The development of solid methane neutron moderators at the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source facility of Argonne National Laboratory.
The Intense Pulsed Neutron Source (IPNS) started using solid methane moderators in 1985 because of their efficient conversion (about 3.5 times greater than was achieved with a liquid hydrogen moderator) of fast neutrons to long wavelength neutrons. However, the solid methane moderators experienced numerous failures due to pressure surges caused by a combination of (1) the release of stored energy, which occurred when methane radiolytic products recombined, and (2) the expansion of hydrogen, which built up in the solid methane during irradiation. During the ensuing years studies were made to determine how to operate the solid methane moderators without causing failure. The rate at which stored energy built up during irradiation and the temperature at which hydrogen was released during annealing were determined. Since 1993 IPNS has successfully operated the solid methane moderators (at about 30 K) by periodically annealing to the liquid state around 90 K after every roughly three days of irradiation.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 12385
- Report Number(s):
- ANL/IPNS/CP-98533; IWCMPNS-1997; CONF-9709132-; TRN: US1500266
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: International Workshop on Cold Moderators for Pulsed Neutron Sources, Argonne, IL (United States), 29 Sep - 2 Oct 1997; Other Information: PBD: 10 Mar 1999; Related Information: p. 299-304 in: Proceedings of the International Workshop on Cold Moderators for Pulsed Neutron Sources, Iverson, E.B and Carpenter, J.M. (eds.), 1997, sponsored by OECD, under the MegaScience Forum
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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