R-Matrix Evaluation of 16O Neutron Cross Sections up to 6.3 MeV

Abstract

In this paper we describe an evaluation of {sup 16}O neutron cross sections in the resolved resonance region with the multilevel Reich-Moore R-matrix formalism. Resonance analyses were performed with the computer code SAMMY [LA98] which utilizes Bayes method, a generalized least squares technique. Over the years the nuclear community has developed a collection of evaluated nuclear data for applications in thermal, fast reactor, and fusion systems. However, typical neutron spectra in criticality safety applications are different from the spectra relevant to thermal, fast reactor, and fusion systems. In fact, the neutron spectra important for these non-reactor systems appear to peak in the epithermal energy range. Nuclear data play a major role in the calculation of the criticality safety margins for these systems. A thorough examination of how the present collection of nuclear data evaluations behaves in criticality safety calculations is needed. Many older evaluations will probably need to be revised, and new evaluations will be needed. Oxygen is an important element in criticality safety applications where oxides are present in significant abundance. The existing ENDF/B-VI.5 evaluation is expressed in terms of point-wise cross sections derived from the analysis of G. Hale [HA91]. Unfortunately such an evaluation is not directly useful for resonance analysis of data from samples in which oxygen is combined with other elements; for that purpose, Reich-Moore resonance parameters are needed. This paper addresses the task of providing those parameters. In the following sections we discuss the data, resonance analysis procedure, and results.