Integral and differential measurements as tests of neutron diffusion calculations in the Purdue University Fast Breeder Blanket Facility

Thesis/Dissertation · Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:5869526

Harms, G A

The Purdue University Fast Breeder Blanket Facility (FBBF) was designed as a realistic mock-up of the radial blanket of a fast breeder reactor. Measurements made in the FBBF blanket can be used as benchmark tests of calculational methods used in the design of fast reactor blankets. Integral and differential measurements in the FBBF were used to test the accuracy of a two-dimensional diffusion calculation to the neutron flux. Neutron reaction rates for /sup 238/U capture, /sup 55/Mn capture, /sup 232/Th capture, /sup 197/Au capture, /sup 186/W capture, /sup 114/In capture, and /sup 115/In inelastic scattering were measured by activation analysis in three different blanket configurations of the FBBF. Circular metal foils were irradiated between the pellets in the blanket fuel rods. The absolute activity produced in each foil was measured with a Ge(Li) spectrometer system. Various corrections were made to the foil activities, and absolute reaction rates for the infinitely dilute target material were obtained. These reaction rates and previously measured fission rates and neutron spectra were compared with the results of the two-dimensional neutron diffusion calculation. The calculated absolute integral reaction rates compare favorably with the absolute measurements in the inner part of the blanket. The calculated results diverge from the measured results with increasing penetration into the blanket.

• Research Organization: Purdue Univ., Lafayette, IN (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5869526
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
BREEDING BLANKETS
NEUTRON ACTIVATION ANALYZERS
NEUTRON FLUX
FBR TYPE REACTORS
NEUTRON TRANSPORT THEORY
NUCLEAR REACTION KINETICS
TARGETS
BREEDER REACTORS
EPITHERMAL REACTORS
FAST REACTORS
KINETICS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
RADIATION FLUX
REACTION KINETICS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
TRANSPORT THEORY
210500* - Power Reactors
Breeding