Measurement of kinetic parameter of the Jordan research and training reactor

Abstract

The kinetic parameter of the Jordan Research and Training Reactor (JRTR) was measured during commissioning. Neutron noise analysis techniques of correlation, power spectral density (PSD), and variance to mean ratio (VTMR) were applied to determine the prompt neutron decay constant (α) at several zero-power subcritical states. The ratio of the effective delayed neutron fraction to prompt neutron reproduction time (βeff/Λ) corresponding to α at a critical state was estimated by a linear extrapolation of α values as a function of inverse count rate. The βeff/Λ value determined by using the time series neutron data from the BF3 detectors was 54.76–60.32 s-1 and was compared to the calculated one of 61.70 s-1 by the McCARD code with the ENDF/B-VII.0 nuclear library. The relative difference between the measurement and the calculation was within 13%, regardless of the noise analysis techniques.