Validation of Monte Carlo simulation of neutron production in a spallation experiment

Journal Article · Wed Feb 25 00:00:00 EST 2015 · Annals of Nuclear Energy (Oxford)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2015.02.010· OSTI ID:1431329

Zavorka, L. ^[1]; Adam, J. ^[2]; Artiushenko, M. ^[3]; Baldin, A. A. ^[4]; Brudanin, V. B. ^[4]; Bukhal, O. ^[5]; Caloun, P. ^[6]; Chilap, V. V. ^[7]; Furman, W. I. ^[4]; Husak, K. ^[5]; Kadykov, M. G. ^[4]; Katovsky, K. ^[8]; Khushvaktov, J. ^[4]; Marin, I. I. ^[4]; Pronskikh, V. S. ^[9]; Solnyshkin, A. A. ^[4]; Sotnikov, V. ^[3]; Stegailov, V. I. ^[4]; Suchopar, M. ^[10]; Svoboda, O. ^[6] ; Tsoupko-Sitnikov, V. M. ^[4]; Tyutyunnikov, S. I. ^[4]; Voronko, V. ^[3]; Vrzalova, J. ^[11]; Wagner, V. ^[6]; Zhivkov, P. ^[12]; Zhuk, I. ^[5]

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1. Joint Inst. for Nuclear Research (JINR), Dubna (Russian Federation); Czech Technical Univ., Prague (Czech Republic). Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering
2. Joint Inst. for Nuclear Research (JINR), Dubna (Russian Federation); Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (ASCR), Prague (Czech Republic). Nuclear Physics Inst.
3. National Science Center Kharkiv Inst. of Physics and Technology (KIPT), Kharkov (Ukraine)
4. Joint Inst. for Nuclear Research (JINR), Dubna (Russian Federation)
5. Joint Inst. of Power and Nuclear Research NASB, Sosny, Minsk (Belarus)
6. Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (ASCR), Prague (Czech Republic). Nuclear Physics Inst.
7. Center of Physics and Technical Projects "Atomenergomash", Moscow (Russia)
8. Brno Univ. of Technology, Brno (Czech Republic)
9. Joint Inst. for Nuclear Research (JINR), Dubna (Russian Federation); Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)
10. Czech Technical Univ., Prague (Czech Republic). Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (ASCR), Prague (Czech Republic). Nuclear Physics Inst.
11. Joint Inst. for Nuclear Research (JINR), Dubna (Russian Federation); Czech Technical Univ., Prague (Czech Republic). Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (ASCR), Prague (Czech Republic). Nuclear Physics Inst.
12. Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia (Bulgaria). Inst. for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy

A renewed interest in experimental research on Accelerator-Driven Systems (ADS) has been initiated by the global attempt to produce energy from thorium as a safe(r), clean(er) and (more) proliferation-resistant alternative to the uranium-fuelled thermal nuclear reactors. The ADS research has been actively pursued at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR), Dubna, since decades. Most recently, the emission of fast neutrons was experimentally investigated at the massive (m = 512 kg) natural uranium spallation target QUINTA. The target has been irradiated with the relativistic deuteron beams of energy from 0.5 AGeV up to 4 AGeV at the JINR Nuclotron accelerator in numerous experiments since 2011. Neutron production inside the target was studied through the gamma-ray spectrometry measurement of natural uranium activation detectors. Experimental reaction rates for (n,γ), (n,f) and (n,2n) reactions in uranium have provided valuable information about the neutron distribution over a wide range of energies up to some GeV. The experimental data were compared to the predictions of Monte Carlo simulations using the MCNPX 2.7.0 code. In conclusion, the results are presented and potential sources of partial disagreement are discussed later in this work.

• Research Organization: Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC02-07CH11359
• OSTI ID: 1431329
• Report Number(s): FERMILAB-PUB-15-688-APC; 1622393; TRN: US1803016
• Journal Information: Annals of Nuclear Energy (Oxford), Vol. 80, Issue C; ISSN 0306-4549
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
Accelerator-driven systems
Uranium spallation target
Neutron emission
Activation measurement
Monte Carlo simulation