Simulation and preliminary experimental results for an active neutron counter using a neutron generator for a fissile material accounting

An active neutron coincidence counter using a neutron generator as an interrogation source has been suggested. Because of the high energy of the interrogation neutron source, 2.5 MeV, the induced fission rate is strongly affected by the moderator design. MCNPX simulation has been performed to evaluate the performance achieved with these moderators. The side- and bottom-moderator are significantly important to thermalize neutrons to induce fission. Based on the simulation results, the moderators are designed to be adapted to the experimental system. Their preliminary performance has been tested by using natural uranium oxide powder samples. For a sample of up to 3.5 kg, which contains 21.7 g of ²³⁵U, 2.64 cps/g-²³⁵U coincidence events have been measured. Mean background error was 9.57 cps and the resultant coincidence error was 13.8 cps. The experimental result shows the current status of an active counting using a neutron generator which still has some challenges to overcome. However, the controllability of an interrogation source makes this system more applicable for a variety of combinations with other non-destructive methods like a passive coincidence counting especially under a harsh environment such as a hot cell. More precise experimental setup and tests with higher enriched samples will be followed to develop a system to apply it to an active measurement for the safeguards of a spent fuel treatment process.     

Evaluations of the new LiF-scintillator and optional brightness enhancement films for neutron imaging

Japan Atomic Energy Agency has developed the neutron scintillator jointly with Chichibu Fuji Co., Ltd. In this study, we evaluated the new ZnS(Ag):Al/⁶Li scintillator developed for neutron imaging. It was confirmed that the brightness increased by about double while maintaining equal performance for the spatial resolution as compared with a conventional scintillator. High frame-rate imaging using a high-speed video camera system and this new scintillator made it possible to image beyond 10 000 frames per second while still having enough brightness. This technique allowed us to obtain a high-frame-rate visualization of oil flow in a running car engine. Furthermore, we devised a technique to increase the light intensity of reception for a camera by adding brightness enhancement films on the output surface of the scintillator. It was confirmed that the spatial resolution degraded more than double, but the brightness increased by about three times.     

First experimental implementation of pulse shaping for neutron diffraction on pulsed sources

One of the central issues in the design and the use of pulsed neutron sources is the control of pulse length in elastic scattering experiments, most significantly diffraction on crystalline matter. On the existing short pulse spallation sources the strongly wavelength dependent source pulse length that determines the resolution is permanently fixed on each beam line by the type of the moderator it faces. We have experimentally implemented for the first time the wavelength frame multiplication (WFM) multiplexing chopper method, an earlier proposed variant of the by now fully tested repetition rate multiplication technique for inelastic scattering spectroscopy on pulsed neutron sources. We have operated the time-of-flight diffractometer at the continuous reactor source at BNC in an unconventional multiplexing mode that emulates a pulsed source. As a full proof of principle of the WFM method we have experimentally demonstrated the extraction from each source pulse a series of polychromatic, chopper shaped neutron pulses, which can continuously cover any wavelength band. The achieved 25 μs FWHM pulse length is shorter than that can be obtained at all at short pulse spallation sources for cold neutrons. The method allows us to build efficient, high and variable resolution diffractometers at long pulse spallation sources.     

The UGRA spectrometer for the measurement of the electric polarizability of the neutron

The new neutron spectrometer UGRA has been put into operation on the 250 m long time-of-flight path of the IBR-30 booster in Dubna. It has been constructed for the determination of the electric polarizability of the neutron which will be derived from the precise measurement of the angular dependence of neutron scattering on heavy nuclei at energies 0.5–60 keV. The spectrometer is situated in a vacuum chamber of 3 m lateral dimensions, capable of holding up to 3 scattering samples and 16³He-detectors (of 7 l volume each) in shielding tanks on a rotary platform. Some characteristics of the instrument are reported.     

On the identification of an effective cross section for a cruciform specimen

Biaxial tensile testing of sheet metals is becoming increasingly popular for sheet metal forming. Determining equivalent stresses in biaxial tensile specimens is more complicated than in conventional uniaxial tensile specimens. In the present study, we compare four different approaches to calculate effective stresses during biaxial tensile loading of a cruciform specimen: (a) partial unloading method, where stresses are determined based on force–strain curves; (b) identification with uniaxial tensile testing; (c) an analysis of equivalent biaxial tests; and (d) numerical simulations. Considering experimental results for an AA1050 aluminium alloy and for a low‐carbon steel DC06, we show that, for the cruciform sample studied here, two methods do not yield physically reasonable results: The uniaxial approach does not properly take into account the effect of transverse loading, and the equivalent biaxial approach exhibits uncertainties in strain measurement data. The most comprehensible approach is the numerical method, because it also yields detailed information about the local stress and strain states. The numerical results are in excellent agreement with the partial unloading method in terms of the initial flow stress and of effective stress–strain curves for strains up to 0.02, with both methods predicting a similar effective cross section of 18.0 mm² for the considered specimen.     

Generation of neutron multigroup constants in the energy range –10 MeV for light and heavy water at four different temperatures

On the basis of the cross section models of neutron scattering in liquid H₂O and D₂O, which have been developed in the previous papers, we have generated eight sets of multigroup constants (energy-averaged cross sections) for each liquid at 5, 27, 52 and . The multigroup constants cover a wide energy range –10 MeV with 140 energy groups at equal logarithmic intervals and represent an angular scattering distribution by the Legendre polynomial expansion up to order 3. Major characteristics of neutron scattering inherent to liquid water are fully included in terms of coherent and incoherent properties and temperature-dependent quasi-elastic and inelastic scattering. These characteristics are assured by comparison with relevant experimental results of scattering cross section and also by neutron slowing-down and thermalization analysis in liquid H₂O and D₂O. It is shown that the present multigroup constants serve for analysis of neutron moderation from fission/spallation to ultra-cold energies, in combination with the already-generated ones for liquid ⁴He, H₂, D₂ and CH₄ and solid CH₄.     

Neutron response function for a detector with He counters for the 0.39–1.54 MeV neutron energy range

An experimental study was carried out on the neutron response functions of two neutron detector arrays consisting of 39 ³He proportional counters with a polyethylene moderator for monoenergetic neutrons within the 0.39–1.54 MeV neutron energy range. Experimental data on the sensitivity of neutron counting to a change in neutron energy and the influence of the thickness of polyethylene moderator were obtained. The experimental efficiency curves were compared with the calculated response functions generated by a neutron transport code.     

纳米二氧化锰散射截面对炭黑电磁性能的影响

为了改善单一吸收剂对电磁波的吸收性能并有效拓宽吸收频段,采用纳米二氧化锰掺杂炭黑制备了一种新型的复合吸收剂,并对吸收剂的TEM颗粒形貌,介电特性和微波吸收性能进行了研究.结果表明:炭黑属于电阻型损耗介质,主要呈球形多孔状;二氧化锰属于介电损耗介质,其特殊的条形片状结构增加了电磁波在基体内的散射截面和反射次数,从而增大了复合吸收剂的消光截面,改善了炭黑的微波吸收性能.     

Basic features of the upgraded S18 neutron interferometer set-up at ILL

The perfect crystal interferometer instrument S18 at the Institute Laue-Langevin (ILL) in Grenoble has been upgraded to allow more advanced neutron optics experiments for fundamental, nuclear and condensed matter physics. The new supermirror guide together with the multipurpose monochromator provides considerably higher intensities in a wide wavelength region. The optimal use of neutrons is obtained by a nondispersive arrangement of the monochromator and the interferometer crystals. This also allows to obtain completely polarised beams using permanent magnetic prism deflection. An additional third analyzer axis permits novel postselection experiments concerning momentum distribution and polarisation analysis of the interfering beams. Several types of large perfect crystal interferometers are available for different applications. The system can be configured as an advanced high-resolution Bonse–Hart small angle scattering camera. The results of various test measurements concerning intensities, interference contrast, long-term stability, the accessible wavelength range and the basic features as a SANS camera will be presented. Various proposals for experiments will be discussed as well.     

The review and prospect of neutron radiography in China

Neutron radiography is one of radiography ray non-destructive testing. It is a valuable complementary of X and γ rays radiography. This paper briefly describes the history of neutron radiography in China, and introduces the status of neutron radiography facilities and their development in China.     

Acceptance diagram calculations of the performance of neutron removal mirrors

We have used the method of acceptance diagrams to compute the performance of low energy neutron removal mirrors, or “deflectors”, placed within a parallel neutron guide. Such devices are typically used to remove long wavelength neutrons from cold neutron beams. With appropriate coatings they may also be used as low energy neutron polarizers, ideally transmitting one spin state and reflecting the other spin state out of the beam. Within the small angle approximation, ignoring absorption, and representing reflectivities using unit step functions (either 0% or 100%, depending on the angle of incidence and the critical angle), the transmission probability reduces to a function of 3 ratios among 4 angles: the inclination angle of the deflector and the critical angles (which are proportional to neutron wavelength) of the upstream entrance guide, the deflector, and the guide within which the deflector is placed. The results of the acceptance diagram calculations, and of complementary ray-tracing calculations using realistic reflectivity profiles for the deflector, should benefit scientists and engineers involved in the design of neutron scattering instruments that potentially incorporate neutron deflectors.     

Synthesis and purple-blue emission of antimony trioxide single-crystalline nanobelts with elliptical cross section

Single-crystalline orthorhombic antimony trioxide (Sb₂O₃) nanobelts with unique elliptical cross sections and purple-blue photoluminescence have been synthesized. The uniform Sb₂O₃ nanobelts are 400–600 nm in width, 20–40 nm in thickness at the center and gradually become thinner to form sharp edges sub-5 nm in size, tens of micrometers in length, and with [001] as the preferential growth direction. Self-assembly of tens of nanobelts into three-dimensional (3-D) flower-like nanostructures has been observed. Analysis was performed by X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The Sb₂O₃ nanobelts display intense purple-blue photoluminescence centred at 425 nm (∼2.92 eV). The successful synthesis of nanobelts with elliptical cross sections may cast new light on the investigation of the property differences between nanobelts with rectangular cross sections and those with other cross section geometries. The Sb₂O₃ nanobelts can be used as effective purple-blue light emitters and may also be valuable for future nanodevice design. Electronic Supplementary Material  Supplementary material is available for this article at and is accessible for authorized users.     

Development of neutron radiography facility for boiling two-phase flow experiment in Kyoto University Research Reactor

To visualize boiling two-phase flow at high heat flux by using neutron radiography, a new neutron radiography facility was developed in the B-4 beam hole of KUR. The B-4 beam hole is equipped with a supermirror neutron guide tube with a characteristic wavelength of 1.2 Å, whose geometrical parameters of the guide tube are: 11.7 m total length and 10 mm wide ×74 mm high beam cross-section. The total neutron flux obtained from the KUR supermirror guide tube is about 5×10⁷ n/cm² s with a nominal thermal output of 5 MW of KUR, which is about 100 times what is obtainable with the conventional KUR neutron radiography facility (E-2 beam hole). In this study a new imaging device, an electric power supply (1200 A, 20 V), and a thermal hydraulic loop were installed. The neutron source, the beam tube, and the radiography rooms are described in detail and the preliminary images obtained at the developed facility are shown.     

复杂截面型材力控制拉弯成形数值模拟分析

复杂截面挤压型材的高精度拉弯成形是制造框架式车身的关键技术.本文基于动态显式有限元软件PAM-STAMP,针对一种典型的框架武车身用复杂截面挤压型材,对其力控制方式的直进台面式拉弯成形进行了数值模拟研究,对比分析了两种截面形状的型材截面畸变和回弹随补拉力增大的变形规律,并得到了摩擦系数对成形精度的影响.数值模拟结果表明,增加型材截面的变形刚度,可以显著地减小截面畸变和回弹;增加补拉力,增大了截面畸变但减小了回弹;增大摩擦系数,截面畸变量减小而回弹增加.     

Thermal neutron cross-section and resonance integral for Dy(n,γ)Dy reaction

The thermal neutron cross-section (σ₀) and the resonance integral (I₀) of the reaction ¹⁶⁴Dy(n,γ)¹⁶⁵Dy were measured by the activation method, using ⁵⁵Mn(n,γ)⁵⁵Mn monitor reaction as a single comparator. The diluted MnO₂ and Dy₂O₃ powder samples within and without a cylindrical Cd shield case were irradiated in an isotropic neutron field obtained from the ²⁴¹Am–Be neutron sources, moderated with paraffin wax. The γ-ray spectra from the irradiated samples were measured by high-resolution γ-ray spectrometry with a calibrated n-type Ge detector. The necessary correction factors for γ-ray attenuation, thermal neutron and resonance neutron self-shielding effects and epithermal neutron spectrum shape factor () were taken into account in the determinations. The thermal neutron cross-section for ¹⁶⁴Dy(n,γ)¹⁶⁵Dy reaction studied has been determined to be 2672±104 b at 0.025 eV. This result has been obtained relative to the reference thermal neutron cross-section value of 13.3±0.1 b for the ⁵⁵Mn(n,γ)⁵⁶Mn reaction. For the thermal neutron cross-section, most of the experimental data and evaluated one in ENDF/B-VI, in general, are in good agreement with the present result. The resonance integral has also been measured relative to the reference value of 14.0±0.3 b for the ⁵⁵Mn(n,γ)⁵⁶Mn monitor reaction using a 1/E¹⁺ epithermal neutron spectrum of the ²⁴¹Am–Be neutron source. By defining Cd cut-off energy 0.55 eV, the resonance integral obtained was 527±89 b. The existing experimental and evaluated data for the resonance integral are distributed from 335 to 820 b. The present resonance integral value agrees with some previously reported values, 520 b by Holden, 505 b by Simonits et al. and 575±100 b by Heft, within the limits of error.     

型材截面几何特征对绕弯成形翘曲的影响

为提高铝合金型材绕弯成形后弯曲件的尺寸精度,运用仿真分析的方法研究了在绕弯成形过程中截面几何特征对竖直壁型材成形翘曲的影响.改变具有竖直壁结构型材的截面几何特征,得到不同型材的成形结果并进行对比分析.结果表明:增加竖直壁型材外侧横向特征的对称性有助于减小成形翘曲变形;增加内侧特征能够显著减小翘曲.该研究结果可以指导型材截面设计,减少成形的难度.     

基于TBM法的地铁大断面水压爆破技术

为了顺利完成地铁区间四线大断面爆破开挖,减小爆破作业对城市环境的影响,利用TBM导洞扩挖形成既有临空面,采用水压爆破施工技术,通过质点振速的理论计算与现场起爆试验结果,优化了爆破参数和起爆网路,进而降低了质点爆破振速,完成了区间大断面开挖,减小了爆破对周边环境的影响。结果表明:相比于常规爆破技术,本工程的水压爆破方案每循环节省了炸药39.91 kg,每循环进尺提高了0.35 m,大块率降低了53%,质点爆破振速下降了0.13 cm/s,粉尘浓度下降了36.6 mg/m³,经济与环境效益显著。     

基于能量法的变截面层合管整体稳定承载力计算方法

为计算变截面层合管杆件整体稳定承载力,提出一种基于能量法的理论计算模型。采用基于三维梁理论的层合管等效抗弯刚度计算方法,计算了等截面段、变截面段的等效工程弹性系数。在考虑剪切变形的影响以及杆件变截面对轴压挠曲线函数影响的基础上,基于能量法推导了变截面杆整体稳定承载力解析公式。以NASA复合材料变截面杆为算例,进行了理论计算和有限元数值模拟,结果显示:同时考虑上述两因素的理论计算结果与有限元结果最为接近,剪切变形对临界承载力的修正可达10%以上,轴压挠曲线函数的变化对承载力的修正约为1%,可忽略。以锥长和锥角为参数,对变截面杆的承载力、体积和承载效率进行双参数分析,发现变截面对弯曲变形能的影响远大于对剪切变形性能的影响,采用变截面形式能够提高层合管承载效率,且一定锥长下存在承载效率最高对应的最优锥角。     

Transmission of very slow neutrons through material foils and its influence on the design of ultracold neutron sources

At the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), a very intense source of ultracold neutrons (UCN) is being built. The UCN converter of solid deuterium must be contained in a vessel. Produced UCN leave that vessel through its top lid. To decide on the design of the vessel and the top lid, we have measured the transmission of neutrons with velocities between 3 and 20 m/s through different material foils. Contrary to expectations, we found that transmission through aluminium and aluminium alloys is equal or even higher compared to zirconium and reactor-grade zirconium alloys, respectively.     

Determination of the scattering lengths of gallium isotopes by neutron interferometry with PNO-apparatus in JRR-3M

For carrying out experiments in the field of the so-called precise neutron optics (PNO), we have implemented special multi-purpose apparatus called the “PNO-apparatus” at JRR-3M. Making use of an Si triple-Laue (LLL) neutron interferometer with the PNO-apparatus, we successfully determined the coherent neutron scattering lengths of gallium isotopes, ⁶⁹Ga and ⁷¹Ga. The results are 8.053±0.013 fm for ⁶⁹Ga and 6.170±0.011 fm for ⁷¹Ga, respectively.