MERCSF-N: A program for the calculation of fast neutron removal cross sections in composite shields

Abstract

An approximate method for calculating the attenuation of fast neutrons can be achieved by using the “macroscopic effective removal cross-section” concept, usually denoted by Σ R (cm −1). The conventional method for the quantitative determination of Σ R (cm −1) for fast neutrons, which has been applied for several composites based on manual calculations, has a number of restrictions; a limited number of investigated samples, a lot of time, the possibility of random errors, etc. This work deals with the development, validation and application of the macroscopic effective removal cross-section of fast neutrons [MERCSF-N] computer program for calculating Σ R (cm −1) for fast neutrons transmitted through homogeneous mixtures, composites, concretes and compounds. The required physical data representing all periodic table elements have been compiled on the basis of the recommended published data and stored in a data base file. The validity of MERCSF-N has been confirmed by comparing its predictions with previously published results, both manually calculated and measured, where a good agreement was found. In addition, the code is used for calculating the macroscopic effective removal cross-sections of steel alloy, aluminum and magnetite concrete, which have previously been measured and reported. The calculated and measured results were compared and a good agreement was noticed.