Measurements of delayed-neutron emission from {sup 237}Np, {sup 241}Am, and {sup 243}Am

Journal Article · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society

OSTI ID:186706

Saleh, H H; Parish, T A ^[1]; Raman, S ^[2]

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1. Texas A&M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)
2. Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

Isotopes of transuranic elements are produced by successive radiative capture reactions in the fuel of a nuclear reactor. Typically, these transuranic isotopes decay through long chains, have long half-lives, and dominate the long-term toxicity of the spent reactor fuel. One of the options for waste management is to remove the transuranics from spent fuel by chemical processing, to load them into new special fuel elements, and to transmute them by neutron-induced fission into shorter lived fission fragments. Previous studies have shown the feasibility of actinide transmutation in either light water reactors or liquid-metal-cooled fast reactors. Due to the anticipated high transuranic loadings in the fuel of actinide burner reactors, the neutronic properties of the transuranic isotopes will have a significant effect on the operational and safety characteristics of such reactors. Experiments to determine delayed-neutron group yields and decay constants for {sup 237}Np, {sup 241}Am, and {sup 243}Am have been designed and carried out. The experiments were conducted at Texas A&M University on the TRIGA reactor using a very fast pneumatic transfer system.

• OSTI ID: 186706
• Report Number(s): CONF-950601--
• Journal Information: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society Vol. 72; ISSN 0003-018X; ISSN TANSAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
ACTINIDE BURNER REACTORS
AMERICIUM 241
AMERICIUM 243
DECAY
FAST REACTORS
FISSION FRAGMENTS
FUEL CYCLE
NEPTUNIUM 237
NEUTRON EMISSION
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
TRANSMUTATION
TRIGA-TEXAS REACTOR