Abstract
The 236U isotope plays an important role in nuclear systems, both for future and currently operating ones. The actual knowledge of the capture reaction of this isotope is satisfactory in the thermal region, but it is considered insufficient for Fast Reactor and ADS applications. For this reason the 236U(n, gamma ) reaction cross section has been measured for the first time in the whole energy region from thermal energy up to 1MeV at the n TOF facility with two different detection systems: an array of C6D6 detectors, employing the total energy deposited method, and a 4p total absorption calorimeter (TAC), made of 40 BaF2 crystals. The two n TOF data sets agree with each other within the statistical uncertainty in the Resolved Resonance Region up to 800 eV, while sizable differences (up to 20%) are found relative to the current evaluated data libraries. Moreover two new resonances have been found in the n TOF data. In the Unresolved Resonance Region up to 200 keV, the n TOF results show a reasonable agreement with previous measurements and evaluated data.
Highlights
236U plays an important role in nuclear systems, both innovative or already in use
The 236U isotope plays an important role in nuclear systems, both for future and currently operating ones
The actual knowledge of the capture reaction of this isotope is satisfactory in the thermal region, but it is considered insufficient for Fast Reactor and ADS applications
Summary
236U plays an important role in nuclear systems, both innovative or already in use. In the current reactors based on U/Pu it is important in the neutron balance in the core and in the equilibrium fuel composition. Regarding the future reactors based on the Th/U cycle, 236U plays the same role as 242Pu in the traditional fuel cycle, its contribution to the fraction of absorbed neutrons is relevant. The actual knowledge of the capture cross-section of 236U is considered satisfactory in the thermal region, but insufficient for Fast Reactors and ADS applications; in these cases the target accuracy is 10% [1], which is the aim of the present measurement. The present situation is unacceptable for future nuclear applications This situation motivated a new measurement of the capture cross-section of 236U at the CERN n TOF facility [2]. The measurement was carried out with two independent detection techniques based on a Total Absorption Calorimeter [3] and a pair of C6D6 detectors [4]
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