Neutrons Part 2 of 12

Navy Recruiting District Denver CDR Mike Wenke XO ET1 (SS) Matt Byron Nuke Coordinator ENS Titus Reed OC Kellan Downing 25 August 2011

Microscopic Cross Section

Cross section ( )
Target Area Controls probability of reaction happening Larger than geometric cross section of nucleus Measured in barn (b) 1b=10-24cm2

Partial Cross Sections

Each reaction has its own cross section Total cross section is sum of partial cross sections

Energy Dependence of Cross Section

Microscopic Cross Section is dependent on:
Identity of target nucleus Identity of incident particle Kinetic energy of incident particle

Macroscopic Cross Section

Macroscopic Cross Section ( )
Total nuclear target area of a material =N
N=number of atoms per unit area =area per atom

Are additive ( t= a+ s) For mixed material the macroscopic cross section is the sum of the macroscopic cross section of each component

Mean Free Path

The mean free path
The average distance a particle travels before colliding with another mean free path = =1/ Total mean free path ( t): average distance before any type of collision Absorption mean free path ( a): average distance before collision that results in an absorption reaction Scattering mean free path ( s ): average distance before collision that results in a scattering reaction
1 1 1 !  Pt Pa Ps

Attenuation
Attenuation Law
Describes the change in the intensity of a beam of particles as it passes through a medium Number of particles decreases exponentially with position Number never becomes zero even at very large distances

J(x) !J0e

 tx

(x) = is number of particles at position x 0 = initial number of particles = macroscopic cross section x = distance from material surface

Neutron Slowdown
Prompt neutrons born in fission process have an average energy of 2 MeV delayed neutrons average 0.4 MeV Mechanisms
Elastic and inelastic scattering are the only processes that removs energy without removing neutrons from the cycle. Inelastic scattering plays a minor role
Threshold energy is on the order of several keV Cross section is much smaller than elastic cross section for most nuclei

Moderator Materials
Material Selection
The amount of energy lost per collision
energy lost increases as the mass of the target nucleus decreases

Common Moderators
Ordinary water (H2O) Heavy water (D2O) Beryllium Graphite (carbon)

Magnitude of scattering cross section

the larger the better

Magnitude of absorption cross section

the smaller the better

Probability Density Function For The Energy Of Scattering Neutrons

Possible final energies of scattered neutrons E0<E<E0
E= Final energy E0= Initial Energy

Maximum possible neutron energy loss emax =E0(1- )

On average each elastic scattering event decreases energy by a factor of (1+ )/2

(m T m n ) 2 ! (m T  m n ) mT = mass of target mn = neutron's mass

Quantification of Moderator Effectiveness

Slow Down Power (
s)

Moderating Power
accounts for absorption reactions s/ a

Measure of material s ability to reduce neutron energy Does not account for absorption s= / s
= Average logarithmic energy decrement s = Macroscopic scattering cross sections s = scattering mean path

Maxwell-Boltzmann Distribution
Kinetic energy Increase in temperature distribution that a burst Lower the peak height of neutrons eventually Peak energy is shifted to right have, assuming:
infinite environment non-absorbing The distribution widens

Most probable energy

E(eV)=8.61x10-5 xT(K) Assumes no absorptions

Deviation From Maxwell-Boltzmann

Absorption removes more neutrons from the lower energy peak
Shifts distribution to higher energy Lowers peak Referred to as hardening

Finite reactor size

Smaller effect More high energy neutrons escape than low energy Known as diffusion cooling

Continuous production of fast neutrons:

Known as a slowdown source More neutrons in the higher energy range

Neutron Density and Flux

Neutron Density
Represented by n Typically units are neutrons/cm3 Varies with position in reactor

Neutron Flux ( )
Chance of neutron reacting with a nucleus is dependent on neutron flux =n Thermal flux ( th) flux of thermal neutrons
th=nth Where is the average speed of the thermal neutrons

Reaction Rates
Number of nuclear reaction of a particular type in a given amount of time R=
= proton flux = Macroscopic cross section Typical units are Reactions/ cm3-second

There are many different reaction rates just like there are different microscopic cross sections

Power Density
The energy released per fission event is constant. (200 MeV for thermal fusion of 235U) PD=kRf=k th f
PD = power density Rf = fission reaction rate th = thermal proton flux th = thermal macroscopic cross section k= k
= fast fission factor (account for fission that occurs while protons are slowing down) k = constant that contains reactor volume

Slowing Down Length

Neutrons travel in only straight lines between collisions Absorption stops neutron progress Scattering changes direction of neutron Slowing down distance is related to crow flight distance by:

Slowing Down Length

The mean free path length is the average length of each straight line that makes up the neutrons path A large slowing down distance, Ls, is associated with a large mean free path, Ps, and a large nuclear mass Large Ls means more spreading out of particles, so proper moderators must be chosen for each individual reactor based on the reactor s desired size (large, small, etc.)

Choosing the Correct Moderator

Scattering in the moderator dominates all scattering in the reactor Scattering cross section for the moderator is directly proportional to the density of the moderator Thus desired slowing down length can be achieved: Ls2 = (Ls2)ref x (Vref /V)

Migration Length
Measure of the straight-line distance traveled by a neutron from its birth in the fast region to its absorption in the thermal region Depends on the slowing down length and thermal diffusion length: M = sqrt( Ls2 + L2)

Neutron Life Cycle

Power generated by a reactor is proportional to the thermal neutron density, nth nth changes by neutron multiplication Ratio of fission neutrons (nth) produced in two successive fissions determines whether reactor power is constant or changing

Neutron Life Cycle

Life Cycle in Arbitrary Volume

ELFPLThFN

Six-Factor Formula
Ni+1 = Ni x Nf x Nth x p x f x L x I Where:
Ni+1 = number of neutrons in next generation Ni = Number of neutrons in cycle Nf = Fast Non-Leakage Factor Nth = Thermal Non-Leakage Factor P = resonance escape probability f = thermal utilization factor L = reproduction factor I = fast fission factor

Factor Definitions
Nf = fraction of neutrons beginning each generation that do
not leak out while slowing down P = fraction of thermalized, slowing down neutrons which do not leak out Nth = fraction of thermal neutrons that do not leak out of the reactor (are absorbed) F = of all the thermal neutrons absorbed in the reactor, the fraction that are absorbed in the fuel L = number of fission neutrons produced per thermal neutron absorbed in the fuel I = ratio of total fission rate (fast + thermal) to the thermal fission rate

Buckling and Leakage

In Reactor analysis, buckling (B2) is a measure of the overall curvature of the flux (how fast the flux is changing vs. the actual flux itself) Infinite reactor system as buckling = 0 Large values of B2 mean a large surface area to volume ratio of reactor, and vice versa The further a neutron travels in slowing down or thermal diffusion, the greater chance it will reach the core s surface and leak out, thus losing a chance to continue the chain reaction

Flux Shapes
Neutrons crossing the reactor surface have no chance at returning Neutron flux at reactor boundaries is very low Flux is highest at center because amount of relative fuel present is high

Flux increases as the slope increases

Flux Shapes

Reactor is surrounded by an unfueled region called a reflector Flux is greatest at the reactor s core, where chance of leakage is low Reflector has large scattering crosssection so some neutrons return to reactor to be thermalized