Neutron Activation Foil and Thermoluminescent Dosimeter Responses to a Polyethylene Reflected Pulse of the CEA Valduc SILENE Critical Assembly

Technical Report · Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 2016

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1327663· OSTI ID:1327663

Miller, Thomas Martin ^[1]; Celik, Cihangir ^[1]; McMahan, Kimberly L. ^[1]; Lee, Yi-kang ^[2]; Gagnier, Emmanuel ^[3]; Authier, Nicolas ^[4]; Piot, Jerome ^[4]; Jacquet, Xavier ^[4]; Rousseau, Guillaume ^[4]; Reynolds, Kevin H. ^[5]

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1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
2. French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Saclay (France)
3. French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Centre de Saclay, Gif sur Yvette
4. French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Salives (France). Valduc Centre for Nuclear Studies
5. Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

This benchmark experiment was conducted as a joint venture between the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the French Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA). Staff at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in the US and the Centre de Valduc in France planned this experiment. The experiment was conducted on October 19, 2010 in the SILENE critical assembly facility at Valduc. Several other organizations contributed to this experiment and the subsequent evaluation, including CEA Saclay, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the Y-12 National Security Complex (NSC), Babcock International Group in the United Kingdom, and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The goal of this experiment was to measure neutron activation and thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) doses from a source similar to a fissile solution critical excursion. The resulting benchmark can be used for validation of computer codes and nuclear data libraries as required when performing analysis of criticality accident alarm systems (CAASs). A secondary goal of this experiment was to qualitatively test performance of two CAAS detectors similar to those currently and formerly in use in some US DOE facilities. The detectors tested were the CIDAS MkX and the Rocky Flats NCD-91. The CIDAS detects gammas with a Geiger-Muller tube and the Rocky Flats detects neutrons via charged particles produced in a thin ⁶LiF disc depositing energy in a Si solid state detector. These detectors were being evaluated to determine whether they would alarm, so they were not expected to generate benchmark quality data.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1327663
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM-2016/317; DP0909010; DPDP097; alarm-tran-ch2-shield-001; TRN: US1700310
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
NEUTRONS
SILENE REACTOR
THERMOLUMINESCENT DOSEMETERS
BENCHMARKS
POLYETHYLENES
SOLUTIONS
CRITICALITY
EXCURSIONS
JOINT VENTURES
RADIATION ACCIDENTS
FOILS
PULSES
VALIDATION
NUCLEAR DATA COLLECTIONS
ALARM SYSTEMS
CHARGED PARTICLES
COMPUTER CODES
RADIATION DOSES
EVALUATION
PERFORMANCE
GEIGER-MUELLER COUNTERS
LITHIUM 6
LITHIUM FLUORIDES
SI SEMICONDUCTOR DETECTORS
ACTIVATION DETECTORS
FISSILE MATERIALS
acceptable
CAAS
energy spectrum
neutron
neutron activation
photon
SILENE
TLD
uranyl nitrate
polyethylene and cadmium shield