Validation of Unresolved Neutron Resonance Parameters Using a Thick-Sample Transmission Measurement
Abstract
Often discrepancies can be found in the corresponding cross sections of different evaluated nuclear data libraries. Traditional integral benchmarks that are used to validate such libraries are sensitive to cross-section values across many different energies. This means an erroneously low cross section at one energy may compensate for an erroneously high cross section at another energy, and the integral benchmark value may still be met. While the evaluated cross section may agree with that single benchmark, it could affect other systems differently. To reduce the potential for this error, an energy differential validation method is proposed herein for continuous energy Monte Carlo neutron transport models in the resolved resonance region and the unresolved resonance region (URR). The proposed method exposes the underlying physics of the URR and validates both the average cross section and resonance self-shielding effect driven by the fluctuations in that cross section. This is done by measuring the neutron transmission of a thick sample that, by its nature, exaggerates the resonance self-shielding effect. This validation method is shown to be very sensitive to the cross-section model used (resolved versus unresolved) and the fluctuation correction employed, allowing it to probe the validity of the previously mentioned cross-section evaluations.more »
- Authors:
-
[1];
[1]
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY (United States)
- Naval Nuclear Lab., Schenectady, NY (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1651294
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC05-00OR22725
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Nuclear Science and Engineering
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 194; Journal Issue: 3; Journal ID: ISSN 0029-5639
- Publisher:
- American Nuclear Society - Taylor & Francis
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 42 ENGINEERING
Citation Formats
Brown, Jesse M., Block, R. C., Youmans, A., Choun, H., Ney, A., Blain, E., Barry, D. P., Rapp, M. J., and Danon, Y. Validation of Unresolved Neutron Resonance Parameters Using a Thick-Sample Transmission Measurement. United States: N. p., 2019.
Web. doi:10.1080/00295639.2019.1688087.
Brown, Jesse M., Block, R. C., Youmans, A., Choun, H., Ney, A., Blain, E., Barry, D. P., Rapp, M. J., & Danon, Y. Validation of Unresolved Neutron Resonance Parameters Using a Thick-Sample Transmission Measurement. United States. https://doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2019.1688087
Brown, Jesse M., Block, R. C., Youmans, A., Choun, H., Ney, A., Blain, E., Barry, D. P., Rapp, M. J., and Danon, Y. Tue .
"Validation of Unresolved Neutron Resonance Parameters Using a Thick-Sample Transmission Measurement". United States. https://doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2019.1688087. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1651294.
@article{osti_1651294,
title = {Validation of Unresolved Neutron Resonance Parameters Using a Thick-Sample Transmission Measurement},
author = {Brown, Jesse M. and Block, R. C. and Youmans, A. and Choun, H. and Ney, A. and Blain, E. and Barry, D. P. and Rapp, M. J. and Danon, Y.},
abstractNote = {Often discrepancies can be found in the corresponding cross sections of different evaluated nuclear data libraries. Traditional integral benchmarks that are used to validate such libraries are sensitive to cross-section values across many different energies. This means an erroneously low cross section at one energy may compensate for an erroneously high cross section at another energy, and the integral benchmark value may still be met. While the evaluated cross section may agree with that single benchmark, it could affect other systems differently. To reduce the potential for this error, an energy differential validation method is proposed herein for continuous energy Monte Carlo neutron transport models in the resolved resonance region and the unresolved resonance region (URR). The proposed method exposes the underlying physics of the URR and validates both the average cross section and resonance self-shielding effect driven by the fluctuations in that cross section. This is done by measuring the neutron transmission of a thick sample that, by its nature, exaggerates the resonance self-shielding effect. This validation method is shown to be very sensitive to the cross-section model used (resolved versus unresolved) and the fluctuation correction employed, allowing it to probe the validity of the previously mentioned cross-section evaluations. Tantalum-181 is used as an example to demonstrate the impact of different resonance evaluations. It was found that the JEFF-3.3 and JENDL-4.0u evaluations made reasonable choices for cross-section models of 181Ta; none of the current evaluations, however, can be used to properly model the validation transmission over all energies. It was also found that updating resonance parameters in the URR provided better agreement with the validation transmission.},
doi = {10.1080/00295639.2019.1688087},
journal = {Nuclear Science and Engineering},
number = 3,
volume = 194,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Dec 10 00:00:00 EST 2019},
month = {Tue Dec 10 00:00:00 EST 2019}
}
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
Other availability
Search WorldCat to find libraries that may hold this journal
Cited by: 2 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science
Web of Science
Save to My Library
You must Sign In or Create an Account in order to save documents to your library.
Works referenced in this record:
ENDF/B-VIII.0: The 8 th Major Release of the Nuclear Reaction Data Library with CIELO-project Cross Sections, New Standards and Thermal Scattering Data
journal, February 2018
- Brown, D. A.; Chadwick, M. B.; Capote, R.
- Nuclear Data Sheets, Vol. 148
The NJOY Nuclear Data Processing System, Version 2016
report, January 2017
- Macfarlane, Robert; Muir, Douglas W.; Boicourt, R. M.
Resistance, Emissivities and Melting Point of Tantalum
journal, April 1939
- Malter, L.; Langmuir, D. B.
- Physical Review, Vol. 55, Issue 8
JENDL-4.0: A New Library for Nuclear Science and Engineering
journal, January 2011
- Shibata, Keiichi; Iwamoto, Osamu; Nakagawa, Tsuneo
- Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, Vol. 48, Issue 1
Towards a More Complete and Accurate Experimental Nuclear Reaction Data Library (EXFOR): International Collaboration Between Nuclear Reaction Data Centres (NRDC)
journal, June 2014
- Otuka, N.; Dupont, E.; Semkova, V.
- Nuclear Data Sheets, Vol. 120
Initial MCNP6 Release Overview
journal, December 2012
- Goorley, T.; James, M.; Booth, T.
- Nuclear Technology, Vol. 180, Issue 3
The black and white filter method for background determination in neutron time-of-flight spectrometry
journal, July 1982
- Syme, D. B.
- Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Vol. 198, Issue 2-3
Resonance Parameters of Tantalum-181 in Neutron Energy Range from 100 to 4,300eV
journal, December 1987
- Tsubone, Izumi; Nakajima, Yutaka; Kanda, Yukinori
- Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, Vol. 24, Issue 12
Neutron Capture Cross Sections of Tantalum from 2.6 to 1900 keV
journal, April 1984
- Macklin, R. L.
- Nuclear Science and Engineering, Vol. 86, Issue 4
Neutron–nuclear data benchmark for copper and tungsten by slab assembly transmission experiments with DT neutrons
journal, November 2001
- Murata, I.; Nishio, T.; Kondo, T.
- Fusion Engineering and Design, Vol. 58-59
Data reduction and uncertainty propagation of time-of-flight spectra with AGS
journal, November 2012
- Becker, B.; Bastian, C.; Emiliani, F.
- Journal of Instrumentation, Vol. 7, Issue 11
Neutron resonances in181Ta AT 2?70 eV
journal, June 1975
- Belanova, T. S.; Kolesov, A. G.; Poruchikov, V. A.
- Soviet Atomic Energy, Vol. 38, Issue 6
Photoneutron target development for the RPI linear accelerator
journal, December 1999
- Overberg, M. E.; Moretti, B. E.; Slovacek, R. E.
- Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 438, Issue 2-3
Neutron Total Cross Sections of 181 Ta and 238 U from 24.3 keV to 1 MeV and Average Resonance Parameters
journal, December 1984
- Tsubone, Izumi; Nakajima, Yutaka; Furuta, Yutaka
- Nuclear Science and Engineering, Vol. 88, Issue 4
Sur les fonctions convexes et les inégalités entre les valeurs moyennes
journal, January 1906
- Jensen, J. L. W. V.
- Acta Mathematica, Vol. 30, Issue 0
Measurements of keV neutron capture cross sections with a 4π barium fluoride detector: Examples of , , and
journal, October 1990
- Wisshak, K.; Voss, F.; Käppeler, F.
- Physical Review C, Vol. 42, Issue 4
( ) cross section and average resonance parameter measurements in the unresolved resonance region from 24 to 1180 keV using a filtered-beam technique
journal, July 2017
- McDermott, B. J.; Blain, E.; Daskalakis, A.
- Physical Review C, Vol. 96, Issue 1
A gamma-ray detector for neutron capture cross-section measurements
journal, July 1963
- Moxon, M. C.; Rae, E. R.
- Nuclear Instruments and Methods, Vol. 24
Atomic weights of the elements 2011 (IUPAC Technical Report)
journal, April 2013
- Wieser, Michael E.; Holden, Norman; Coplen, Tyler B.
- Pure and Applied Chemistry, Vol. 85, Issue 5
Acid Corrosion Resistance of Tantalum, Columbium, Zirconium, and Titanium
journal, April 1950
- Taylor, Donald F.
- Industrial & Engineering Chemistry, Vol. 42, Issue 4
Experimental and Analytical Studies of Fast Neutron Transport in Iron
journal, March 1972
- Malaviya, B. K.; Kaushal, N. N.; Becker, M.
- Nuclear Science and Engineering, Vol. 47, Issue 3
Neutron Capture Cross Section Measurements of Nb-93, 1-127, Ho-165, Ta-181 and U-238 between 3.2 and 80keV
journal, August 1980
- Yamamuro, Nobuhiro; Saito, Kimiaki; Emoto, Takashi
- Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, Vol. 17, Issue 8
Isotopic molybdenum total neutron cross section in the unresolved resonance region
journal, August 2015
- Bahran, R.; Barry, D.; Block, R.
- Physical Review C, Vol. 92, Issue 2
Mixed Neutron and Gamma Spectra Measurements and Calculations in Pure Iron Benchmark Assembly with Cf-252 Neutron Source
journal, August 2002
- Janský, Bohumil; Novák, Evžen; Turzík, Zdeněk
- Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, Vol. 39, Issue sup2
JENDL-4.0: A New Library for Nuclear Science and Engineering
journal, January 2011
- Shibata, Keiichi; Iwamoto, Osamu; Nakagawa, Tsuneo
- Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, Vol. 48, Issue 1
ENDF/B-VIII.0: The 8 th Major Release of the Nuclear Reaction Data Library with CIELO-project Cross Sections, New Standards and Thermal Scattering Data
text, January 2018
- Brown, D. A.; Chadwick, M. B.; Capote, R.
- Karlsruhe