中国先进研究堆中子织构衍射仪的研制与调试

中子衍射技术作为研究多晶材料内部织构的标准技术之一,在众多领域具有广泛应用。中子织构衍射仪目前已成为中子散射实验室的常规谱仪。针对国内织构测量分析需求而建的中子织构衍射仪作为中国先进研究堆首批建设谱仪之一,现已完成设计、建造和初步调试工作。本文结合谱仪建造的实际工作,较系统地介绍了中子织构衍射仪的测量原理与优势,以及中国先进研究堆中子织构衍射仪的特点、基本组成、性能指标和调试情况。     

同位素中子源参考辐射能谱测量及模拟中子谱分析

不同成分中子参考辐射场是对中子防护材料性能测试的基本条件。为获得较理想的测试中子防护材料的中子参考辐射场,构建基于³He正比计数管的多球中子能谱测量系统,对基于²⁴¹Am-Be和²⁵²Cf中子源的中子辐射场慢化情况进行MCNP模拟和能谱实验测量。为准确判断实验室校准参考位置的中子散射情况,基于多球中子能谱测量系统,开展了中子散射成分测量。采用ICRP推荐的注量-剂量转换系数对能谱进行了剂量率转化,与使用长计数器的测量结果进行比较,发现在校准参考位置的剂量率相对偏差≤20%。开展了聚乙烯慢化同位素中子源获得特定能谱的实验研究,进行了慢化谱的模拟计算和实验测量,两者结果符合较好。该工作为后续的中子计量测试和中子防护材料测试提供了可用的中子参考辐射场。     

油垢厚度检测中的入射中子束设计

在中子背散射测量技术中,由于中子的自屏蔽效应,使测量的背散射热中子计数出现非线性,并趋向于饱和,引起测量精度下降,测量范围受到限制。本工作通过简单模型,采用文献提出的技术原理,初步探讨热中子和超热中子入射比对油垢厚度检测中非线性的改善情况。由简单模型和实验测量结果比较可见,采用中子背散射测量油垢厚度时,将热中子和超热中子按一定的比例入射,有助于改善非线性效应,提高油垢厚度检测的水平。     

HL—1聚变装置中子发射实验研究

采用ＺｎＳ（Ａｇ）闪烁计数器，经标准中子源刻度校正后，测量ＨＬ－１（中国环流器一号）聚变装置的中子演化和中子产额；同时用活化箔法（１１５Ｉｎ）和原子核乳胶法测量中子产额。在真空室充氘和电子回旋共振加热（ＥＣＲＨ）时，３种方法同时测量，确证ＨＬ－１每放电１次发射中子数平均为（３．４１±０．５０）×１０１０。得到欧姆加热、ＥＣＲＨ、改进约束放电（ＩＯＣ）和弹丸注入等放电实验中的中子演化。在分子束注入和偏压电极（ＥＰＰ）放电实验中，产生中子较少或很少。观察部分放电方式产生的中子产额Ｎ和硬Ｘ射线产额ＨＸ间有线性关系Ｎ＝ａＨＸ－ｂ，其中，ａ和ｂ是与装置运行方式有关的常数。     

相邻中子时间间隔对介质减速能力的响应

用数理统计方法了同位素中子源发射的中子经介质作用后相邻中子时间间隔的表示式，假设了对应ｓ倍时间间隔的几率形式，用介质中不同的含水量改变介质对中子减速能力的方法测量相邻中子时间间隔对减速能力的响应。对实验测量与计算进行了比较。     

利用MCNPX模拟中子多重性脉冲序列采集

介绍了中子多重性测量分析方法的理论关系式以及中子脉冲序列的形成原理,并利用MCNPX与MATLAB程序模拟便携式中子符合探测器(PNCC)进行中子多重性测量,得到了铀材料的中子多重性分布,实现了中子脉冲序列的采集。实验研究验证了便携式中子符合探测器用于中子多重性测量的可行性。     

用银激活计数器测量快脉冲中子

本文介绍了银激活计数器测量等离子体焦点快脉冲中子的原理，用加速器Ｄ－Ｄ中子作标准中子源，采用饱和照射方式对探头进行了标定。在探测距离６０ｃｍ，给出探头定标系数η＝（２．６０土０．３２）×１０￣４中子／计数。误差分析表明，作与不作散射中子校正，实际测量焦点中子的相对标准误差小于２０％和３０％。最后给出了测量焦点中子的部分结果。     

中子能谱快速测量

为了实现中子能谱的快速获取,准确测量中子辐射场的剂量率,设计了一款一体化多球中子能谱仪。该系统能进行中子能谱的在线测量,实时显示中子剂量率。谱仪在Am-Be参考辐射场进行了验证,测量能谱与标准谱符合较好,转换后剂量率测量值与真值偏差<±7%。     

参考中子辐射与辐射防护中子测量装置校准

国际标准化组织核能标准化委员会辐射防护分委员会(ISO／TC 85／SC2)最近编制了几个有关辐射防护中子测量装置校准的标准，其中ISO8529规定了参考中子辐射的特性和产生方法、辐射场校准以及场所和个人中子剂量仪(计)校准和响应的确定；此外，ISO12789—2002规定了利用模拟中子辐射场对辐射防护中子测量装置的校准。本文介绍ISO8529系列标准的主要内容及一些相关问题。     

20keV～17MeV中子能谱测量

基于质子反冲方法，建立了一套宽能区，高效率的中子谱仪系统，分别用三支充不同气压氢和甲烷的球形正经计数管和一个有机闪烁探没器分段测量２０ｋｅＶ～１７ＭｅＶ的中子能谱，为了去除γ射线本底，对两种探测器分别采用了两种不同的脉冲形状别技术，谱仪直接测量的是中子在探测器中产生的反冲质脉冲幅度谱，通过解决矩阵方程的方法得到中子谱，解谱中所用的各个探测器的中子响应矩阵均蒙特－卡洛方法计算得到，谱仪在全能区的中子     

Cold neutron interaction with a classical electric field: Some basic theoretical and experimental considerations

We explore the feasibility of performing an experiment to measure the interaction of cold neutrons with a given classical electric field. Bound and scattering states could be detected by means of an approximate Aharonov-Casher configuration. The theoretical background is presented and then some primary elements for building a neutron detector of this nature are proposed.     

Characteristics of Neutron Guide Tubes in Upgraded JRR-3

Abstract

The JRR-3 has been upgraded to be a new high performance research reactor JRR-3M with neutron guide tubes on a large scale and a cold neutron source. The neutron fluxes and spectra were measured at the end of the two thermal and three cold neutron guide tubes. The gain of the cold neutron source is also found from these spectra. The neutron fluxes of thermal neutron guide tubes with characteristic wavelength 2 Å are 1.2x10⁸ n/cm².s at a reactor power of 20 MW. The neutron fluxes of cold guide tubes are 2.0x 10⁸ n/cm².s with characteristic wavelength 4 Å and 1.4x10⁸ n/cm².s with 6 A when the cold neutron source is operated. The neutron spectra measured by the time-of-flight method agree well with their designed ones. The gains of the cold neutron source are 8 for 4 Å and 20 for 6 Å at a reactor power of 20 MW.     

中子能谱测量中的解谱技术研究进展北大核心CSCD

中子能谱解谱技术为中子能谱测量系统必要的组成部分,近几十年来国内外开展了大量研究。本文首先介绍了中子能谱常规解谱流程,包括解谱模型、响应函数、解谱误差等内容;接着详细介绍了国内外中子能谱测量技术研究现状以及中子能谱解谱算法研究现状,包括比较成熟的最小二乘算法、最大熵算法等,也有新兴的神经网络算法、遗传算法等,总结了不同解谱算法的特点;接着介绍了根据不同解谱算法发展的解谱程序,对比了不同解谱算法及程序的优缺点,基于最小二乘算法开发的SAND系列程序和基于最大熵算法开发的MAXED程序是解谱功能强大、使用最广泛的程序;最后梳理了中子能谱解谱方法的发展脉络,总结了国内和国外研究的区别,未来开发包含多种解谱方法的综合性解谱程序具备较强的应用需求。     

Effect of concrete buildings on the environmental neutron flux by using the reaction 197Au (n,γ) 198Au and extremely low level gamma ray spectroscopy

The activation of gold by environmental neutrons through the reaction 197Au (n,γ) 198Au was used to study the effect of concrete buildings on the neutron flux, and to estimate the thermal neutron flux inside and outside these buildings. The results showed that three ceilings of thickness 34 g/cm2 decrease the fast neutrons to 26% from its original value. However, the same reinforced concrete decreases the slow neturon flux to only 62% of its original value. The thermal neutron flux at 283 m from the center of Training Reactor of Kinki University, was twice higher than the environmental neutron background.     

The neutron background at the surface of the earth

Conclusions The calculations that were made have shown that the production of neutrons by cosmic rays in the upper layers of the earth's crust can exert a strong influence on the slow neutron flux at sea level.In order for us to compare calculation with experiment, it would have been necessary to compute the slow neutron flux at surface of the ground which arises from neutrons produced in the atmosphere. For such an estimate, it is necessary to know the intensity and spectrum of atmospheric neutrons and the possible distortions of them at the surface of the earth. We did not have such data available, and therefore such an estimate was not made in this paper.However, it is clear that the contribution of the neutrons which are produced in granite by cosmic rays to the total neutron flux above its surface is considerably greater than in the case of water. Therefore, one can suppose that the difference in slow neutron fluxes above water and soil surfaces are caused to a considerable degree by the cosmic ray production of neutrons in the upper layers of the earth's crust.Translated from Atomnaya Énergiya, Vol. 17, No. 6, pp. 492–496, December, 1964     

Fission Spectrum Averaged Cross Sections of Some Threshold Reactions Measured with Fast Reactor “YAYOI”

Abstract

Fission spectrum averaged cross sections of twenty one threshold reactions were measured in the core center of YAYOI which was a fast neutron source reactor. Fast neutron spectrum in the core was experimentally determined by using a set of activation foils and micro-fission counters, prior to the cross section measurement. It was found that the shape of the fast neutron spectrum was approximately the same as that of fission neutrons above about 2MeV. This fact was also supported by theoretical calculation.

Since this neutron field has scarce thermal and epithermal neutrons, measurement of nuclei produced by threshold reactions is not affected by (n, γ) reactions which are induced by thermal and epithermal neutrons. Moreover, considerably high fast neutron flux (about 5 x 10¹¹n/cm²·sec) enables to measure cross sections of small values.

The results in general agreed with the previous values obtained in a reactor core or with a fission plate within an experimental error, while they were systematically smaller by about 10% than those recommended by Fabry. The measured values are also compared with the results calculated by Pearlstein based on a statistical model.     

Development and performance characterization of a compact plasma focus based portable fast neutron generator

The design details and performance characterization results of a newly developed plasma focus based compact and portable system (0.5 m × 0.5 m × 1.2 m, weighing ≈100 kg) that produces an average neutron yield of ~2 × 10⁸ neutrons/shot (of fast D-D neutrons with typical energy ~2.45 MeV) at ~1.8 kJ energy discharge are reported. From the detailed analysis of the experimental characterization and simulation results of this system, it has been conclusively revealed that specifically in plasma focus devices with larger static inductance: (i) pinch current is a reliable and more valid neutron yield scaling parameter than peak current, (ii) the ratio of pinch/peak current improves as static inductance of the system reduces, (iii) the benign role of the higher static/pinch inductance ratio enables the supply of inductively stored energy in densely pinched plasma with a larger time constant and it is well depicted by the extended dip observed in the discharge current trace, (iv) there is the need to redefine existing index values of the pinch (Ipinch ^4.7) and peak (Ipeak ^3.9) currents in neutron yield scaling equations to higher values.     

Development of the high-energy neutron fluence rate standard field in Japan with a peak energy of 45 MeV using the 7Li(p,n)7Be reaction at TIARA

In this study, we developed a 45 MeV neutron fluence rate standard of Japan. Quasi-monoenergetic neutrons with a peak energy of 45 MeV in the neutron standard field were produced by the ⁷Li(p,n)⁷Be reaction using a 50-MeV proton beam from an azimuthally varying field (AVF) cyclotron of the Takasaki Ion Accelerators for Advanced Radiation Application (TIARA). The neutron energy spectrum was measured using an organic liquid scintillation detector and a ⁶Li-glass scintillation detector by the time-of-flight method, and using a Bonner sphere spectrometer by the unfolding method. The absolute neutron fluence was determined using a proton recoil telescope (PRT) composed of the liquid scintillation detector and a Si(Li) detector that was newly developed in the present study. The detection efficiency of the PRT was obtained using the MCNPX code. The peak neutron production cross section for the ⁷Li(p,n)⁷Be reaction was also derived from the neutron fluence in order to confirm the neutron fluence of the TIARA high-energy neutron field. The peak neutron production cross section obtained in the present study was in good agreement with those of previous studies. The characteristics of the 45-MeV neutron field in TIARA were successfully evaluated in order to calibrate high-energy neutron detectors and high-energy neutron dosimeters.     

Particle Release from Vanadium Metal Surface by Neutrons

Sputtering yields from vanadium metal surface due to neutron irradiation were studied. A carefully prepared Pyrex glass tube, containing a vanadium foil as target and a polyethylene film pasted on a nickel plate as catcher, was sealed after evacuation, irradiated in a reactor, disassembled to take up the film, and the ⁵²V activity on it was counted for estimating the thermal neutron sputtering yield due to the recoil by(n, γ) reaction. The reactivation of the film gave the fast neutron sputtering yield. These values were found to be 2.3×10^?9 and 2.1×10^?1 respectively.     

Study of delayed neutron decay curves from thermal neutron induced fission of U and Pu

The results of measurements of the delayed neutron decay curves obtained from the thermal neutron induced fission of ²³⁵U and ²³⁹Pu are presented. The data were obtained by the periodical irradiation method on the pulsed reactor IBR-2 during the time interval 5 to 730 msec following irradiation. A comparison of these newly measured decay curves with the curves calculated using several standard delayed neutron sets was then performed. Based on these measurements, a new 7-group delayed neutron model is proposed.