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Neutron spectrum analyses of spallation neutrons are conducted in the accelerator-driven system (ADS) facility at the Kyoto University Critical Assembly (KUCA). High-energy protons (100 MeV) obtained from the fixed field alternating gradient accelerator are injected onto a tungsten target, whereby the spallation neutrons are generated. For neutronic characteristics of spallation neutrons, the reaction rates and the continuous energy distribution of spallation neutrons are measured by the foil activation method and by an organic liquid scintillator, respectively. Numerical calculations are executed by MCNPX with JENDL/HE-2007 and ENDF/B-VI libraries to evaluate the reaction rates of activation foils (bismuth and indium) set at the target and the continuous energy distribution of spallation neutrons set in front of the target. For the reaction rates by the foil activation method, the C/E values between the experiments and the calculations are found around a relative difference of 10%, except for some reactions. For continuous energy distribution by the organic liquid scintillator, the spallation neutrons are observed up to 45 MeV. From these results, the neutron spectrum information on the spallation neutrons generated at the target are attained successfully in injecting 100 MeV protons onto the tungsten target.

Transmutation reactions in the 237 Np, 238 Pu, and 239 Pu samples were investigated in the neutron field generated inside a massive ( m = 512 kg) natural uranium spallation target. The uranium target assembly QUINTA was irradiated with the deuteron beams of kinetic energy 2, 4, and 8 GeV provided by the Nuclotron accelerator at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna. The neutron-induced transmutation of the actinide samples was measured off-line by implementing methods of gamma-ray spectrometry with HPGe detectors. Results of measurement are expressed in the form of both the individual reaction rates and average fission transmutation rates. For the purpose of validation of radiation transport programs, the experimental results were compared with simulations of neutron production and distribution performed by the MCNPX 2.7 and MARS15 codes employing the INCL4-ABLA physics models and LAQGSM event generator, respectively. In general, a good agreement between the experimental and calculated reaction rates was found in the whole interval of provided beam energies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The neutron multiplication parameters: neutron multiplication M, subcritical multiplication factor ks , external source efficiency φ *, play an important role for numerical assessment and reactor power evaluation of an accelerator-driven system (ADS). Those parameters can be evaluated by using the measured reaction rate distribution in the subcritical system. In this study, the experimental verification of this methodology is performed in various ADS cores; with high-energy (100MeV) proton–tungsten source in hard and soft neutron spectra cores and 14MeV D–T neutron source in soft spectrum core. The comparison between measured and calculated multiplication parameters reveals a maximum relative difference in the range of 6.6–13.7% that is attributed to the calculation nuclear libraries uncertainty and accuracy for energies higher than 20MeV and also dependent on the reaction rate distribution position and count rates. The effects of different core neutron spectra and external neutron sources on the neutron multiplication parameters are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the interaction of relativistic protons with heavy and extended targets such as lead, large number of neutrons is produced in the course of the so-called spallation process. These neutrons can be used to drive a sub-critical nuclear assembly for energy generation and/or for the transmutation of the long-lived nuclear waste isotopes to environmentally safer nuclear species. Such nuclear assemblies are referred to as accelerator driven systems (ADS).Knowledge of the neutron yield in the spallation process and an understanding of the behaviour of these neutrons in the desired sub-critical assembly are the most important and determining factors in the design and operation of these systems. Many parameters related to the neutronics of an ADS can be studied qualitatively as well as quantitatively using solid-state nuclear track detectors (SSNTD). In some circumstances SSNTDs provide the best and the most logical detector option for these investigations.In this paper applications of the SSNTDs into research related to ADS are discussed and some experimental and theoretical results presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]