Fundamental-mode sources in approach-to-critical experiments
Conference
·
OSTI ID:769001
The 1/M method is commonly used in approach-to-critical experiments to ensure criticality safety. Ideally, a plot of 1/M versus amount of nuclear material or separation distance will be linear. However, the result is usually a curve. If the curve is concave up it is said to be conservative, since the critical mass is underestimated. However, it is possible for the curve to be non-conservative and overestimate the critical mass. This paper discusses one of the factors contributing to the shape of the 1/M curve and how it can be predicted and measured. Two source distributions, producing the same number of spontaneous fission neutrons, will not necessarily contribute equally towards the multiplication of a given system. For this reason equally sized units added during an approach-to-critical will have different effects on the multiplication of the system. A method of denoting the relative importance of source distributions is needed. One method is to compare any given source distribution to its equivalent fundamental-mode source distribution. An equivalent fundamental-mode source is an imaginary source distributed identically in space, energy, and angle to the fundamental-mode fission source that would produce the same neutron multiplication as the given source distribution. A factor, denoted as g* and defined as the ratio of the fixed-source multiplication to the fundamental-mode multiplication, is used to relate a given source strength to its equivalent fundamental-mode source strength (Spriggs, et al., 1999).
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Department of Energy (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 769001
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-00-2423
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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