Measurements of neutron capture cross-sections for nuclides of interest in decommissioning: 45Sc, 63Cu, 64Zn, 109Ag, and 113In.

As nuclear facilities are dismantled in decommissioning, various and large amounts of waste are generated. Even more inconveniently, they are radioactive waste due to neutron activation. Thus, the neutron capture cross-sections of nuclides targeted for decommissioning are required to evaluate the radioactivity produced. The present study selected ⁴⁵Sc, ⁶³Cu, ⁶⁴Zn, ¹⁰⁹Ag and ¹¹³In among targeted nuclides, and performed the measurements of thermal-neutron capture cross-sections by an activation method at the Kyoto University Research Reactor. The thermal-neutron capture cross-sections were derived on the basis of Westcott's convention. The present results were obtained as follows: 27.18 ± 0.28 barn for ⁴⁵Sc(n,γ)⁴⁶Sc, 4.34 ± 0.06 barn for ⁶³Cu(n,γ)⁶⁴Cu, 0.719 ± 0.011 barn for ⁶⁴Zn(n,γ)⁶⁵Zn, 4.05 ± 0.05 barn for ¹⁰⁹Ag(n,γ)^110mAg and 8.53 ± 0.27 barn for ¹¹³In(n,γ)¹¹⁴In^m1+m2 reactions. The results for ⁴⁵Sc and ⁶⁴Zn support evaluated cross-section data within the limits of uncertainties, while those for the other nuclides were slightly different from evaluated ones. The obtained results are useful not only for the evaluation of isotope production, but also for the consideration of those nuclides as flux monitors, as an alternative to Au and Co. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]