Development of Active Well Neutron Coincidence Counting System

The active well neutron coincidence counter（AWCC） has been developed, which is one of the main devices on non-destructive assay for the U-bearing nuclear material. The AWCC bases on the thermal neutron induced fission of ^235U, and the induced fission neutron source in the device is two Am-Li neutron sources with low energy neutron emitting.     

Nuclear Safeguards Techniques Non-destructive Assaying for Attributes of Fast Neutron Reactor＇s Fresh Fuel

We have adopted active neutron coincidence method and y-ray measurement method in order to measure the attributes of fast neutron reactor＇s fresh fuel. An improved uranium neutron coincidence collar （UNCC） was used for measuring the ^235U enrichment distribution of the 2 pieces fuel assembles. The measured results show curve＇s trend is the same as the fact of distribution. Fig. 1 shows the assembly＇s neutron coincidence counting rate.     

Fusion Neutron Flux Detector for the ITER

Two fission chambers with different amounts of fissile material （enriched 90% uranium-235） have been manufactured for neutron flux detection in a thermonuclear fusion device. The characteristics of neutron signal and its discrimination from other signals, and a plateau of high voltage between the anode and cathode have been validated in a thermal neutron source. The energy responses of the two fission chambers at seven energy levels have been calibrated in an accelerator fast neutron source and the results agree well with the simulations.     

Determining nitrogen depth distributions in seeds of grain by nuclear reaction method

A 13MeV deuteron beam from the 1.2M cyclotron of Sichuan Union University has been used to determine the nitrogen depth distribution in seeds of wheat and rice on the basis of ^14N(d,p)^15N reaction,The feasibility of use the technique for selection purposes in plant breeding is discussed.For wheat and rice,10 and 12 seeds(without husk)have been investigated.respectively.     

Measurement of the neutron total cross section of carbon at the Back-n white neutron beam of CSNS

To verify the performance of the neutron total cross-sectional spectrometer, the neutron total cross section of carbon is initially measured in the energy range of 1 eV to 20 Me V using the time-of-flight method. The measurement is performed at the Back-n white neutron source with a 76-m time-of-flight path using the China Spallation Neutron Source. A multilayer fast fission chamber with ~(235)U and ~(238)U is employed as the neutron detector. The diameter and thickness of the natural graphite sample are70 mm and 40 mm, respectively. Signal waveforms are collected using a data acquisition system. Off-line data processing was used to obtain the neutron time-of-flight spectra and transmissions. The uncertainty of the counting statistics is generally approximately 3% for each bin in the energy range of 1–20 Me V. It is determined that the results for the neutron total cross section of carbon obtained using ~(235)U cells are in good agreement with the results obtained using ~(238)U cells within limits of statistical uncertainty.Moreover, the measured total cross sections show good agreement with the broadening evaluated data.     

Radioactivity level of the ambient environment of Anren bone—coal power station

The radioactivity level of the ambient environment of Anren Bone-coal Power Station(BCPS) was investigated systematically.The γ radiation dose rate level in the environment ,the content of ^238U and ^226Ra in the ambient soil and the farmland in the direction of downwind,the concentrations of ^238U,^232Th,^226Ra,^40K and ^222Rn,as well as α potential energy in air,and the concentrations of natural U and Th in effluent are all higher than the corresponding values of the reference site.The additional annual effective dose equivalent to the residents living in the houses made of bone-coal cinder brick is 2.7mSv.     

Dose rate distribution of photoneutrons in an ID beamline of SSRF: simulations and measurements

Photoneutrons, emitted by means of photonuclear interactions when gas bremsstrahlung interacts with beam- line components, can be another potential radiation source needed to be considered for shielding design and dose assessment of beamline. In this paper, simulations and measurements of photoneutrons dose rate at beam- line BL09U are carried out when Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility （SSRF） running at Top-up mode （3.5 GeV, 235 mA）. A geometry model is constructed for the beamline BL09U with considerations of the scattering process of the major optical components. The model is compiled into Monte Carlo simulation code FLUKA to calculate photoneutron dose distribution. Measurements of the photoneutrons dose rate were per- formed by using Environmental Neutron Monitor （ENM）. Observation points were arranged uniformly along the inside and outside of the optical enclosure （OE） of BL09U. The calculation results agree with experiments within the measurements uncertainties. It is verified that photoneutrons dose simulation is reliable. The simula- tion and measurement methods can be applied to evaluate the neutron dose level of other beamline stations, and provide references for the shielding design of the beamlines at SSRF in the near future.     

Correction to Measurement of Fission Rates of ^235U and ^238u

For the enrichment of fissile nuclide in detecting foils is not so high, the counts of a certain gamma energy （1 596 keV） measured after irradiation would come from the same fission product of the each nuclide （^235U and ^238U）. Consequently the measured value of distribution of fission rate is not precise due to the blending of the nuclide.     

Diagnosis of Electronic Excitation Temperature in Surface Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasmas at Atmospheric Pressure

The electronic excitation temperature of a surface dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） at atmospheric pressure has been experimentally investigated by optical emission spectroscopic measurements combined with numerical simulation. Experiments have been carried out to deter- mine the spatial distribution of electric field by using FEM software and the electronic excitation temperature in discharge by calculating ratio of two relative intensities of atomic spectral lines. In this work, we choose seven Ar atomic emission lines at 415.86 nm [（3s^23p^5）5p →（3s^23p^5）4s] and 706.7 nm, 714.7 nm, 738.4 nm, 751.5 nm, 794.8 nm and 800.6 nm [（3s^23p^5）4p → （3s^23p^5）4s] to estimate the excitation temperature under a Boltzmann approximation. The average electron energy is evaluated in each discharge by using line ratio of 337.1 nm （N2（C^3Пu →B3Пg）） to 391.4 nm （N2^＋（B2 ∑u^＋→ ∑g^＋））. Furthermore, variations of the electronic excitation tempera- ture are presented versus dielectric thickness and dielectric materials. The discharge is stable and uniform along the axial direction, and the electronic excitation temperature at the edge of the copper electrode is the largest. The corresponding average electron energy is in the range of 1.6- 5.1 eV and the electric field is in 1.7-3.2 MV/m, when the distance from copper electrode varies from 0 cm to 6 cm. Moreover, the electronic excitation temperature with a higher permittivity leads to a higher dissipated electrical power.     

γ-ray self-absorption of cylindrical fissile material

The self-absorption of γ-ray emitted from cylindrical fissile materials, such as ^235U and ^239Pu. does not possess spherical symmetry. The analytical formulae of self-absorption for y-ray throughout the cylinder have been obtained. The intensity of γ-ray is a function of y-ray outgoing directions and cylindrical configorations, accordingly one can acquire the information about geometrical configuration of cylindrical fissile materials through multi-location measurements. Further more. the method is given in this article, The result can be applied to the fissile material safeguard, such as nuclear monitoring and verifying.     

Primary study on holdup measurement of 235U in pipe using γ-ray spectrometry and Monte Carlo simulation

The pipe holdup measurement is very important for decommissioning nuclear facilities and nuclear-material control and accounting. The absolute detection efficiencies (εsp) of full-energy γ rays peak under different source density distribution function have been simulated using the Monte Carlo (MC) software, and the counting rates (n0) of the characteristic γ rays have been measured using the γ spectrometer followed by the calculation of the holdup. The holdup is affected by the energy of γ rays, distance at which they are detected, pipe material, thickness,and source distribution of pipe, especially source distribution at a short distance. The comparative test of 235U reference materials on the inner wall of Fe and A1 pipes (the total mass of 235U is 44.6 mg and 222.8 mg, respectively) have been accomplished using this method. The determined result of 235U is 43.2mg (U0.95rel=5.4%) and 216.2mg (U0.95rel= 3.2%), respectively, which are in accordance with the reference values.     

U measurement with accelerator mass spectrometry at CIAE

²³⁶U is a long-lived radioactive isotope which is produced principally by thermal neutron capture on ²³⁵U. ²³⁶U may be potentially applied in geological research and nuclear safeguards. Accelerator mass spectrometry is presently the most sensitive technique for the measurement of ²³⁶U and a measurement method for long-lived heavy ion ²³⁶U has been developed. The set-up uses a dedicated injector and the newly proposed ²⁰⁸Pb¹⁶ molecular ions for the simulation of ²³⁶U ion transport. A sensitivity of lower than 10⁻¹⁰ has been achieved for the isotopic ratio ²³⁶U/²³⁸U in present work.     

Two phase flow 1D turbulence model for poly-disperse upward flow in a vertical pipe

A 1D test-solver was developed in recent years for modeling of two phase bubbly flows in pipe geometry. The solver considers a number of bubble classes and calculates bubble-size resolved void fraction profiles in the radial direction. A successful implementation was achieved regarding bubble forces models (non-drag forces). Discrepancies appeared when coalescence and breakup rates were significant. These rates depend upon local turbulence quantities, which are possible reason for discrepancies. Originally the test-solver is equipped by Sato model (Sato, Y., Sadatomi, M., Sekoguchi, K., 1981. Momentum and heat transfer in two-phase bubble flow. I. International Journal Multiphase Flow 7, 167–177 .) which accounts for turbulence via shear- and bubble-induced viscosities calculated out of empirical correlations. One equation for the turbulent kinetic energy was solved, while the dissipation rate was calculated out of a correlation. In order to improve calculation of the local turbulence parameters, a two-phase k– turbulence model was adopted instead. The account for the bubble-induced turbulence was made via a source term taken out of literature. Comparisons between new and old turbulence modeling against experimental data showed better agreement for the new model. The experiments covered a wide range of water and air superficial velocities for upward bubbly flow in two pipe's diameters: 50 and 200 mm. The main feature of the new model is providing more reliable values of turbulence parameters for application in coalescence and breakup models. A comparison with CFX 5.7 calculations in a 50 mm pipe showed better calculation results when the source term was considered in the k– equations. An implementation into CFX is planned.     

Activity level of gross α and gross β in airborne aerosol samples around the Qinshan NPP

The monitoring results of gross α and gross β activity from 2001 to 2005 for environmental airborne aerosol samples around the Qinshan NPP base are presented in this paper. A total of 170 aerosol samples were collected from monitoring sites of Caichenmen village, Qinlian village, Xiajiawan village and Yangliucun village around the Qinshan NPP base. The measured specific activity of gross α and gross β are in the range of 0.02 - 0.38 mBq/m^3 and 0.10 - 1.81 mBq/m^3, respectively, with an average of 0.11 mBq/m^3 and 0.45mBq/m^3, respectively. They are lower than the average of 0.15 mBq/m^3 and 0.52mBq/m^3, of reference site at Hangzhou City. It is indicated that the specific activity of gross α and gross β for environmental aerosol samples around the Qinshan NPP base had not been increased in normal operating conditions of the NPP.     

CFD simulations of light gas release and mixing in the Battelle Model-Containment with CFX

In this validation work two turbulence models (k– and SST model) and two grids (a finer hybrid grid and a tetrahedral coarser grid) are considered in order to model helium release and dispersion. Simulation results are compared against an experiment of jet release phenomena in the Battelle Model Containment facility (BMC), a multi-compartment facility with a total volume of about 560 m³. In the selected test, HYJET Jx7, helium was released into the containment at a speed of 42 m/s over a time of 200 s. Although the k– model is the most commonly used turbulence model in most Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) applications, it does not provide the most accurate predictions for this application. Alternatively the SST turbulence model has been employed giving more accurate results. This investigation provides a further confirmation that the validation of commercial CFD codes is always required in order to select the more suitable physical models and computational grids for each specific application.     

A measurement of the U233, U235, Pu239 total cross sections. As well as the fission cross section of U235 for resonance neutrons

The measurement of the interaction cross sections between resonance neutrons and fissionable isotopes are of definite importance both for reactor calculations and for the construction of various nuclear models. In this work we present the results of measurements of the U²³³, U²³⁵, and Pu²³⁹ total cross sections, as well as the fission cross section of U²³⁵. The measurements were performed on a mechanical neutron spectrometer (neutron chopper) with a resolution of 0.1–0.2 sec/m in the neutron energy region from 3–5 to about 500 ev. The resonance parameters are calculated to energies of about 30–50 ev, for which the levels may still be considered resolved. For these resonances the neutron widths g_n are determined; the total widths are determined for sufficiently excited levels when the uncertainty in this determination is no greater than about 50%. For U²³⁵ resonance in the energy region from 2.5 to 20 ev, in addition to the above parameters, the ratio of the fission width _f to the total width is found.     

N(α,p)O nuclear reaction cross-section at 4.9–6.1 MeV

The ¹⁴N(α,p)¹⁷O nuclear reaction cross-section was measured in the energy range 4.9–6.1 MeV at the laboratory angle θ = 172° in order to apply ion beam analysis to the detection of N in metal oxynitride layers. Comparison between the new calculation and data in literature was performed, highlighting important discrepancies between the new results and old cross-section data. Application of the new calculations to a standard TiN film suggests improved accuracy for the data in the present work.     

The microstructure evolution of type 17-4PH stainless steel during long-term aging at 350 °C

The microstructure evolution of 17-4 precipitation hardening (17-4PH) stainless steel during long-term aging at 350 °C was studied mainly by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that the matrix is lath martensite and the precipitation of nano-metric particles of -Cu phase after the alloy has been subjected to solution and temper treatment. When the alloy is aged at 350 °C to 9 months, some reversed austenite is formed and the -Cu precipitates are coarsening according to ripening process. When the alloy aged from 9 to 12 months, some bulk secondary carbides, M₂₃C₆, are precipitated. With the age time extended to 15 months, an amount of reversed austenite is transformed and the G-phase, a kind of intermetallic compound, precipitation occurs nearby the -Cu precipitates in the matrix at this intermediate temperature.     

Shear transfer constitutive model for pre-cracked RC plate subjected to combined axial and shear stress

This paper proposes the constitutive model for the shear transfer through the cracks of pre-cracked reinforced concrete (RC) plate subjected to combined axial and shear stress. The plate is a scale model of a shear wall of a nuclear power plant (NPP) building. Twelve plate specimens were initially cracked and then loaded to the failure point by increasing cyclic shear under constant axial stress. Tangential shear modulus, G_cr, values are estimated from the v–γ relationships observed in the test results and formulated to the constitutive model as the correlation function of the normal strain perpendicular to the crack plane, _cr, and shear strain, γ_cr, based on the smeared crack model concept. By incorporating the proposed model to a nonlinear FEM analysis program and comparing the analysis results with the test results, it is apparent that the program could be improved in its analytical accuracy. The proposed model will be useful for the nonlinear analysis of RC shear walls when the walls are exposed to simultaneous multi-directional load.