Independent Fission Research Articles

The FFIS spectrometer for determination of fission fragment mass distribution with the energy–velocity method

The FFIS spectrometer (Fission Fragment Identification Spectrometer) for determining independent fission yields has been developed based on the E–v method. By directly measuring the time-of-flight (TOF) and kinetic energy of fission fragments on their flight path, the post-neutron-emission mass yield distributions can be obtained. With the aim of getting the highest possible mass resolution, an axial grid ionization chamber and a TOF measurement system based on microchannel plate (MCP) detectors were designed. The ionization chamber with a silicon nitride entrance window of 100 nm thickness was tested and calibrated with a 252Cf spontaneous fission source. The intrinsic energy resolution for 1.27 MeV/u 63Cu particles is measured to be 450 keV (FWHM). The time resolution was determined with two MCP timing detectors to be 157 ps (FWHM) for 241Am radiation source, implying that the intrinsic time resolution is about 110 ps (FWHM) for a single timing detector. Thermal-neutron-induced fission of 235U was studied at the In-hospital Neutron Irradiator (IHNI). An event-by-event energy loss addback technique was developed based on Geant4 calculation to minimize the correction error. The first results of mass yield distributions from 235U(nth,f) are reported.

Absolute mass calibration of fission product distributions measured with the E-[formula omitted] method

The mass calibration of fission product distributions measured with the energy–velocity (E-υ) method constitutes a technical challenge. The energy loss of the fission fragments in the various dead layers of the spectrometer and other sources of pulse-height defects of the energy detectors are a significant source of systematic uncertainty in the mass calculations used to determine the measured fission product yields. In this study, the absolute calibration of the fission mass distributions is accomplished by measuring prompt γ-rays in coincidence with the fission fragments. This allows for the direct calibration of the mass spectra and eliminates any dependence on potentially complicated energy corrections. The first test measurement was performed at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center employing the SPectrometer for Ion DEtermination in fission Research (SPIDER). SPIDER is a 2E-2υ spectrometer designed for measuring independent fission product yields from neutron-induced fission. In this test, the single-arm SPIDER (E-υ) system and an array of 252Cf sources were used. The single-arm system consisted of two time pick-off detectors for measuring the time-of-flight of the fission fragments and a double-sided silicon strip detector (DSSD) for measuring the kinetic energy. Characteristic γ-rays from fission fragments were detected using three high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors. For the mass calibration, γ–mass coincidence events from twelve product isotopes were used. The measured FPYs from 252Cf spontaneous fission were found to be in excellent agreement with the evaluated data after applying the absolute mass calibration. From the γ–mass coincidence events, the mass resolution of the system was also extracted. An average mass resolution of ∼1.4 AMU (FWHM) for the light fragments and ∼2.4 AMU (FWHM) for the heavy fragments were found. This was the first in-situ calibration and characterization of the SPIDER spectrometer, which paves the way for high-quality FPY measurements with this instrument.

Analysis of Fission Fragments Contributors on Total Decay Heat of Thermal Neutron-Induced Fission of U-235

Calculation of the decay heat from the decay/buildup of radionuclides generated after nuclear fission is one of the highest priorities in the nuclear industry. These calculations become more important if they are made together with the analysis of the most important isotopes affecting the decay heat. They are useful in designing the necessary nuclear safety for spent fuels, and their importance cannot be overlooked in the designs of transporting fuel storage containers as well as in the management of the radioactive waste generated. In this paper, by using MATLAB, the decay heat after the thermal fission of a U-235 nucleus was numerically calculated by solving linear differential equations for all the buildups/decays of the fission products. Also, the most contribution of radioactive isotopes to the decay heat was analyzed by using Microsoft Excel. The most influential isotopes were deduced in two ways; either by calculating the most influential isotopes at specific times, or by determining the largest influences in a cumulative manner. All required nuclear data such as decay constants their branching ratios, independent fission yield, and average α-, β-, and γ-energies released per disintegration of any nuclide, have been extracted from the latest version of the Evaluated Nuclear Data Files (ENDF) database ENDF/B-VIII.0. The two different methods used showed a difference in the contributing isotopes, which is logical for the difference in the method of calculation. The first method is suitable for instantaneous data while the second method is more suitable when there is a need to know the cumulative calculations. In sum, we can say that both methods complement each other, and neither of them can be dispensed with in the accurate calculations related to transportation and storage of spent fuel.

Energy dependent calculations of fission product, prompt, and delayed neutron yields for neutron induced fission on 235U, 238U, and 239Pu

ABSTRACT We perform energy-dependent calculations of independent and cumulative fission product yields for , , and in the first chance fission region. Starting with the primary fission fragment distributions taken from available experimental data and analytical functions based on assumptions for the excitation energy and spin-parity distributions, the Hauser-Feshbach statistical decay treatment for fission fragment de-excitation is applied to more than 1,000 fission fragments for the incident neutron energies up to 5 MeV. The calculated independent yields are then used as an input of -decay calculations to produce the cumulative yield, and summation calculations are performed. Model parameters in these procedures are adjusted by applying the Bayesian technique at the thermal energy for and and in the fast energy range for . The calculated fission observable quantities, such as the energy-dependent cumulative yields, and prompt and delayed neutron yields, are compared with available experimental data. We also study the possible impact of the second chance fission opening on the energy dependence of the delayed neutron yield by on the opening of second chance fission on the energy dependence calculation.

Fission fragment decay simulations with the CGMF code

The CGMF code implements the Hauser-Feshbach statistical nuclear reaction model to follow the de-excitation of fission fragments by successive emissions of prompt neutrons and γ rays. The Monte Carlo technique is used to facilitate the analysis of complex distributions and correlations among the prompt fission observables. Starting from initial configurations for the fission fragments in mass, charge, kinetic energy, excitation energy, spin, and parity, Y(A,Z,KE,U,J,π), CGMF samples neutron and γ-ray probability distributions at each stage of the decay process, conserving energy, spin and parity. Nuclear structure and reaction input data from the RIPL3 library are used to describe fission fragment properties and decay probabilities. Characteristics of prompt fission neutrons, prompt fission γ rays, and independent fission yields can be studied consistently. Correlations in energy, angle and multiplicity among the emitted neutrons and γ rays can be easily analyzed as a function of the emitting fragments. In its current version, CGMF is limited to certain spontaneous fission reactions on Pu and Cf isotopes, as well as neutron-induced fission reactions up to 20 MeV on U, Np, and Pu isotopes. Program summaryProgram Title:CGMF 1.1CPC Library link to program files:https://doi.org/10.17632/jrtt73npzw.1Licensing provisions: BSD-3 clauseProgramming language: C++Nature of problem: Modeling of fission fragment decaySolution method: Monte Carlo implementation of the Hauser-Feshbach statistical theory of nuclear reactions to describe the de-excitation of fission fragments on an event-by-event basis.Additional comments including restrictions and unusual features: spontaneous fission reactions for 238,240,242,244Pu and 252,254Cf; neutron-induced fission reactions from thermal up to 20 MeV for n+233,234,235,238U, n+237Np, and n+239,241Pu. Binary fission only (no ternary fission).

Stochastically estimated covariance matrices for independent and cumulative fission yields in the ENDF/B-VIII.0 and JEFF-3.3 evaluations

A Monte-Carlo method for the generation of correlation and covariance matrices for independent and cumulative fission yields has been developed. The method uses a constrained Monte-Carlo resampling structure in order to vary evaluated fission yield libraries in a way that meets basic conservation principles. This results in the generation of correlation/covariance matrices with limited model bias and uncertainty; the matrices are primarily reflective of the evaluated fission yield uncertainties and correlations that arise from the evaluation process. This method has been applied to generate correlation and covariance matrices for all of the fissioning systems of the ENDF/B-VIII.0 and JEFF-3.3 evaluations, marking the first time such matrices have been generated for all of these systems. These covariance matrices have been published online for immediate public use. These correlation and covariance matrices can be used to improve uncertainty estimation in calculations of reactor antineutrino emission rates, decay heat problems, and nuclear forensics.

Evolution of an infinite fission-death system in the continuum

The evolution of an infinite system of interacting point entities with traits x∈Rd is studied. The elementary acts of the evolution are state-dependent death of an entity with rate that includes a competition term and independent fission in the course of which an entity gives birth to two new entities and disappears afterwards. The states of the system are probability measures on the corresponding configuration space and the main result of the paper is the construction of the evolution μ0→μt, t>0, of states in the class of sub-Poissonian measures.

Extension of the Hauser-Feshbach fission fragment decay model to multichance fission

The Hauser-Feshbach fission fragment decay model, $\mathtt{HF^3D}$, which calculates the statistical decay of fission fragments, has been expanded to include multi-chance fission, up to neutron incident energies of 20 MeV. The deterministic decay takes as input pre-scission quantities - fission probabilities and the average energy causing fission - and post-scission quantities - yields in mass, charge, total kinetic energy, spin, and parity. From these fission fragment initial conditions, the full decay is followed through both prompt and delayed particle emissions, allowing for the calculation of prompt neutron and $\gamma$ properties, such as multiplicity and energy distributions, both independent and cumulative fission yields, and delayed neutron observables. In this work, we describe the implementation of multi-chance fission into the $\mathtt{HF^3D}$ model, and show an example of prompt and delayed quantities beyond first-chance fission, using the example of neutron-induced fission on $^{235}$U. This expansion represents significant progress in consistently modeling the emission of prompt and delayed particles from fissile systems.

Lognormal-Based Sampling for Fission Product Yields Uncertainty Propagation in Pebble-Bed HTGR

Uncertainty analyses of fission product yields are indispensable in evaluating reactor burnup and decay heat calculation credibility. Compared with neutron cross section, there are fewer uncertainty analyses conducted and it has been a controversial topic by lack of properly estimated covariance matrix as well as adequate sampling method. Specifically, the conventional normal-based sampling method in sampling large uncertainty independent fission yields could inevitably generate nonphysical negative samples. Cutting off these samples would introduce bias into uncertainty results. Here, we evaluate thermal neutron-induced U-235 independent fission yields covariance matrix by the Bayesian updating method, and then we use lognormal-based sampling method to overcome the negative fission yields samples issue. Fission yields uncertainty contribution to effective multiplication factor and several fission products’ atomic densities at equilibrium core of pebble-bed HTGR are quantified and investigated. The results show that the lognormal-based sampling method could prevent generating negative yields samples and maintain the skewness of fission yields distribution. Compared with the zero cut-off normal-based sampling method, the lognormal-based sampling method evaluates the uncertainty of effective multiplication factor and atomic densities are larger. This implies that zero cut-off effect in the normal-based sampling method would underestimate the fission yields uncertainty contribution. Therefore, adopting the lognormal-based sampling method is crucial for providing reliable uncertainty analysis results in fission product yields uncertainty analysis.

Evaluation of fission product yields and associated covariance matrices

ABSTRACT The independent and cumulative fission product yields (FPYs) and their covariance matrices were newly evaluated for thermal- and fast-neutron induced fission and spontaneous fission. We principally evaluated the independent isobaric charge distributions by taking account of available experimental data, especially putting emphasis on the shell and even-odd staggering in the fission yields by applying a Boltzmann factor including the shell and the pairing correction energies for the mass of fission products. Furthermore, the isomeric ratios of FPY were obtained by a systematic calculation based on the Hauser-Feshbach theory. Normalization of the FPY and associated covariance matrices of independent FPY were determined based on the generalised least-square method to make them consistent with important physical constraints. Especially, the FPYs were normalized to be consistent with the mass chain yield of England and Rider. The cumulative FPYs were calculated by following the relevant -decay chain by using the decay data from JENDL/DD-2015. Finally, we verified the FPYs evaluated presently by considering experimental decay heats, delayed neutron yields, aggregate antineutrino spectra, and results from post-irradiation examination. All the results have shown that the present set of FPYs were consistent with these data and free from trivial problems present in JENDL/FPY-2011.

Comparative Mitogenome Analysis of the Genus Trifolium Reveals Independent Gene Fission of ccmFn and Intracellular Gene Transfers in Fabaceae.

The genus Trifolium is the largest of the tribe Trifolieae in the subfamily Papilionoideae (Fabaceae). The paucity of mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) sequences has hindered comparative analyses among the three genomic compartments of the plant cell (nucleus, mitochondrion and plastid). We assembled four mitogenomes from the two subgenera (Chronosemium and Trifolium) of the genus. The four Trifolium mitogenomes were compact (294,911–348,724 bp in length) and contained limited repetitive (6.6–8.6%) DNA. Comparison of organelle repeat content highlighted the distinct evolutionary trajectory of plastid genomes in a subset of Trifolium species. Intracellular gene transfer (IGT) was analyzed among the three genomic compartments revealing functional transfer of mitochondrial rps1 to nuclear genome along with other IGT events. Phylogenetic analysis based on mitochondrial and nuclear rps1 sequences revealed that the functional transfer in Trifolieae was independent from the event that occurred in robinioid clade that includes genus Lotus. A novel, independent fission event of ccmFn in Trifolium was identified, caused by a 59 bp deletion. Fissions of this gene reported previously in land plants were reassessed and compared with Trifolium.

The fission yield calculations with Langevin model, Hauser-Feshbach statistical decay, and beta decay

We performed the calculations of de-excitation of the primary fission fragments by the Hauser-Feshbach statistical decay followed by the β decay of de-excited fission products. We used the primary fission fragment mass distributions YP(A), total kinetic energy TKE(A), and its width σTKE(A) as input, which were calculated with the Langevin model using macroscopic-microscopic models of the potential energy surface. The prompt neutron multiplicity v̅ and the independent fission product yield (FPY) YI(Z, A, M) and cumulative FPY YC(Z, A, M) are calculated by the Hauser-Feshbach statistical decay and β decay calculations, respectively. The calculated v̅ was overestimated approximately 17% compared to the evaluated data. The decay heats from β and γ were in accordance with the experimental results. The β delayed neutrons yieild was also overestimated.

Toward short-lived and energy-dependent fission product yields from neutron-induced fission

Fission product yields (FPYs) are an important source of information that are used for basic and applied physics. They are essential observables to address questions relevant to nucleosynthesis in the cosmos that created the elements from iron to uranium, for example, in energy generating processes from fission recycling in binary neutron star mergers; resolving the reactor neutrino anomaly; decay heat release in nuclear reactors; and many national security applications. While new applications will require accurate energy-dependent FPY data over a broad set of incident neutron energies, the current evaluated FPY data files contain only three energy points: thermal, fast, and 14-MeV incident energies.Recent measurements using mono-energetic and pulsed neutron beams at the Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory (TUNL) tandem accelerator and employing a dual fission ionization chambers setup have produced self-consistent, high-precision data critical for testing fission models for the neutron-induced fission of the major actinide nuclei. This paper will present new campaign just beginning utilizing a RApid Belt-driven Irradiated Target Transfer System (RABITTS) to measure shorter-lived fission products and the time dependence of fission yields, expanding the measurements from cumulative towards independent fission yields.

Bragg curve spectroscopy for improved fission fragment identification

We report on the development of Bragg curve spectroscopy techniques to improve fission fragment identification in the measurement of independent fission product yields. The NIFFTE collaboration’s fissionTPC detector provides ionization energy and particle tracking information from neutroninduced fission targets. A joint effort between PNNL, LLNL, LANL, and the Colorado School of Mines is investigating the ionization profiles deposited by U-235, U-238, and Pu-239 fission products in this detector, with the goal of including additional stopping power information beyond a standard 2E analysis. The aim is to improve the determination of fragment atomic and mass numbers with this information, via methods such as parametric fits and machine learning techniques.

Determining spontaneous fission properties by direct mass measurements with the FRS Ion Catcher

We present a direct method to measure fission product yield distributions (FPY) and isomeric yield ratios (IYR) for spontaneous fission (SF) fragments. These physical properties are of utmost importance to the understanding of basic nuclear physics, the astrophysical rapid neutron capture process ('r process') of nucleosynthesis, neutron star composition, and nuclear reactor safety. With this method, fission fragments are produced by spontaneous fission from a source that is mounted in a cryogenic stopping cell (CSC), thermalized and stopped within it, and then extracted and transported to a multiple-reflection time-of-flight mass-spectrometer (MR-TOF-MS). We will implement the method at the FRS Ion Catcher (FRS-IC) at GSI (Germany), whose MR-TOF-MS relative mass accuracy (~ 10-7) and resolving power (~ 600,000 FWHM) are sufficient to separate all isobars and numerous isomers in the fission fragment realm. The system's essential element independence and its fast simultaneous mass measurement provide a new direct way to measure isotopic FPY distributions, which is complementary to existing methods. It will enable nuclide FPY measurements in the high fission peak, which is hardly accessible by current techniques. The extraction time of the CSC, tens of milliseconds, enables a direct measurement of independent fission yields, and a first study of the temporal dependence of FPY distributions in this duration range. The ability to resolve isomers will further enable direct extraction of numerous IYRs while performing the FPY measurements. The method has been recently demonstrated at the FRS-ICr for SF with a 37 kBq 252Cf fission source, where about 70 different fission fragments have been identified and counted. In the near future, it will be used for systematic studies of SF with a higher-activity 252Cf source and a 248Cm source. The method can be implemented also for neutron induced fission at appropriate facilities.

Fission Product Yield Measurements from Neutron-Induced Fission of 235,238 U and 239Pu

Fission product yields (FPY) are one of the most fundamental quantities that can be measured for a fissioning nucleus and are important for basic and applied nuclear physics. Recent measurements using mono-energetic and pulsed neutron beams generated using Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory’s tandem accelerator and employing a dual fission chamber setup have produced self-consistent, high-precision data critical for testing fission models for the neutron-induced fission of 235,238U and 239Pu between neutron energies of 0.5 to 15.0 MeV. These data have elucidated a low-energy dependence of FPY for several fission products using irradiations of varying lengths and neutron energies. This paper will discuss new measurements just beginning utilizing a RApid Belt-driven Irradiated Target Transfer System (RABITTS) to measure shorterlived fission products and the time dependence of fission yields, expanding the measurements from cumulative towards independent fission yields. The uniqueness of these FPY data and the impact on the development of fission theory will be discussed.

Prompt and Delayed Neutron Emissions and Fission Product Yield Calculations with Hauser-Feshbach Statistical Decay Theory and Summation Calculation Method

We demonstrate the neutron emission and fission product yield calculations using the Hauser–Feshbach Fission Fragment Decay (HF3D) model and β decay. The HF3D model calculates the statistical decay of more than 500 primary fission fragment pairs formed by the neutron induced fission of 235U. In order to calculate the prompt neutron and photon emissions, the primary fission fragment distributions, i.e. mass, charge, excitation energy, spin and parity are deterministically generated and numerically integrated for all fission fragments. The calculated prompt neutron multiplicities, independent fission product yield are fully consistent each other. We combine the β-decay and the summation calculations with the HF3D model calculation to obtain the cumulative fission product yield, decay heat and delayed neutron yield. The calculated fission observables are compared with available experimental data.

Integral data assimilation of the MERCI-1 experiment for the nuclear data associated with the PWR decay heat computation

Nuclear decay heat is a crucial issue for PWR in-core safety after reactor shutdown and back-end cycle. It is a dimensioning parameter for safety injection systems (SIS) to avoid a dewatering of the reactor core. The decay heat uncertainty needs to be controlled over the largest range of applications. The assimilation of the MERCI-1 experiment was studied to provide feedbacks on nuclear data. This experiment consisted in the measurement of the decay heat of a PWR UOX fuel sample irradiated in the OSIRIS reactor, for cooling times between 45 minutes and 42 days. More specifically, the consideration of several experimental values of MERCI-1 at different cooling times was tested. This raised issues about correlations to consider between different measurements. Besides, the impact of considering correlations between independent fission yields in covariance matrices on the decay heat uncertainty calculation and on the feedbacks on nuclear data is discussed.

Atomistic model of xenon gas bubble re-solution rate due to thermal spike in uranium oxide

Atomistic simulations are performed to study the response of Xe gas bubbles in UO2 to ionizing fission products through the thermal spike approximation. A portion of the total electronic stopping power (Se) is taken as the thermal spike energy through a ratio variable ζ. The thermal spike energy causes extreme melting within the fission track cylindrical region. Molecular dynamics is employed to quantify the probability of a Xe gas atom to be re-solved (re-dissolved) back into the UO2 matrix. Subsequently, a re-solution model is developed and parametrized as a function of bubble radius (R), off-centered distance (r), and thermal spike energy (ζSe). The off-centered distance measures the shift of the thermal spike axis from the bubble center. To evaluate the re-solution model, independent fission product yield of U-235 fission due to thermal neutrons (0.0253 eV), taken from the JEFF-3.3 database, is used. The kinetic energy of the fission products is taken from the EXFOR database. Subsequently, the decay of Se over distance for each fission product is simulated. Finally, the evaluated re-solution rate (re-solution probability per second) is presented as a function of bubble radius for a range of ζ.

Self-regulation in infinite populations with fission-death dynamics

The evolution of an infinite population of interacting point entities placed in Rd is studied. The elementary evolutionary acts are death of an entity with rate that includes a competition term and independent fission into two entities. The population states are probability measures on the corresponding configuration space and the result is the construction of the evolution of states in the class of sub-Poissonian measures, that corresponds to the lack of clusters in such states. This is considered as a self-regulation in the population due to competition.