Cross sections of the 144Sm(n,α)141Nd and 66Zn(n,α)63Ni reactions at 4.0, 5.0 and 6.0 MeV

Gledenov Yury,Fan Xiao,Bai Huaiyong,Wang Zhimin,Gonchigdorj Khuukhenkhuu,Sedysheva Milana,Krupa Lubos,Zhang Luyu,Chuprakov Igor,Enkhbold Sansarbayar,Zhang Guohui

doi:10.1051/epjconf/201714611033

Abstract

Cross sections of the 144 Sm(n,α)141 Nd and 66 Zn(n,α)63 Ni reactions were measured at En = 4.0, 5.0 and 6.0 MeV performed at the 4.5-MV Van de Graaff Accelerator of Peking University, China. A double-section gridded ionization chamber was used to detect the alpha particles. The foil samples of 144 Sm2 O3 and enriched 66 Zn were placed at the common cathode plate of the chamber. Monoenergetic neutrons were produced by a deuterium gas target through the 2 H(d,n)3 He reaction. The neutron flux was monitored by a BF3 long counter. Cross sections of the 238 U(n,f) reaction were used as the standard to perform the (n,α) reaction measurement. Present results are compared with existing measurements and evaluations. They are generally in agreement with TALYS-1.6 code calculations. For the 144 Sm(n,α)141 Nd reaction our measurements support the data of JEF-2.2. For the 66 Zn(n,α)63 Ni reaction present results support the data of EAF-2010 and TENDL-2015 data.

Highlights

Cross section data for the charged particle emitted reactions induced by the fast neutron are important both in basic nuclear physics and nuclear engineering applications
Samarium isotopes are relatively high-yield fission products in nuclear reactors and zinc is one of the structural materials for nuclear reactors and other high energy installations, so accurate knowledge of their neutron cross sections can be important for nuclear technology applications
A 238U sample was placed in the gridded ionization chamber (GIC) at the forward direction of the other positions of the sample changer to determine the absolute neutron flux by measuring the fission fragments

Summary

Introduction

Cross section data for the charged particle emitted reactions induced by the fast neutron are important both in basic nuclear physics and nuclear engineering applications. Samarium isotopes are relatively high-yield fission products in nuclear reactors and zinc is one of the structural materials for nuclear reactors and other high energy installations, so accurate knowledge of their neutron cross sections can be important for nuclear technology applications. For the 144Sm(n,α)141Nd reaction, only two measurements exist for neutron energies around 14 MeV, and there are large differences between them [2]. For the 66Zn(n,α)63Ni reaction, no measurements were made for neutron energies from 0 to 20 MeV. Most of evaluated nuclear data libraries contain these two reactions, large discrepancies exist among them both in the trend and magnitude [3].

Details of experiments

Background

Conclusions