On the feasibility to perform integral transmission experiments in the GELINA target hall at IRMM

¹ CEA Cadarache, DEN/CAD/DER/SPRC/LEPh, 13108 Saint Paul Lez Durance Cedex, France
² CEA Cadarache, DEN/CAD/DER/SPEx/LPE, 13108 Saint Paul Lez Durance Cedex, France
³ JRC-IRMM, Geel, Belgium

^a Corresponding author: pierre.leconte@cea.fr

Published online: 25 September 2017

Abstract

Shielding experiments are relevant to validate elastic and inelastic scattering cross sections in the fast energy range. In this paper, we are focusing on the possibility to use the pulsed white neutron time-of-flight facility GELINA to perform this kind of measurement. Several issues need to be addressed: neutron source intensity, room return effect, distance of the materials to be irradiated from the source, and the sensitivity of various reaction rate distributions through the material to different input cross sections. MCNP6 and TRIPOLI4 calculations of the outgoing neutron spectrum are compared, based on electron/positron/gamma/neutron simulations. A first guess of an integral transmission experiment through a ²³⁸U slab is considered. It shows that a 10 cm thickness of uranium is sufficient to reach a high sensitivity to the ²³⁸U inelastic scattering cross section in the [2-5 MeV] energy range, with small contributions from elastic and fission cross sections. This experiment would contribute to reduce the uncertainty on this nuclear data, which has a significant impact on the power distribution in large commercial reactors. Other materials that would be relevant for the ASTRID 4^th generation prototype reactor are also tested, showing that a sufficient sensitivity to nuclear data would be obtained by using a 50 to 100cm thick slab of side 60x60cm. This study concludes on the feasibility and interest of such experiments in the target hall of the GELINA facility.