Neutron Activation Foil and Thermoluminescent Dosimeter Responses to a Lead Reflected Pulse of the CEA Valduc SILENE Critical Assembly

Technical Report · Thu Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 2016

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1326508· OSTI ID:1326508

Miller, Thomas Martin ^[1]; Celik, Cihangir ^[1]; Isbell, Kimberly McMahan ^[1]; Lee, Yi-kang ^[2]; Gagnier, Emmanuel ^[2]; Authier, Nicolas ^[2]; Piot, Jerome ^[2]; Jacquet, Xavier ^[2]; Rousseau, Guillaume ^[2]; Reynolds, Kevin H. ^[3]

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1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
2. Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA-Saclay), Gif-sur-Yvette (France)
3. Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

This benchmark experiment was conducted as a joint venture between the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the French Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA). Staff at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in the US and the Centre de Valduc in France planned this experiment. The experiment was conducted on October 13, 2010 in the SILENE critical assembly facility at Valduc. Several other organizations contributed to this experiment and the subsequent evaluation, including CEA Saclay, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the Y-12 National Security Complex (NSC), Babcock International Group in the United Kingdom, and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The goal of this experiment was to measure neutron activation and thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) doses from a source similar to a fissile solution critical excursion. The resulting benchmark can be used for validation of computer codes and nuclear data libraries as required when performing analysis of criticality accident alarm systems (CAASs). A secondary goal of this experiment was to qualitatively test performance of two CAAS detectors similar to those currently and formerly in use in some US DOE facilities. The detectors tested were the CIDAS MkX and the Rocky Flats NCD-91. The CIDAS detects gammas with a Geiger-Muller tube, and the Rocky Flats detects neutrons via charged particles produced in a thin ⁶LiF disc, depositing energy in a Si solid-state detector. These detectors were being evaluated to determine whether they would alarm, so they were not expected to generate benchmark quality data.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1326508
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM--2016/316; DP0909010; DPDP097; alarm-tran-pb-shield-001
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
ACTIVATION DETECTORS
ALARM SYSTEMS
BENCHMARKS
CHARGED PARTICLES
COMPUTER CODES
CRITICALITY
EVALUATION
EXCURSIONS
FISSILE MATERIALS
FOILS
GEIGER-MUELLER COUNTERS
JOINT VENTURES
LEAD
LITHIUM 6
LITHIUM FLUORIDES
NEUTRONS
NUCLEAR DATA COLLECTIONS
PERFORMANCE
PULSES
RADIATION ACCIDENTS
RADIATION DOSES
SI SEMICONDUCTOR DETECTORS
SILENE REACTOR
SOLUTIONS
THERMOLUMINESCENT DOSEMETERS
VALIDATION