Open AccessMeasurement and analysis of neutron capture rate of U-238 in an alternate depleted uranium/polyethylene system
Author(s) -
Xia Yan,
Rong Liu,
Xinxin Lü,
Jiang Li,
Mei Wang,
Jie Lin
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
wuli xuebao
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.199
H-Index - 47
ISSN - 1000-3290
DOI - 10.7498/aps.61.102801
Subject(s) - uranium , neutron capture , nuclear engineering , neutron , enriched uranium , depleted uranium , uranium 238 , materials science , reaction rate , isotopes of uranium , radiochemistry , nuclear physics , neutron temperature , physics , chemistry , biochemistry , engineering , catalysis
In order to check the conceptual design of subcritical reactor, an alternate depleted uranium/polyethylene-shell simulation device was established, to carry out uranium-238 neutron capture rate experiment using activation technique. The depleted uranium foils were activated at 90o to the incident. By measuring the 277.6 keV -ray emitted from 239Np generated by 238U (n, ) 239U reaction and correcting self-absorption of uranium experimentally, the 238U (n, ) reaction rate with an uncertainty between 3.5% and 3.7% and a total neutron capture of 2.24 0.09 of the system were obtained. The experiment was simulated using MCNP5 code with ENDF libraries. The simulations and measurements accord within 5% for the 238U (n, ) reaction rate and within 1% for the total neutron capture rate of 238U.