Neutron Balance

• Two different notions are involved:

1. Nuclear reactions that affect the number of neutrons
2. Travel of neutrons from one location to another
• Nuclear Reactions can be classified as, reactions that:
1. Destroy neutrons (absorption)
2. Produce neutrons (fission is an example)
3. Change the properties of neutrons (scattering)
 Reaction Rates
• Most often expressed as: Σ ∗ 𝜙𝜙
• Units are:
1. Σ (1/length), typically (cm-1)
2. 𝜙𝜙 (neutrons/area/time), typically (neutron/cm2/s)
3. Reaction Rate Density: RR= Σ ∗ 𝜙𝜙 (reactions/volume/time)
typically (reaction/cm3/s)
 Cross Sections
• Macroscopic cross sections: Σ
• Σ = 𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛, where n is the number density of the isotope, 𝜎𝜎 microscopic
cross section
• Units are:
1. Σ (1/length), typically (cm-1)
2. 𝑛𝑛 (number of isotopes/volume), typically (isotope/cm3)
3. 𝜎𝜎 (area/isotope), typically barn, 𝑏𝑏 = 10−24 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐2 (/isotope)
• Microscopic cross section: 𝜎𝜎 is the characteristic of the isotope
 How to find microscopic x-secs
• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) provides ENDF (Evaluated
Nuclear Data File):
https://www-nds.iaea.org/exfor/endf.htm
• Korean Atomic Research Institute:
http://atom.kaeri.re.kr/nuchart/
• The Nuclear Data Center (NDC) of Japan Atomic Energy Agency
(JAEA) is making the Japanese Evaluated Nuclear Data Library, JENDL,
https://wwwndc.jaea.go.jp/jendl/jendl.html
 Major Difficulty
• Microscopic x-secs may be very sensitive to neutron’s kinetic energy
 What can be done?
• Develop a method for producing “GOOD” average values
• Spectrum weighted x-sec generation
 Modelling the Travel of Neutrons
• Track each neutron (Neutron Transport)
• Advantage:
• Simple to derive
• Disadvantage:
• Equations are difficult to be solved
• Provide global behavior of neutrons (Neutron Diffusion)
• Advantage:
• Equations are well-studied (known how to be solved)
• Disadvantages:
• It provides only an approximation
• Difficult to feel how it really works
Diffusion Theory
Diffusion Theory
Diffusion Theory
Conduction Heat Transfer