An Overview of the Current Status of Resonance Theory in Reactor Physics Applications

Conference · Sun Oct 03 04:00:00 EDT 1993

OSTI ID:10145926

Hwang, R. N. ^[1]

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1. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

The neutron resonance phenomena constitute one of the most fundamental subjects in nuclear physics as well as in reactor physics. It is the area where the concepts of nuclear interaction and the treatment of the neutronic balance in reactor lattices become intertwined. The later requires the detailed knowledge of resonance structures of many nuclides of practical interest to the development of nuclear energy. The key issue of the resonance treatment in reactor applications is directly associated with the use of the microscopic cross sections in the macroscopic reactor cells with a wide range of composition, temperature, and geometric configurations. It gives rise to the so called self-shielding effect. The accurate estimations of such an effect are essential not only in the calculation of the criticality of a reactor but also from the point of view of safety considerations. The latter manifests through the Doppler effect particularly crucial to the fast reactor development. The task of accurate treatment of the self-shielding effect, however, is by no means simple. In fact, it is perhaps the most complicated problem in neutron physics which, strictly speaking, requires the dependence of many physical variables. Two important elements of particular interest are: (1) a concise description of the resonance cross sections as a function of energy and temperature; (2) accurate estimation of the corresponding neutron flux where appropriate. These topics will be discussed from both the historical as well as the state-of-art perspectives.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP); USDOE Nuclear Energy Programs
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 10145926
• Report Number(s): ANL/RA/CP--80550; CONF-9310313--1; ON: DE94010465
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
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73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
990200
Adler-Adler (AA)
BREIT-WIGNER FORMULA
CROSS SECTIONS
Doppler Effect
Evaluated Nuclear Data File (ENDF)
LMFBR TYPE REACTORS
Light Water Reactor (LWR)
MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTERS
MATRICES
NEUTRON FLUX
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
R-Matrix Theory
REACTOR LATTICES
REACTOR PHYSICS
REICH-MOORE FORMULA
RESONANCE
RESONANCE ABSORPTION
RESONANCE INTEGRALS
Reich-Moore (RM)
SHIELDING
Single Level Breit-Wigner (SLBVV)
THEORY AND CALCULATION
WATER COOLED REACTORS
ZERO POWER REACTORS
Zero Power Reactor