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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Total thermal neutron cross section measurements of hydrogen dense polymers from 0.0005–20 eV

Hydrogen dense polymers, specifically polyethylene, polystyrene, and Plexiglas, have served as neutron moderator and reflector materials in hundreds of separate critical benchmark experiments because of their low cost and abundance of hydrogen. In order to accurately model and simulate these critical benchmarks, the thermal scattering law (TSL) evaluation that governs how neutrons will thermalize must be well understood and rigorously validated. To support this validation, researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute performed total neutron cross section measurements for high-density polyethylene & polystyrene over the energy range 0.0005–20 eV and for Plexiglas G & Plexiglas G-UVT over the energy range 0.0005–3 eV. Comparisons were made between the measured cross section and that predicted by the ENDF/B-VIII.0 and Oak Ridge National Laboratory/European Spallation Source/Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute TSL evaluations for polyethylene, Plexiglas, and polystyrene, as available. These experiments represent the first total neutron cross section measurements for polystyrene.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1991

Detectability of Martian carbonates from orbit using thermal neutrons

Numerical simulations of Martian neutron leakage flux spectra are made in order to explore the detectability of magnesium and calcium carbonate deposits using neutron spectroscopic techniques from orbit. The primary signature of such deposits is found to be an enhanced thermal amplitude. Although this enhancement is weakened by: (1) partial burial beneath an aeolian regolith blanket; (2) admixture with regolith on a microscopic (centimeter) or macroscopic (tens of centimeters) scale; and (3) reduction in the areal size of the deposit, near-surface stratigraphies of carbonates hypothesized by some authors as possible on Mars are still detectable by simple neutron sensors from orbit. However, the large variations in the magnitude of the thermal neutron enhancements caused by different carbonate deposit configurations found in this study require a combined gamma ray and neutron analysis for their unique specification.

Feldman, W. C.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Demonstration of non-destructive and isotope-sensitive material analysis using a short-pulsed laser-driven epi-thermal neutron source

Neutrons are a valuable tool for non-destructive material investigation as their interaction cross sections with matter are isotope sensitive and can be used complementary to x-rays. So far, most neutron applications have been limited to large-scale facilities such as nuclear research reactors, spallation sources, and accelerator-driven neutron sources. Here we show the design and optimization of a laser-driven neutron source in the epi-thermal and thermal energy range, which is used for non-invasive material analysis. Neutron resonance spectroscopy, neutron radiography, and neutron resonance imaging with moderated neutrons are demonstrated for investigating samples in terms of isotope composition and thickness. The experimental results encourage applications in non-destructive and isotope-sensitive material analysis and pave the way for compact laser-driven neutron sources with high application potential.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Status Report of Joint RPI/ORNL NCSP Task for Thermal Neutron Total Cross Section Measurements

A new cold neutron moderator system was developed and constructed at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Gaerttner Linear Accelerator. This system was then used to measure the neutron total cross section in the thermal energy range for polyethylene, polystyrene, Lucite, and yttrium hydride. In tandem with these measurements, a fitting procedure was developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to vary computationally simulated phonon density of states until a fit with differential and integral data was achieved. This model, combined with the new RPI total cross section data, was used to generate thermal scattering law files for the materials measured at RPI.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Adaptive-in-temperature method for fast on-the-fly sampling of thermal neutron scattering data in MCNP6 [Slides]

The project objective and motivation is to develop thermal data libraries for selected isotopes in MCNP6 to support on-the-fly S(alpha, beta) sampling for temperature ranges applicable to nuclear criticality safety, thereby enhancing the physics treatment in MCNP6 so that it can perform fast on-the-fly sampling of S(alpha, beta) data at arbitrary temperature.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Thermal Neutron Scattering Research and Development at Oak Ridge National Laboratory [Slides]

This presentation provides an overview of the project, specifically describing how neutron cross sections can be broken up into several regions. It also discusses how thermal scattering law (TSL) $\textit{S(α, β)}$ is related to dynamic structure factor $\textit{S(q, E)}$ and how $\textit{S(q, E)}$ can be broken up into 2 primary components, incoherent and coherent, and how it can be calculated in several ways, including density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MT). Additionally, it states that ENDF currently stores coherent elastic (Bragg edges), incoherent elastic and incoherent inelastic. Also discussed are the experimental capabilities, evaluations, and uncertainty quantification of the project.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Benchmark of Neutron Thermalization in Graphite Using a Pulsed Slowing-Down-Time Experiment

A benchmark has been developed using a pulsed slowing-down-time experiment to isolate the thermalization process in graphite. The experiment was conducted at the Oak Ridge Electron Linear Accelerator facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and it measured the time spectrum of neutrons leaking from a graphite pile during slowing down and thermalization within graphite. Simulations of the benchmark experiment were performed using the MCNP6.1 Monte Carlo code and the ENDF/B-VII.1 and ENDF/B-VIII.0 cross-section databases. The benchmark provides a time spectrum (i.e., time-dependent counts in a detector) that allows for validation of the graphite thermal scattering libraries (TSLs). The impact on the simulations using a suite of graphite TSLs was compared with the experimental results. Given the density of nuclear graphite, the TSL corresponding to graphite with 30% porosity, as implemented in ENDF/B-VIII.0, was found to most accurately represent the measured time spectrum corresponding to the thermal energy range with an average deviation of ±1.7%.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

The CWS Experiments – An Experimental Study of the Effects of Chlorine on Thermal Neutron Absorption

The Chlorine Worth Study (CWS) experiments consist of layers of Zero Power Physics Reactor plates moderated by high density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, and chlorinated polyvinyl chloride with the goal to produce a thermal critical experiment. A thick high density polyethylene reflector surrounds the experiments. Aluminum fuel trays and frames were used to conduct the intrinsic heat generation of the plutonium plates away from the core and out to the top plate and the platen, both acting as heat sinks. The goal of the CWS experiments was to provide benchmark critical experiments that were sensitive to chlorine and matched the sensitivity of criticality safety applications for aqueous chloride operations at PF-4 at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The specific aqueous chloride PF-4 applications were solutions of 30 g/L plutonium, 300 g/L plutonium, and 600 g/L plutonium. The CWS experiments were designed using prototype methods developed by the ARCHIMEDES and EUCLID projects at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The CWS experiments were performed in December of 2021 at the National Criticality Experiments Research Center at the Nevada Nuclear Security Site on the Planet critical assembly. It is intended that the CWS experiments will be evaluated and submitted to the ICSBEP in the future as criticality safety benchmarks.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Coupled neutronic-thermal-hydraulic simulations of the European SFR core

Within the European SFR (Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor) - Safety Measures Assessment and Research Tools (ESFR-SMART) project, steady-state coupled simulation of the ESFR core has been performed using several core analysis packages, with the objective of quantifying the coupling effect. Focus is on the fuel Doppler effect and coolant expansion effect. Standalone neutronics calculations in TRACE/PARCS (PSI), DYN3D (HZDR) and WIMS (Jacobs) showed superb agreement with the reference Serpent power distribution (root mean square - rms discrepancies of 1.3%, 1.5% and 0.7% respectively). Results for COUNTHER (CIEMAT) were also in reasonable agreement, but with a somewhat higher discrepancy of 3.7%. Temperature distributions from thermal-hydraulic calculations were also compared and are found to be in good agreement. The effect of Doppler and coolant density feedback on core power distribution was predicted by TRACE/PARCS, DYN3D and WIMS to be between 0.4% and 0.8% rms difference in assembly powers. Reactivity coefficients for perturbations in the inlet temperature, flow rate and core power were shown to be negative for these three codes, with values of roughly -0.5 pcm/C. degree, -0.3 pcm/C. degree and -3.5 pcm/C. degree respectively. A preliminary investigation of differential thermal expansion effects indicates that this may have a significant effect on core power distribution of a few %, greater than anticipated a priori and may warrant inclusion in coupled core analysis to ensure the accurate calculation of power distributions. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Thermal Neutron Scattering Law Evaluations for Zirconium Carbide and Critical Mass Calculations [Slides]

Zirconium Carbide (ZrC) is a refractory material currently being investigated for high temperature reactor applications. ZrC was studied as a base of (U,Zr)C solid solution and UC 2 composite fuels for NERVA-type cores during the Rover program. Testing of the material was performed at Nuclear Furnace 1 (NF-1) located at Los Alamos. Thermal Scattering Law (TSL) evaluations generated with FLASSH are a new contribution to ENDF/B-VIII.1.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Nondestructive and destructive assay for forensics characterization of weapons-grade plutonium produced in LEU irradiated in a thermal neutron spectrum

A post-irradiation examination (PIE) of an enriched uranium sample was performed to advance a nuclear forensics methodology, based on intra-elemental nuclide ratios. The PIE was carried out on a few milligrams of low enriched uranium dioxide (LEUO 2 ) sample, irradiated to a burnup of 1 GWd/MTU. The PIE of the LEUO 2 sample provided the concentration of selected plutonium and fission product nuclides ( 239 Pu, 240 Pu, 241 Pu, 91 Y, 95 Zr, 95 Nb, 103 Ru, 133 Cs, 134 Cs, 135 Cs, 137 Cs, 136 Ba, 138 Ba, 140 Ba, 140 La, 141 Ce, 144 Ce, 149 Sm, 150 Sm, 152 Sm, 153 Eu, and 154 Eu). The PIE supported validation of the MCNP (Monte Carlo N-Particle neutronics simulation code) predicted concentration of these nuclides in the irradiated LEUO 2 sample. This study showed that most of the MCNP predicted nuclide concentrations were within 15% and several within 10% compared to the PIE results. Furthermore, gamma and mass spectrometry of nuclides in irradiated LEUO 2 enabled the determination of uranium burnup and time since irradiation.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗