Application of research reactor environments for validation of the IRDFF-II dosimetry cross section library

¹ Sandia National Laboratories, Advanced Science and Technology Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA
² Eden Radioisotopes, LLC, Albuquerque, NM, USA

^* Corresponding author: pjgriff@sandia.gov

Published online: 11 November 2024

Abstract

Activation data from seven different reactor-based reference neutron fields are examined to provide enhanced validation evidence for the newly released IRDFF-II library. A least-squares based spectrum adjustment methodology is used and rigorous statistical metrics demonstrate the consistency of the set of IRDFF-II dosimetry cross sections. The use of these reactor-based neutron fields provides validation evidence for nine more reactions than have been addressed in the ²⁵²Cf(sf) and ²³⁵U(th) benchmark validation testing. The use of covers to shift their energy response increases the power of the response validation but makes it challenging to properly capture response correlations.