Status update on the NIFFTE high precision fission cross section measurement program

Conference · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2010

OSTI ID:1023417

Laptev, Alexander B ^[1]; Tovesson, Fredrik ^[1]; Burgett, Eric ^[2]; Greife, Uwe ^[3]; Grimes, Steven ^[4]; Heffner, Michael D ^[5]; Hertel, Nolan E ^[2]; Hill, Tony ^[6]; Isenhower, Donald ^[7]; Klay, Jennifer L ^[8]; Kornilov, Nickolay ^[4]; Kudo, Ryuho ^[8]; Loveland, Walter ^[9]; Massey, Thomas ^[4]; Mc Grath, Chris ^[6]; Pickle, Nathan ^[10]; Qu, Hai ^[10]; Sharma, Sarvagya ^[10]; Snyder, Lucas ^[3]; Thornton, Tyler ^[10] ; Towell, Rusty S ^[10]; Watson, Shon ^[10]

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1. Los Alamos National Laboratory
2. GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECH
3. COLORADO SCHOOL OF THE MINES
4. OHIO UNIV
5. LLNL
6. IDAHO NATIONAL LABORATORY
7. ABILENE CHRISTIN UNIV
8. CALIFORNIA POLYTECHNIC STATE UNIV
9. OREGON STATE UNIV
10. ABILENE CHRISTIAN UNIV

The Neutron Induced Fission Fragment Tracking Experiment (NIFFTE) program has been underway for nearly two years. The program's mission is to measure fission cross sections of the primary fissionable and fissile materials ({sup 235}U, {sup 239}Pu, {sup 238}U) as well as the minor actinides across energies from approximately 50 keV up to 20 MeV with an absolute uncertainty of less than one percent while investigating energy ranges from below an eV to 600 MeV. This basic nuclear physics data is being reinvestigated to support the next generation power plants and a fast burner reactor program. Uncertainties in the fast, resolved and unresolved resonance regions in plutonium and other transuranics are extremely large, dominating safety margins in the next generation nuclear power plants and power plants of today. This basic nuclear data can be used to support all aspects of the nuciear renaissance. The measurement campaign is utilizing a Time Projection Chamber or TPC as the tool to measure these cross sections to these unprecedented levels. Unlike traditional fission cross section measurements using time-of-flight and a multiple fission foil configurations in which fission cross sections in relation to that of {sup 235}U are performed, the TPC project uses time-of-flight and hydrogen as the benchmark cross section. Using the switch to hydrogen, a simple, smooth cross section that can be used which removes the uncertainties associated with the resolved and unresolved resonances in {sup 235}U.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC52-06NA25396
• OSTI ID: 1023417
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-10-04750; LA-UR-10-4750; TRN: US1104534
• Resource Relation: Conference: American Nuclear Society: 2010 Annual Meeting ; June 13, 2010 ; San Diego, CA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
ACCURACY
ACTINIDES
BENCHMARKS
BURNERS
CROSS SECTIONS
ENERGY RANGE
FISSILE MATERIALS
FISSION
FISSION FRAGMENTS
HYDROGEN
NEUTRONS
NUCLEAR PHYSICS
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
PLUTONIUM
POWER PLANTS
RESONANCE
SAFETY MARGINS
TIME PROJECTION CHAMBERS