Alpha Production Cross Sections for Some Target Fusion Structural Materials up to 35 MeV

Abstract

In the next century, because of the worldwide energy shortage, human life will badly be affected. Nuclear fusion energy is the remarkable solution to the rising energy challenges because it has the great potential for sustainability, economic and reliability. There have been many research and development studies to get energy from fusion. Moreover, the neutron induced reaction cross section data around 14–15 MeV are need to the design and development of nuclear fusion reactors. Thus, the working out the systematics of (n,α) reaction cross sections is very important and necessary for the definition of the excitation curves at around 14–15 MeV energy. In this study, neutron induced reaction cross sections for structural fusion materials such as Sc (Scandium), Co (Cobalt), Ni (Nickel), Cu (Copper), Y (Yttrium), Mo (Molybdenum), Zr (Zirconium) and Nb (Niobium) have been investigated for the (n,α) reactions. The new calculations on the excitation functions of 45Sc(n,a)42K, 59Co (n,a)56Mn, 62Ni(n,a)59Fe, 63Cu(n,a)60Co, 65Cu(n,a)62Co, 89Y(n,a)86Rb, 92Mo(n,a)89Zr, 98Mo(n,a)95Zr, 92Zr(n,a)89Sr, 94Zr(n,a)91Sr and 93Nb(n,a)90Y reactions have been carried out up to 35 MeV incident neutron energies. In these calculations, the pre-equilibrium and equilibrium effects have been investigated. The pre-equilibrium calculations involve the new evaluated the geometry dependent hybrid model, hybrid model and the cascade exciton model. The equilibrium effects of the excitation functions for the investigated reactions are calculated according to the Weisskopf-Ewing model. Additionaly, in the present work, the (n,α) reaction cross sections have calculated by using evaluated empirical formulas developed by Tel et al. at 14–15 MeV energy. The calculated results have been discussed and compared with the available experimental data taken from EXFOR database.