Integral measurements in a simulated fast breeder reactor blanket

Abstract

Much of the breeding of fissile material and a significant fraction of the energy production in proposed fast breeder reactors will occur in a blanket of fertile material surrounding the reactor core. Current uncertainties in neutron cross sections and calculational methods have much greater significance for blanket design than for core design. The Purdue University Fast Breeder Blanket Facility (FBBF), designed to simulate the neutron behavior in fast breeder reactor blankets, has recently been completed. The facility is now being used to perform integral neutron reaction rate measurements. Such measurements provide tests of nuclear cross sections and calculational methods used in the design of fast breeder reactor blankets.