a fuel burnup cycle.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [1]
  1. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
OSTI Identifier:
1224197
Report Number(s):
ANL-15/15
121380; TRN: US1500891
DOE Contract Number:  
AC02-06CH11357
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS; 43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS; SUBCRITICAL ASSEMBLIES; NEUTRON DETECTORS; MONTE CARLO METHOD; COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION; REACTIVITY; NEUTRON SOURCE FACILITIES; UKRAINE; BEAM CURRENTS; ELECTRON BEAMS; NEUTRONS; DOLLARS; NEUTRON FLUX; MONITORING; MEV RANGE 10-100; ACCELERATORS; OPERATION; MEASURING METHODS; ACCURACY; COORDINATES; CORRECTIONS

Citation Formats

Cao, Yan, Gohar, Yousry, and Zhong, Zhaopeng. Measuring and monitoring KIPT Neutron Source Facility Reactivity. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.2172/1224197.
Cao, Yan, Gohar, Yousry, & Zhong, Zhaopeng. Measuring and monitoring KIPT Neutron Source Facility Reactivity. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1224197
Cao, Yan, Gohar, Yousry, and Zhong, Zhaopeng. 2015. "Measuring and monitoring KIPT Neutron Source Facility Reactivity". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1224197. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1224197.
@article{osti_1224197,
title = {Measuring and monitoring KIPT Neutron Source Facility Reactivity},
author = {Cao, Yan and Gohar, Yousry and Zhong, Zhaopeng},
abstractNote = {Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) of USA and Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology (KIPT) of Ukraine have been collaborating on developing and constructing a neutron source facility at Kharkov, Ukraine. The facility consists of an accelerator-driven subcritical system. The accelerator has a 100 kW electron beam using 100 MeV electrons. The subcritical assembly has keff less than 0.98. To ensure the safe operation of this neutron source facility, the reactivity of the subcritical core has to be accurately determined and continuously monitored. A technique which combines the area-ratio method and the flux-to-current ratio method is purposed to determine the reactivity of the KIPT subcritical assembly at various conditions. In particular, the area-ratio method can determine the absolute reactivity of the subcritical assembly in units of dollars by performing pulsed-neutron experiments. It provides reference reactivities for the flux-to-current ratio method to track and monitor the reactivity deviations from the reference state while the facility is at other operation modes. Monte Carlo simulations are performed to simulate both methods using the numerical model of the KIPT subcritical assembly. It is found that the reactivities obtained from both the area-ratio method and the flux-to-current ratio method are spatially dependent on the neutron detector locations and types. Numerical simulations also suggest optimal neutron detector locations to minimize the spatial effects in the flux-to-current ratio method. The spatial correction factors are calculated using Monte Carlo methods for both measuring methods at the selected neutron detector locations. Monte Carlo simulations are also performed to verify the accuracy of the flux-to-current ratio method in monitoring the reactivity swing during a fuel burnup cycle.},
doi = {10.2172/1224197},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1224197}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}