Nuclear Data: Fission Yields, Decay Heat and Neutron Reaction Cross Sections
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Manchester
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
The UK now has little capability in nuclear data measurement and evaluation despite the fact that these data are absolutely critical in underpinning many industrial nuclear applications. The nuclear industry in particular now faces a number of challenges connected with new nuclear build, plutonium disposition, and geological disposal. These areas rely on nuclear data codes which have served the UK well over the years but, due to compensating errors and correcting factors, are likely to depart from observation as the envelope of operation is extended into the new areas of application.This outline proposal will allow the UK to re-engage with international efforts to measure neutron absorption ad fission cross sections, fission yields, and gamma decay heat measurements at a number of European research facilities. This consortium will also help the analysis and evaluation work to ensure the nuclear industry in the UK benefits from the new measurements in a timely manner.The three strands of the proposed research programme are: (i) measurements of neutron capture cross sections on actinide targets through UK membership of the neutron Time-of-Flight collaboration working at CERN; (ii) Gamma decay heat measurements using a Total Absorption Spectrometer, and (iii) measurements of neutron-induced fission cross sections and fission yields using the UK's STEFF spectrometer at the SPIRAL2 pulsed neutron facility at GANIL (France).
Planned Impact
The main impact of this proposal will be to create and foster networking and international opportunities. By joining nTOF the UK will be linked with one of the largest international networks for nuclear data measurements and evaluation. nTOF measurements contribute directly to the JEFF (Joint European Fission Fusion) and Brookhaven databases. The nTOF collaboration coordinates its measurements with IRMM (Geel, Belgium) to produce the best possible set of data. NNL involvement in this outline proposal via a recent Simon Fellowship appointment for Dr Mills at Manchester, and potentially an NNL-based research engineer (under the nuclear IDC scheme), will ensure the fastest possible uptake of new data by the nuclear industry. Membership of the nTOF collaboration opens the door to the creation of additional frameworks of collaborations, such as those funded by the EU. For example the nTOF spokesman is coordinator of the ANDES EURATOM FP7 project which already involves Manchester's long-time collaborator in JYFL (Jyvskyl IGISOL group) and the NNL nuclear physics group. Manchester has helped with the design and construction of the IGISOL target at the Jyvaskyla Accelerator Laboratory (JYFL). This facility is used for fission yield measurements, fission fragment mass measurements and fission fragment nuclear- and laser- spectroscopic studies. Manchester's research at this facility is already funded under a current EPSRC/STFC responsive mode grant and an STFC rolling grant, and now there is a good possibility to get involved with the ANDES project through working with JYFL. The UK forum for reporting and sharing information on nuclear data is the UK Nuclear Science Forum which is operated by NPL on behalf of HSE. The UKNSF advises representatives of the NEA database and the IAEA Nuclear Data Section on the needs of the UK in this field. Manchester and Surrey are already members of this forum. The NFS network has members from 18 institutions across Europe and has a large cohort or researchers with an interest in possible industrial applications. Manchester has good contacts already with the NFS working groups; the STEFF spectrometer forms part of the technical specification for the facility, even though there is currently no UK financial support for this involvement. Contact with data evaluators, e.g. Dr. Mills as well as future contacts formed through the nTOF collaboration, will allow the rapid dissemination of results of the NFS experiments to the nuclear industry. The Jyvskyl TAS work that the Surrey group (via Gelletly) has been seminal in the design and construction of the current TAS and Surrey will continue to have a large impact in the collaborations that use TAS. Nichols is Chair of the UK Nuclear Science Forum (UKNSF), which covers the measurement and evaluation of nuclear data for applications in the nuclear industry, nuclear medicine and protection of the environment. There are two meetings a year; and the association of Nichols with this consortium will increase the national impact of its work.
Publications
Alastair Smith (Author)
(2012)
Fission-fragment spectroscopy with large arrays and STEFF
Amaducci S
(2019)
Measurement of the 235U(n, f) cross section relative to the 6Li(n, t) and 10B(n,$ \alpha$) standards from thermal to 170 keV neutron energy range at n_TOF
in The European Physical Journal A
Balibrea-Correa J
(2020)
Measurement of the a ratio and ( n , ? ) cross section of U 235 from 0.2 to 200 eV at n_TOF
in Physical Review C
Barbagallo M
(2014)
Capture Cross Section of 236U: the n_TOF Results
in Nuclear Data Sheets
Barbagallo M
(2013)
High-accuracy determination of the neutron flux at n_TOF
in The European Physical Journal A
Bennett S
(2020)
Development of a novel segmented anode Frisch-grid ionisation chamber for fission measurements
in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
Chiaveri E
(2014)
The CERN n_TOF Facility: Neutron Beams Performances for Cross Section Measurements
in Nuclear Data Sheets
Colonna N
(2010)
Advanced nuclear energy systems and the need of accurate nuclear data: the n_TOF project at CERN
in Energy & Environmental Science
Colonna N
(2020)
The fission experimental programme at the CERN n_TOF facility: status and perspectives
in The European Physical Journal A
Cosentino L
(2016)
Experimental setup and procedure for the measurement of the 7Be(n,a)a reaction at n_TOF
in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
Damone L
(2018)
^{7}Be(n,p)^{7}Li Reaction and the Cosmological Lithium Problem: Measurement of the Cross Section in a Wide Energy Range at n_TOF at CERN.
in Physical review letters
Diakaki M
(2014)
Measurement of the 237Np(n,f) Cross Section with the MicroMegas Detector
in Nuclear Data Sheets
Diakaki M
(2016)
Towards the high-accuracy determination of the 238 U fission cross section at the threshold region at CERN - n_TOF
in EPJ Web of Conferences
Dietz M
(2021)
Measurement of the 72 Ge ( n , ? ) cross section over a wide neutron energy range at the CERN n_TOF facility
in Physical Review C
Fraval K
(2014)
Measurement and Analysis of 241Am(n,?) Cross Sections with C6D6 Detectors at the n_TOF Facility at CERN
in Nuclear Data Sheets
Giubrone G
(2014)
Measurement of the 54,57Fe(n,?) Cross Section in the Resolved Resonance Region at CERN n_TOF
in Nuclear Data Sheets
Guerrero C
(2013)
Performance of the neutron time-of-flight facility n_TOF at CERN
in The European Physical Journal A
Guerrero C
(2015)
Correction of dead-time and pile-up in a detector array for constant and rapidly varying counting rates
in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
Guerrero C
(2014)
Investigation of Neutron-induced Reactions at n_TOF: an Overview of the 2009-2012 Experimental Program
in Nuclear Data Sheets
Guerrero C
(2012)
Simultaneous measurement of neutron-induced capture and fission reactions at CERN
in The European Physical Journal A
Gunsing F
(2014)
Spin Measurements of n +87Sr for Level Density Studies
in Nuclear Data Sheets
Korgul A
(2015)
Investigation of the i 13 / 2 neutron orbital in the Sn 132 region: New excited levels in Sb 135
in Physical Review C
Kurpeta J
(2014)
Neutron configurations in Pd 113
in Physical Review C
Leal-Cidoncha E
(2016)
Fission Fragment Angular Distribution measurements of 235 U and 238 U at CERN n_TOF facility
in EPJ Web of Conferences
Lederer C
(2013)
Neutron capture cross section of unstable 63Ni: implications for stellar nucleosynthesis.
in Physical review letters
Lederer C
(2014)
Neutron Capture Reactions on Fe and Ni Isotopes for the Astrophysical s-process
in Nuclear Data Sheets
Lederer-Woods C
(2019)
Measurement of 73Ge(n,?) cross sections and implications for stellar nucleosynthesis
in Physics Letters B
Massimi C
(2017)
Neutron spectroscopy of 26Mg states: Constraining the stellar neutron source 22Ne(a,n)25Mg
in Physics Letters B
Massimi C
(2014)
New Measurement of the 25Mg(n,?) Reaction Cross Section
in Nuclear Data Sheets
Mastromarco M
(2019)
Cross section measurements of 155,157Gd(n,$\gamma$?) induced by thermal and epithermal neutrons
in The European Physical Journal A
Mendoza E
(2014)
Pulse pile-up and dead time corrections for digitized signals from a BaF 2 calorimeter
in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
Mendoza E
(2014)
Measurement of the 241Am and the 243Am Neutron Capture Cross Sections at the n_TOF Facility at CERN
in Nuclear Data Sheets
Mendoza E
(2018)
Measurement and analysis of the Am 241 neutron capture cross section at the n_TOF facility at CERN
in Physical Review C
Mingrone F
(2016)
The CERN n_TOF facility: a unique tool for nuclear data measurement
in EPJ Web of Conferences
Mingrone F
(2014)
Measurement of the 238U Radiative Capture Cross Section with C6D6 at the CERN n_TOF Facility
in Nuclear Data Sheets
Mingrone F
(2017)
Neutron capture cross section measurement of U 238 at the CERN n_TOF facility in the energy region from 1 eV to 700 keV
in Physical Review C
Naïdja H
(2017)
New excitations in Ba 142 and Ce 144 : Evolution of ? bands in the N = 86 isotones
in Physical Review C
Paradela C
(2015)
High-accuracy determination of the U 238 / U 235 fission cross section ratio up to ˜ 1 GeV at n_TOF at CERN
in Physical Review C
Pollitt A
(2015)
Measurements of ? -ray Energy and Multiplicity from 235 U( n thermal ) using STEFF
in EPJ Web of Conferences
Praena J
(2018)
Measurement and resonance analysis of the S 33 ( n , a ) Si 30 cross section at the CERN n_TOF facility in the energy region from 10 to 300 keV
in Physical Review C
Sabaté-Gilarte M
(2017)
High-accuracy determination of the neutron flux in the new experimental area n_TOF-EAR2 at CERN
in The European Physical Journal A
Tarrío D
(2014)
Fission Fragment Angular Distribution of 232Th(n,f) at the CERN n_TOF Facility
in Nuclear Data Sheets
Tarrío D
(2014)
Measurement of the angular distribution of fission fragments using a PPAC assembly at CERN n_TOF
in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
Tsinganis A
(2015)
The Fission Programme at the CERN n_TOF Facility
in Physics Procedia
Tsinganis A
(2014)
Measurement of the 242Pu(n,f) Cross Section at the CERN n_TOF Facility
in Nuclear Data Sheets
Urban W
(2016)
First evidence of ? collectivity close to the doubly magic core Sn 132
in Physical Review C
Urban W
(2017)
Shape coexistence in the odd-odd nucleus Y 98 : The role of the g 9 / 2 neutron extruder
in Physical Review C
Description | Measurement of neutron multiplicities and energy distributions for neutron-induced fission on 235U at thermal energies. Construction and commissioning of upgrade to STEFF spectrometer. |
Exploitation Route | The STEFF spectrometer will be used by others in the NTOF collaboration to measure various properties of neutron-induced fission. The gamma data will contribute to safety cases for new reactors. |
Sectors | Energy |
Description | The award has allowed the UK to maintain membership of the n_TOF facility at CERN and re establish itself as members of the international nuclear data effort. This is crucial for UK involvement in the development of new reactor technologies. |
First Year Of Impact | 2013 |
Sector | Energy |
Description | The Nuclear Data Network |
Amount | £883,755 (GBP) |
Funding ID | ST/N00244X/1 |
Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 04/2016 |
End | 04/2020 |
Description | Joining of the n_TOF Collaboration (membership fee paid by grant) |
Organisation | European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) |
Department | Neutron time-of-flight facility (nTOF) |
Country | Switzerland |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Manchester is now responsible for disseminating the data produced by n_TOF to the international community |
Start Year | 2010 |
Description | NFS Collaboration GANIL |
Organisation | Large National Heavy Ion Accelerator |
Country | France |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | The protons and deuterons accelerated by the LINAG of SPIRAL2 at GANIL can generate a highly intense neutron source. The facility NFS (Neutrons for Science) uses these neutrons for fundamental physics experiments and numerous applications. Manchester has built and commissioned the STEFF spectrometer, which will be used at GANIL at NFS once neutron beams become available. STEFF is currently being used at the ILL, Grenoble. There is no set end date for this collaboration although I have had chosen an arbitrarily date to complete the form. |
Start Year | 2010 |