Analysis of neutron yield produced by high-energy proton

Comparisons have been made between computational results obtained with the BNL code system and experimental data measured by Vasfl'kov et al. for 56 x 56 x 64 cm natural and depleted uranium blocks surrounded by lead walls and primary proton energies of 400 and 660 MeV. The energetic protons from a linear accelerator are used to produce an intensive neutron source inthe uraniumblocko The computercode system prepared at BNL to perform nuclear design analyses of linear accelerator reactors consists of six main programs: NMTC for spallation-evaporation processes above 15 MeV, HIST3D for the analysis of collision event records obtained by NMTC to get P₃ neutron source distribution, DLC-2 to compile 100 energy group cross sections, TAPEMAKER for format conversion, ANISN to collapse 100 group cross sections to fewer group P₃ cross section sets, and the principal code TWOTRAN-II which performs neutron reaction and transport calculations in the energy range below 15 MeV. Our computational method gives conservative total neutron yields, i.e., underestimates of about 16.8–29.8% in comparison with measured values depending on proton energy. Radiative capture²³⁸U(n,) density distributions have been compared between the calculation and experiment. The calculated distribution has the higher peak in the central part of the target system and the steeper gradient both in the r and z directions.Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973. Published in Atomnaya Énergiya, Vol. 47, No. 2, pp. 83–91, August, 1979.