Double-Differential Neutron Emission Cross Sections of 6Li and 7Li at Incident Neutron Energies of 4.2, 5.4, 6.0 and 14.2 MeV

Energy-angle double-differential neutron emission cross sections of lithium isotopes were measured at incident neutron energies of 4.2, 5.4 and 14.2 MeV for ⁶Li and of 5.4, 6.0 and 14.2 MeV for ⁷Li using a time-of-flight spectrometer. Care was taken in background subtraction and in data correction for sample-size effects. Detailed comparison of the present results was made with the evaluated data in JENDL-3PR1. A spectrum fitting method was used to extract the ^6,7Li(n, n'x)α and (n, 2n) reaction cross sections. Neutrons emitted from the (n, 2n) reactions were well described by the conventional evaporation model. A simple calculation with a final-state Coulomb interaction was effectively applied for the ^6,7Li(n, n'x)α reactions. Angle-integrated cross sections of the ⁷Li(n, n't)α reaction were in good agreement with the JENDL-3PR1 data except the data measured at 6.0MeV. The angular distributions of elastically and inelastically scattered neutrons were successfully analyzed with the coupled-channel method at the incident neutron energy of 14.2 MeV.     

Measurement of Charged-Particle Emission Double-Differential Cross Section of Fluorine for 14.2MeV Neutrons

We carried out detailed measurement of the double-differential cross sections of fluorine for the emissions of protons, deuterons, tritons, and α-particles with 14.2MeV incident neutrons. An improved charged-particle spectrometer with a pencil DT-neutron beam furnished at the FNS facility of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency enabled us to obtain precise data with a fine energy resolution over a wide energy range and an angular range from 15 to 150°. The present experiment is the first simultaneous measurement of the four different kinds of charged particles and provides useful data to establish a nuclear reaction model of fluorine as well as to confirm previous experimental data. Angular-differential cross sections for several discrete peaks corresponding to excited states of residual nuclei were extracted to discuss the reaction mechanism of charged-particle emission. The obtained data suggest that the charged-particle emission reaction of fluorine has a complicated mechanism in which there are contributions from the direct reaction, pre-equilibrium, and equilibrium processes. The obtained data were compared with the nuclear data evaluated in JENDL-3.3 and ENDF/B-VII.0. The results show large differences in the energy and angular distributions of emitted particles and the charged-particle production cross sections between the measured and evaluated data.     

Neutron Emission,Mass Distribution and Energetics in 14.5 MeV-Neutron Induced Fission of Uranium-238

A study is performed on 14.5 MeV-neutron induced fission of ²³⁸U by means of three-parameter experiment in which the energies of both fragments and the time-of-flight of one fragment are measured. A mosaic-arrayed surface barrier detector of large sensitive area is used at the remote end of a flight tube. The pre- and post-neutron-emission fragment mass distributions are obtained, together with the average total kinetic energy of fragment as a function of its mass. The average number of neutrons emitted from an individual fragment and the average total number of emitted neutrons are also derived as a function of fragment mass. The results agree well with those calculated by the method developed in our laboratory for medium-excitation fission. The average number of emitted neutrons and the mass distribution of fission fragment are derived for the respective reactions of first-, second- and third-chance fission.     

Measurements of Double-Differential Neutron Emission Cross Sections of 6Li, 7Li and 9Be for 11.5 MeV and 18.0 MeV Neutrons

Double-differential neutron emission cross sections (DDXs) of ⁶Li, ⁷Li and ⁹Be were measured for 18.0 MeV and 11.5 MeV incident neutrons produced by the T(d, n) and ¹⁵N(d, n) reactions respectively, using the Tohoku University Dynamitron time-of-flight (TOF) spectrometer. The data were obtained at 13 laboratory angles, and angular-differential cross sections (ADXs) of elastic and inelastic scattering neutrons were derived from the DDXs. For 11.5 MeV neutrons, we obtained the neutron emission spectra over the secondary neutron energies by newly employing the double TOF method as well as the conventional one. In the measurements at 18.0 MeV, we achieved better energy resolution than in our previous studies by using a neutron detector that has a larger solid angle and a thinner tritium target. The experimental results of DDXs and ADXs were compared with our previous results and the evaluated data given in JENDL-3.2, JENDL Fusion File and ENDF/B-VI. It is found that the JENDL data reproduce the experimental ones very well.     

Measurement of Nuclear Inelastic Scattering Cross Section of Thorium-232 for 144keV Si-Filtered Neutrons

The nuclear inelastic scattering cross section of ²³²Th has been measured at 144 keV using a Si-filtered neutron beam from the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR). The energy spectrum of the scattered neutrons was measured with a spherical hydrogen-gas counter and a pulse-height-unfolding procedure. Data were taken at nine scattering angles from 30° to 150° in 15° increments. The results provide new experimental information below 250 keV. The angle-integrated cross section is 0.74±0.05 barn, which agrees with the evaluation JENDL-2 and with a coupled-channel calculation where the inelastic scattering through the direct-excitation process of the collective rotational motion of a deformed nucleus is included as well as that through the compound-nucleus-formation process. Experimental results have been obtained also for the angular dependence of the elastically scattered neutrons at 144 keV.     

Measurement of Leakage Neutron Spectra from a Spherical Pile of Zirconium Irradiated with 14MeV Neutrons and Validation of Its Nuclear Data

In order to make a benchmark validation of the nuclear data for Zr, the leakage neutron spectrum from a Zr sphere of a 61-cm diameter was measured between 0.1 and 16MeV using a time-of-flight technique with a 14MeV neutron source facility, OKTAVIAN. The result was compared with the calculation using the Monte Carlo code MCNP-4A. To investigate the spectrum dependence on the individual neutron reactions, test calculations were carried out with the MCNP-4A code using the JENDL-3.2-based libraries, in which partial cross section values were reduced from the original values. From the comparison between the measured and the calculated spectra, it was found that each of the results could predict well the experiment in general. However, in detail, both ENDF/B-VI and EFF-2.4 gave considerable overestimation above 1 MeV. The JENDL-3.2 predicts the spectrum almost satisfactorily except below 0.8 MeV and around 10 MeV. The discrepancy found in JENDL-3.2 calculation is considered due to the cross section values of the (n, 2n) reaction and its secondary energy distributions (SED). The modified JENDL-3.2 library with the reduced (n, 2n) reaction values and the lower SED below 1 MeV reproduced the experiment with better agreement over the whole energy range.     

Measurement and Analysis of Fission Rate Distributions of 237Np and 238U in a Polyethylene System with a 65 MeV Neutron Source

Fission rates of ²³⁷Np and ²³⁸U in a polyethylene (CH₂) system were measured with a 65MeV quasi monoenergetic neutron source. Relative fission rate distributions dependent on polyethylene thickness up to about 70 cm were obtained for both nuclides with the experimental error within 7%. The present experiment was analyzed by the NMTC/JAERI code that has been employed for designing accelerator-driven transmutation systems. The fission rates of both ²³⁷Np and ²³⁸U calculated by the NMTC/JAERI did not agree with the experimental ones. The C/E values for both were about 2.0 at 71.8cm of polyethylene thickness when both experimental and calculated values were normalized to 1.0 at 0.0 cm of polyethylene thickness. A sensitivity analysis of the NMTC/JAERI was performed by changing cross sections and angular distributions of hydrogen and carbon and by employing three options of the intra-nuclear cascade/evaporation calculation of the NMTC/JAERI. The disagreement of the NMTC/JAERI calculation with the experimental values was partially improved by increasing the nonelastic-scattering cross section of carbon and by broadening the elastic-scattering angular distribution of carbon.     

Measurements and Calculations of Angular Flux Spectra Emitted from Lithium and Graphite Slabs with D-T Neutron Source

Angular dependent flux spectra from slab assemblies (lithium and graphite) were measured to test nuclear data and calculational methods for D-T fusion reactor neutronics. The collimated 14 MeV neutron source could be applied by the use of an associated particle method and the neutron spectra from 14 to 2 MeV were observed with TOF technique. The measured spectral pattern was dependent on the anisotropy of secondary neutrons emitted from both the elastic and the non-elastic scattering for 14 MeV neutrons. As for the numerical calculations, one-dimensional discrete ordinates transport codes (ANISN and NITRAN) were used. The multigroup cross sections processed with SPTG4Z from ENDF/B-IV were used as common nuclear data base. The problems of calculational methods and nuclear data were discussed in comparison with the experimental data and it was clarified that sufficient nuclear data of angular dependent cross sections for the non-elastic scattering have not been available in ENDF/B-IV and that the anisotropy of the scattering could not be calculated with ANISN which utilized the scattering kernel generated by incorrect treatment of scattering kinematics in the processing code. However, good agreement between the measurements and calculations was obtained by the use of NITRAN system with the appropriate processing codes of inelastic scattering anisotropies. It was shown that the NITRAN system was useful for anisotropic neutron transport calculations.     

Measurement and Analysis of Neutron Spectra in Lithium Fluoride and Polytetrafluoroethylene Piles

For the assessment of neutron cross section data for fluorine, angular neutron spectra in the lithium fluoride (LiF) and polytetrafluoroethylene ((CF₂)n) piles were measured in the energy range from a few keV to a few MeV by the time-of-flight method with an electron linac, and the results were compared with those calculated by using nuclear data from JENDL-2 and ENDF/B-IV. Spatial distributions of neutron and X-ray fluxes were also measured in the test piles by the activation method, and the influence of photoneutrons generated in the sample material on the neutron spectrum in each pile was estimated. As a result, it was found that their influence on the neutron spectrum shape below 1 MeV was not so large as was necessary to be taken into account for the present assessment.

The calculated spectra using the JENDL-2 data and the ENDF/B-IV data show generally good agreement with those measured in both piles. However, both calculations underestimate the neutron fluxes around several 100 keV, and overestimate those below 100 keV, when they are normalized in the energy range of 10 keV～1 MeV. Large discrepancies are found between the shapes of the measured and calculated spectra around the resonances of fluorine cross section below 100 keV. The present measurements and analyses suggest that the reevaluations of the inelastic and elastic scattering cross sections below 1MeV and the resonance cross sections below 100 keV are necessary to reduce the observed discrepancies.     

Inelastic Scattering of 14MeV Neutrons by Heavy Nuclei

Energy spectra of neutrons scattered inelastically from natural samples of Ta, W, Au, Hg, TI, Pb and Bi have been studied at an incident energy of 14MeV, using time-of-flight technique. Angular distributions were also measured for Ta and Bi. The energy spectra from 2MeV to 4MeV were found to be qualitatively consistent with the prediction from statistical theory taking account of effects of nuclear pairing and shell structure. The Fermi gas level density parameter and the nuclear temperature were obtained by considering the contribution of the (n,2n) reaction. The variation of level density parameter plotted against mass number was found to agree with the trend predicted theoretically by Newton. Angular distributions proved to be symmetric about 90° and the spin cut-off parameter was estimated to be about 5.8 for Ta and 4.3 for Bi. Cross sections for the (n,n′2n) and (n,2n) reactions were obtained.