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Measurements and Analysis of Neutron Reaction Rates and Gamma-Ray Energy

Deposition in a Critical Assembly Containing a Central Simulated


Boron Control Rod

R. de WOUTERS*. D. CALAMAND**, F. CLERI", P. D'HONDT00,


G. EVRARD*, G. GRANGET**

* BELGONUCLEAIRE, B-1050 BRUSSELS (Belgium)


** CEN/Cadarache, F-13108 St-PAUL-lez-DURANCE (France)
° ENEA/Casaccia, 1-00100 ROMA (Italy)
00
CEN/SCK, B-2400 MOL (Belgium)

ABSTRACT

The main contributions to the power in a Boron control rod are provided by
the energy deposition rates from alpha rays generated in the Boron and
from gamma rays issued in the absorber and the surrounding fuel material.
To check the validity of calculational methods and data for such a system,
a simulated enriched Boron control rod has been built in the centre of the
critical assembly BALZAC DE-2 in the MASURCA facility. Neutron capture
rates in B ^ i fission rates in U-235, U-238 and Pu-239 have been measured
through the core and the control rod. Gamma heat deposition rates and
doses have been measured with ionization chamber and thermoluminescent
dosemeters respectively, in a joint effort involving three European
laboratories. This paper presents the experimental results and compares
them with theoretical calcualtions.

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1. INTRODUCTION

In the last ten years several experiments concerned with the gamma heat
deposition in a fast breeder core have been carried out in European criti-
cal facilities with international co-operation. After the study of
heterogeneous configurations in the BIZET programme [1] (UK) and in the
RACINE campaign [2] (France), two experiments have been more particularly
devoted to the gamma heat deposition in a singularity : a sodium-steel
diluent was built in the centre of the BALZAC 1-DE 1 core of the MASURCA
critical facility, and recently, a large absorber rod loaded with enriched
boron carbide was simulated in the centre of BALZAC 1-DE 2, the subject of
this paper.

The power output of a control rod is dominated by the alpha-recoil kinetic


energy deposited in the boron carbide ; the gamma heat is the main con-
tributor to the power generated in the absorber rod structure (cladding,
guide tubes, . . . ) .

Both contributions have been experimentally approached, the first one by


measuring the * 0 B capture rate profile within the absorber, and the second
one through measurements of gamma dose rate in iron.

The "Laboratoire de Physique Expe"rimentale" of CEN/Cadarache organised and


carried out the experimental program with an active participation of
CEN/SCK-Mol (Belgium) and ENEA-Casaccia (Italy).

Two organisations performed the theoretical analyses : ENEA using the


standard Cadarache methods and data and BELGONUCLEAIRE (BN) with the meth-
ods used in the SNR-project and a photon source library provided by the
UKAEA.

This paper reports on the execution of the experiments, their results and
evaluation, the theoretical analyses and the comparison between calcula-
tion and experiment. The present status of photon source libraries is
recalled and the developments in progress outlined.

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2. DESCRIPTION OF THE ASSEMBLY LOADING

BALZAC 1-DE 2 was a critical core assembled in the zero-power MASURCA


facility. Its purpose was the study of a large absorber zone containing
90 % enriched B^C rodlets, covering a surface of 274 cm , fully inserted
at the core centre, and simulating a SUPERPHENIX-type control rod.

The core itself was made of two concentric zones loaded with PUO2-UO2
mixed oxide and enriched UO2 respectively, with an outer radius of about
68 cm, and surrounded by radial and axial breeder zones.

The assembly was an array of square tubes with 10.6 cm side length, con-
taining a lattice of 8 x 8 rodlets filled with various materials (Na,
steel, UO2, mixed oxidej B4C). The outline of the core horizontal cross-
section and details of the central absorber and of the zone where most
measurements took place can be seen in Figure 1.

3. ACCESS TO THE MEASUREMENT POSITIONS

Two 11 mm square section access channels radially traversed the assembly


along the North-South and the East-West directions at a distance of 2
inches from the core mid-plane.

Vertical access channels were also provided near the centre of six tubes.
Aluminium rods with radial holes for dosemeters could be inserted in these
channels without having to unload the tubes.

To take advantage of the small size of the thermoluminescent dosemeters


(TLD) which permits access within core cells without channel, some TLD
were irradiated in small holders located between sodium or steel rodlets
at six positions in one of the tubes constituting the absorber.

Twelve neutron counters gave a continuous monitoring during all irradia-


tion runs and a sealed steel-walled ionization chamber located In the
uranium zone allowed to follow the gamma activity buildup curve during all
TLD and ionization chamber scans.

4. THE MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES

Fission chambers were used in the access channels to provide detailed


scans of fission rate in 239p u> 235y an(j 2 3 8 ^

A 4 mm diameter ^ B deposit chamber was calibrated, together with a


fission chamber in the thermal column of HARMONIE, and then used in the
radial and axial channels in BALZAC 1-DE 2, giving scans of the spectral
index 0 ( n , a ) 1 0 B / fff 2 3 5 U .

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Following the standard practice at MASURCA, 2 3 5 U foil detectors were ir-
radiated simultaneously at various positions of the reactor lattice and in
a dummy fission chamber. Absolute fission rates measured in the real
calibrated fission chamber instead of the dummy chamber allowed the abso-
lute normalisation of the calculated rate distribution to the measured
one.

Gamma heat deposition measurements were carried out with two independent
techniques :

(a) Thermoluminescent Dosemeters (TIP)

CEN/SCK (Mol) used 0 1 mm * 6 mm high sensitivity 7LiF dosemeters


manufactured by the Harshaw Chemical Company under the name TLD-7O0.
They also used AI2O3 disc dosemeters (0 6 mm * 1 m m ) .
CEA/Cadarache and ENEA/Casaccia used 1 mm * 1 mm * 6 mm TLD-700.

Mild steel sample holder with typical dimensions 12.7 mm * 12.7 mm *


8.4 mm were designed to contain either 4 TLD-700 or 2 AI2O3 discs.
They provide a buildup zone to ensure electronic equilibrium for the
dosemeters and isolate them from charged particles generated outside.

(b) Ionization Chambers

An iron-walled ionization chamber with 10 mm diameter, 30 mm active


length and a circulating gas filling of Argon has provided radial
scans in the access channels. This chamber had also been used in the
previous RACINE experiments [2]. In between, uncertainties in the
assessment of the gas temperature have led to the development of seal-
ed chambers which have also been used in BALZAC, both as fixed gamma
monitor and for detailed scans. However, the results given here only
concern the circulation chamber because it is the only one to be cali-
brated in absolute dose rate units.

The chamber results are affected by a systematic uncertainty of + 8 %


( l a ) due to calibration, energy response, neutron sensitivity, tem-
perature and pressure corrections, and by a random error of + 1.4 %
due to counting statistics.

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5. THE IRRADIATIONS

Ionization Chamber

All scans with ionization chambers of both types (gas circulation and
sealed) took place at a nominal power level of 300 W. The relative re-
sponse of both chambers has been observed to be constant on most of the
core zone, giving confidence in the response linearity. Only in the ab-
sorber zone deviations of the order of 5 % were present. The gas-circu-
lation chamber results, taken as reference, have been corrected for tem-
perature (monitored by a thermocouple on the chamber wall), pressure and
delayed gamma buildup (monitored with a fixed sealed chamber).

Thermoluminescent Dosemeters

Three 1-hour runs took place at a nominal power of 30 W.

(i) AI2O3 disc-TLD (Mol) : sample holders containing two TLD were put in
two cavities in the aluminium rods. When inserted in the axial
channels, the dosemeters were located above and under the core mid-
plane at a distance of 6 cm.

(ii) A combined irradiation of Mol and Cadarache TLD-70O took place in


the 6 axial channels in aluminium rods and in the 6 lattice posi-
tions in the absorber zone.

(iii) TLD-700 from ENEA were strapped on a steel ribbon pulled through the
N-S access channel and carefully located at positions corresponding
to the previous irradiations. At the same time, dosemeters in alu-
minium rods were inserted in 3 axial channels.

To simplify the presentation of the experimental results, the doses meas-


ured by the TLD (Gy) have been converted to dose rates (W/gFe) and
scaled to the power level of the ionization chamber measurements (300 W ) .

Calibration of the TLD

ENEA established an individual calibration factor for each of the 52 dose-


meters irradiated in the reactor.

The calibration irradiations took place in front of the "^Co "Gammabeam


150 C" source of the Casaccia Energy Research Centre. The dosemeters were
located in a 6 mm thick Moplen (isotactic polypropilene) disc at 50 cm
from the source. The exposure at the exact TLD location was calculated
with the Monte Carlo program MCNP [3] and the dose deposited in the TLD
per unit exposure was established with a 3-D computation using the coupled
photon-electron Monte Carlo code ACCEPT [4, 5 ] . A value of 8.38 10~3 Gy
(TLD)/R was found.

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The processing of the dosemeters before and after in-core irradiation,
including annealing cycles, calibration irradiations and readouts were
carried out by the ENEA-PAS-FiBi Biological Dosimetry Laboratory, with its
standard methods.

Mol has established the absolute exposure rate at a distance of 1 m of the


°^Co calibration source at the Mol Wooden Dosimetry Tower by averaging
measurements carried out over the two last years with an absolute cali-
brated ionization chamber (Victoreen 555-1 HA). An average calibration
factor was then found for the TLD-700 with a 3 mm perspex buildup zone
using the value 8.15 10""3 Gy (TLD)/R obtained with TIGER photon-electron
tracking computations and already used for the MASURCA analysis [5]. For
the AI2O3 dosemeters, an average calibration factor was found with a con-
version factor of 8.48 10~ 3 Gy (TLD)/R estimated with the Burlin [10]
cavity theory.

Using the same perspex sample holder and conversion factors from exposure
to dose in LiF, Cadarache has calibrated the dosemeters with the °Co
source of the LPR laboratory ; the calibration dose was small compared to
the one deposited in the reactor irradiation, causing additional uncer-
tainty. For that reason, intercalibration took place between Mol and
Cadarache and indicated a discrepancy of 8 % on absolute dose, although
the agreement on relative doses was satisfactory. The discrepancy was
considered as a systematic error and accordingly corrected ; a good agree-
ment was observed later on between the reactor measurement results of the
three laboratories and it confirmed the adequacy of the correction.

6. CORRECTIONS TO THE EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

Neutron Sensitivity

The neutron contribution to the ionization chamber signal mainly conies


from photons generated in the chamber wall by capture and inelastic scat-
ter. Monte Carlo calculations have shown that 13 % of this source is
absorbed in the chamber and contributes to the output current. The cor-
rection, a decrease of the order of 4 % , has been calculated and applied
at each measurement position.

The TLD-700 neutron response has been obtained from calculated group neu-
tron fluences and energy response functions with the relative sensitiv-
ities measured by Knipe [6] for similar dosemeters, and recently revised
KERMA cross-sections. The correction is a reduction of about 14 % of the
total signal in the plutonium region.

In an experiment carried out by Mol, the relative integral response of


AI2O3 to TLD-700 for a 25 2cf fission spectrum has been measured. This
ratio has been applied to the neutron response calculated for the BALZAC
TLD-700 and the result, a correction of 10 % in the plutonium zone, has
been subtracted from the AI2O3 dosemeter readings.

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Fission Product Gamma Activity

The results of each irradiation run have been corrected by adding the
delayed fission product gamma activity missed by the measuring device
because of its limited residence time in the reactor.

Depending on reactor power history, loading/unloading times and material


environment, this correction ranges from 1.000 to 1.057.

The evolution program ORIGEN 2 [7] was used to calculate the missing ac-
tivity and the results were checked with the time evolution of the gamma
buildup as recorded by the monitor.

Heterogeneity Corrections

The heterogeneity correction is defined as the ratio of the dose calculat-


ed at a given point in space in the realistic heterogeneous environment to
the dose calculated in the simplified model (with e.g. cell components
mixed together) normally used in the full core calculation. These cor-
rections involve the explicit representation of the access channel wall
and of the TLD sample holder in a macrocell gamma transport calculation.

For some positions, corrections calculated with the Monte Carlo programme
MCBEND [8] for the RACINE analysis were still applicable ; for other posi-
tions, in particular in the absorber zone, new calculations have been made
with the discrete ordinate programme DOT [9].

The corrections are comprised between 0.92 and unity. They are used to
divide the experimental results, making them comparable with calculation.

Cavity Correction

The physical quantity addressed in the present experiments is the dose in


iron (Gy Fe ) or the dose rate (W/g F e ), but the TLD readings actu-
ally give the dose in the thermolumine scent material Gy T Lß. The
cavity correction is the computed ratio of the dose in the surrounding
iron (sample holder) to the dose in the phosphor. In the last ten years
several methods have been used ; the Burlin method [10] gave 1.01 for
TLD-700 in a plutonium environment, the electron tracking programme
PROCEED developed in the UK gave 1.11 and the coupled photon electron
module of McBEND gave 1.10, the latter value being used in the RACINE
analysis. In the present study, the Monte Carlo programme ACCEPT [4, 5]
has been preferred and it led to values 1.041 in fissile zones and 1.242
in the absorber rod. For the AI2O3 dosemeter, an estimate was found with
the Burlin theory.

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7. CORRECTED EXPERIMENTAL VALUES

The four corrections described above involve theoretical calculations and


are therefore dependent on methods and basic data sets. In practice,
however, common values were adopted by BN and ENEA for three of them ;
only the neutron correction which is sensitive to the neutron spectrum was
independently calculated.

The resulting sets of corrected experimental data are practically equiva-


lent for the ionization chamber with differences less than 1 %. Small
differences, generally less than 1.5 % appear in the TLD results, the
maximum discrepancies appearing near the absorber centre where the ENEA
results are larger than the BN ones by 3 %. For clarity, and considering
the good agreement of both sets, only the BN corrected experimental values
are shown on Figure 2.

The chamber and TLD-700 results differ from each other by 6 % in the fuel
zone ; the AI2O3 TLD are systematically lower than the TLD-700 by some
13 % in the fuel zone, and in good agreement in the absorber zone.

The uncertainty on the TLD corrected experimental data is 9 % (la ) af-


fecting all points in a similar way, from calibration and the various
corrections. Besides, there is a random uncertainty due to TLD sensitiv-
ity dispersion of 4 % ( l a ) .

8. ANALYSIS BY ENEA WITH CEA/CADARACHE METHODS

All calculations have been performed with the CCRR/V4 modular code system
developed by Cadarache.

Neutron Calculations

Macroscopic 25-energy groups effective cross-sections for the various


f i s s i l e , f e r t i l e and inert zones were generated by the cell code HETAIRE
[11] starting from microscopic data in the CARNAVAL-IV f i l e [12]. The
central absorber was represented in two zones : a Na/B^C inner region
surrounded by a Na/steel r i n g .
The BISTRO [13] transport code was run in S4 quadrature order on a 2-D XY
model of a 90° sector with a mesh width of 1.325 cm (one mesh per r o d l e t ) .
The neutron fluxes were normalized to the actual flux level in the experi-
mental configuration. The distribution of 235jj f i s s i O n rates measured
with foil detectors in the core l a t t i c e and related to an absolute fission
chamber was used for that purpose.

244
Photon Calculations

The gamma calculations have been run with the data and codes included in
the VASC01 [14] system.

The photon production matrices (n, 7 ) in 25-neutron and 36-photon energy


groups are processed from ENDF/B-IV [15] basic data for total capture,
inelastic scattering and fission with the corresponding energy spectra ;
they also include the delayed gamma emission accompanying the beta decay
of the fission products. Activation of structural material is not includ-
ed except for ^^Na whose production is added to the ^ N a matrix ; the
(n,7) data for Fe production is added from the MACKLIB library [16].

Self-shielding of neutronic resonances is taken into account by global,


composition-dependent, bias factors affecting the atomic densities of
238u, 239 Pu a n d F e .

The 36-group photon interaction cross-sections include secondary radiation


(Bremstrahlung and annihilation quanta) in the scattering matrix. The
gamma mass energy absorbtion cross-sections are issued from ENDF/B-IV and
processed with MACKLIB.

The photon transport calculation was carried out with BISTRO, in S16 quad-
rature and P5 anisotropy order, with a fully detailed modelling of the
central absorber, each rodlet being represented, with a fine mesh of 0.663
cm. In the rest of the core, the mesh size is 1.325 cm.

The radial profile of calculated dose rate in iron is shown in Figure 2


and the comparisons between calculation (C) and experiment (E) are repre-
sented on Figures 3 and 4. In the plutonium zone, the ratio C/E is in
average 0.84 for the ionization chamber and 0.89 for the TLD-700.

The C/E obtained within the absorber with both the chamber and the TLD
technique sharply drop from a value 0 + 5 % in the B4C region to - 15 % in
the steel/sodium outer ring.

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9. ANALYSIS BY BELGONÜCLEAIRE WITH UK PHOTON SOURCES AND SNR-PROJECT METH-
ODS
Neutron Calculations
Neutron cross-sections were computed using SNR-Projec? -^standard methods
for the analysis of c r i t i c a l assembly experiments. Fox the homogeneous
mixture of the cell components in each reactor zone, c r i ^ - s e c t i o n s in 26
energy groups were obtained from the KFKINR001 data set [17] and the pro-
cessing code GRUCAL [18], with the heterogeneous structure of the core
c e l l s taken into account using corrections computed by the l a t t i c e code
KAPER [19]. The components of the central singularity were represented
explicitely, without homogeneization.

Neutron fluxes and reaction rates were obtained with the programme DOT IV
in P0S4 options, on a XY model of a 90° sector of the core, with a mesh
width of 1.325 cm in the absorber and the next row of fuel, and 2.65 cm
for the rest of the plutonium zone.

Normalisation of the flux and reaction rate levels was made by selecting
13 measurements of ^35y f i s s i O n rates by foil detectors in the plutonium
zone and adjusting the average calculated value at these locations to the
corresponding experimental absolute value.
The radial profiles of 35^ f i s s i o n rates calculated and measured by f i s -
sion chamber, normalised as explained above, are shown in Figure 5. The
calculation underestimates the measured rate by an average 10 % in the
absorber zone.
Figure 6 shows the radial distributions of measured and calculated capture
r a t e s in ^ B . The experimental curve i s normalised to the 235 y fi S S i O n
r a t e value in the plutonium zone with the absolute measured spectral index
=
CB_K)/F5 1«33. The calculated value i s 1.268 and the peak of the
calculated traverse l i e s 4.7 % below the measured one. Discrepancies of
the order of - 26 % are observed in the absorber centre, the calculated
values being markedly lower than experiment. Similar conclusions can be
drawn from the ENEA analysis.
There has been no attempt, in the present work, to correct the calculated
r a t e s by bias factors before computing the photon source.

246
Photon Calculations
The photon sources for a l l reactions except capture in ^ B have been ob-
tained from the UK source library already used in the BIZET and RACINE
studies. The radial distribution of isotopic capture and fission r a t e s
summed over the 26-energy groups and the fast neutron spectra collapsed to
a five-broad group structure have been combined with the photon spectra
contained in this l i b r a r y , whose data are based on the following compila-
tions : the fission sources were normalised to the total values adjusted
on mass-excesses given by James [20] ; they follow a spectrum derived from
the exponential f i t s of Goldstein [21] to the measurements of Maienschein
[22] ; the photon sources from (n,7 ) reactions are based on the compila-
tion of Sidebotham [23] ; for the inert isotopes, the daughter product
a c t i v i t y i s included on the basis of a 2-year irradiation and the alpha
and beta energy i s included as low energy photons. The sources of photons
emitted after neutron inelastic scatter are derived from neutron cross-
section data in the UK Nuclear Data Library for five broad energy groups.
The Boron-10 sources, not included in the UK l i b r a r y , have been calculated
independently, assuming that a single quantum of 0.478 MeV i s emitted
after the reaction 10B (n, ai) —»> 7 Li m .
The fraction of these reactions to the total (n, <x ) reactions have been
calculated from the branching ratios in the compilation made by Irving for
ENDF [24] and collapsed on the neutron spectra calculated by DOT in the
three boron zones constituting the absorber rod, giving values around
0.94. Other gamma sources in the B4C were neglected.
The photon interaction data have been derived from the GAMLEG [25] library
with ?2 anisotropy order.
A f i r s t transport calculation was run with DOT IV.2 on the XY model with
S4 quadrature and a distributed source including the contributions of a l l
isotopes except Boron-10, with the normal 13-group structure of the UK
library ranging from 7.4 to 0.1 MeV.
Then a second transport calculation was run with only the ^B gamma
source, in a special "low energy" group structure from 0.5 to 0.01 MeV
also using 13 groups, and with an average energy of 0.478 MeV in group 1.
Such a calculation is necessary to represent the transport of the Boron-10
source with a suitable fine energy resolution.
The r e s u l t s of the two calculations, added together, are shown in Figures
2, 3 and 4. The same general trends as in the ENEA analysis can be ob-
served : the gamma dose i s underestimated in the plutonium zone with C/E
values 0.79 (ionisation chamber) and 0.84 (TLD). A sharp variation occurs
between the absorber centre and the transition zone between absorber and
f i s s i l e zone.

247
10. CONCLUSIONS

Comparison between Experiment and Calculation in the Plutonium Zone

In Table I, the C/E ratios obtained in older experiments are given togeth-
er with the BALZAC 1-DE 2 values ; a good consistency is found for the TLD
results but the ratios relative to chamber measurements are lower in both
BALZAC cores than in RACINE.

- TABLE I -
C/E Ratios on Gamma Dose in Iron from Three Experimental Cores,
in a Pu-Loaded Zone

CEA-ENEA Analysis BN-UK Analysis

i.e. TLD i.e. TLD

RACINE 0.95 0.92 0.84 0.82

BALZAC 1-DE 1 0.86 0.90 0.79 0.82

BALZAC 1-DE 2 0.84 0.89 0.79 0.84

The uncertainty on these ratios is + 11 % (1 o ) f coming from 6 % on the


calculation (neutron rates, normalisation, method approximation) and about
9 % on the experimental results. The fact that all C/E values in Table I
are lower than unity and most of them lie outside the uncertainty margin
points to large uncertainties in the gamma source libraries used in both
analyses, and more particularly to severe underestimates of the photon
yields in plutonium. As about a half of the source is generated by 2 ^9p u
fission, it may be useful to give a short survey of the yields used in the
present calculations and of some recent recommendations. This is done in
Table II.

248
- TABLE I I -
235 239
T o t a l Gamma E n e r g y Y i e l d s f o r T h e r m a l F i s s i o n i n U and Pu

235 Ö 239 pu
SOURCE MeV/fissior l MeV/fissior l

Prompt Delayed TOTAL Prompt Delayed TOTAL

UK L i b r a r y 8.0 7.2 15.2 7.7 6.1 13.8


James 1969,
r e f . (20)

VASCO 1, (14) 6.70 8.52 15.22 7.0 8.02 15.02

Sher & Beck, 6.97 6.33 13.3 7.76 5.17 12.9


1981 (26)

For t & a l . , 6.63 Not r e p o r t e d 6.74 6.0 12.7


1988 (27)

There is a consensus that the total fission yields should be reduced from
the values in the present libraries (13.8 or 15.02) to about 12.7, which
would of course imply a further decrease of the C/E ratios. Work is cur-
rently in progress among the European partners of the Fast Reactor R & D
Agreement to produce a common photon source library to be implemented in
the Joint European File (JEF2). Present efforts are mainly directed at
re-evaluating the yields for 2 3 ^Pu, 2 3 8 ^ p e ancj QTf an<j ±t is planned
that the completed library will be available by 1990.

Comparison between Experiment and Calculation in the Absorber Zone

Both analyses exhibit a marked increase of C/E from the fissile to the
absorber zone, in apparent inconsistency with the general underestimate of
background sources from the Pu zone. Furthermore, the underestimate of
microscopic ^ B rate observed in both analyses makes this result even more
unexpected, suggesting that the gamma source in ^ B is largely over-
estimated, either because of a too high effective macroscopic capture
cross-section or too high photon yields. Other explanations can be that
the perturbation due to the measuring system, and in particular the
streaming effects and the B^C loading reduction caused by the access chan-
nels are inadequately taken into account in the calculation.

249
Taking the results at face value, the C/E on the power released by the
absorber can be estimated. In the boron carbide rodlets where 85 % of the
power is generated through <* -particle recoils and follows the profile of
the neutron capture rate, the C/E is 0.78 with the BN analysis. In the
structure and coolants zones, considering only the gamma component of heat
generation, the C/E is comprised between 0.92 and 1.02.

The fairly good agreement between calculation and experiment on the gamma
dose within the absorber must be viewed as the fortuitous result of mutu-
ally cancelling errors that should be clarified by future investigations
involving measurements in which the perturbation of the absorber by access
channels should be kept as small as possible.

11. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

During the experimental campaign the services of the MASURCA team, and
particularly Mr. P. BERTRAND, Mr. A. BROCART, Mr. A. COTTIN, Mr. F. LOPEZ
and Mr. J.P. MARQUETTE, were greatly appreciated. The authors gratefully
acknowledge the helpful co-operation of Dr. A.D. KNIPE who provided data
for the neutron sensitivity correction. The UKAEA is also thanked for
providing the UK source library. Prof. G. SCARPA is thanked for making
available the experimental facilities and specialists team in support of
the ENEA analysis.

250
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251
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[13] PALMIOTTI, G., CARTA, M., GRANGET, G., SALVAT0RE3, M., SOULE, R.,
Control Rod Heterogeneity Effects in LMFBR : Method Developments and
Experimental Validations (Proceedings of the ANS Topical Meeting on
Advances in Reactor Physics, Mathematics and Computations, Paris,
April 1987).

[14] CALAMAND, D., CEA/CEN Cadarache, personal communication.

[15] HONECK, H.C., PEARLSTEIN, S., DRAKE, M.K., "ENDF/B Specifications


for an Evaluated Nuclear Data File for Reactor Applications",
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DUDZIAK, D.J., "ENDF Formats and Procedures for Photon Production


and Interaction Data", Los Alamos Nat. Lab. Report LA-4549,
ENDF-102, Vol. 2 (1970).

[16] GOHAR, Y., ABDOU, M.A., "MACKLIB-IV : A Library of Nuclear Response


Functions Generated with the MACK-IV Computer Program from
ENDF/B-IV", Argonne Nat. Lab. Report ANL/FPP/TM-106 (1978).

[17] KIEFHABER, E., "The KfK-INR Set of Group Constants ; Nuclear Data
Basis and First Results of Its Application to the Recalculation of
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(1972).

[18] WOLL, D., "GRUCAL, ein Programmsystem zur Berechnung makroskopischer


Gruppenkonstanten", KfK-2108, Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe
(1975).

[19] Mc GRATH, P.E., "KAPER - Lattice Program for Heterogeneous Critical


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[20] JAMES,M.F., "Energy Released in Fission", UKAEA Rep. AEEW-M1368


(1969).

[21] GOLDSTEIN, H., Fundamental Aspects of Reactor Shielding, Pergamon


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[22] MAIENSCHEIN, F.C., Engineering Compendium on Radiation Shielding,


(Jaeger R.G. & al., Eds), Springer Verlag 1_ (1978) 76.

[23] SIDEBOTHAM, E.W., "Spectra of Energy Released by Thermal Neutron


Capture", UKAEA Rep. TRG-2189 (R) (1972).

252
[2AJ IRVING, D.C., Evaluation of Neutron Cross-Sections for Boron-10,
ORNL-TM-1872 (ENDF-109) (October 9, 1967).
[25] RENKEN, J.H., ADAMS, K.G., An Improved Capability for Solution of
Photon Transport Problems by the Method of Discrete Ordinates,
SC-RR-79-739 (1969).
[26] SHER, R., BECK, C , Fission Energy Release for 16 Fissioning
Nuclides, EPRI NP-1771 (March 1981).
[27] FORT, E., FREHAUT, J . , LONG, P., Prompt Gammas Emitted in Fission
Evaluations Proposed for JEF2, Report to Be Issued.

o o 0 o o

253
LIST OF CAPTIONS

Figure 1 - Horizontal Cross-Section of BALZAC 1-DE 2.

Figure 2 - Radial Distributions of Calculated and Measured Gamma Dose


Rate in Iron.

Figure 3 - Comparison between Calculation (C) Ionization Chamber Measure-


ments (E) on Gamma Dose Iron along the Access Channel.

Figure 4 - Comparison between Calculationf (C) and TLD Measurements (E)


in the Absorber Rod.

Figure 5 - U-235 Microscopic Fission Rate.

Figure 6 - Boron-10 Microscopic Capture Rate.

o o 0 o o

254
Fig. 1 -Horizontal cross section of BALZAC 1-DE2

Channel
North

Gamma monitor

Channel West

Enlarged view of the


measurement zone

TLD in radial channel


TLD in tube between rodlets

O = TLD in Al rod (axial channel)

B4C rodlet

Central
= Steel rodlet
singularity

=. Na rodlet

N-S
Access channel
255
Fig. 2 Radial Distributions of Calculated and
Measured Gamma Dose Rate in Iron

UJ
O
V)
or
— O 0
3
in
•_
ft)
J3
0
10

£
a
in J=
en o
c
leutat ior
O ~5 c o
izatio

i d" 3
u
c-»— c •5 a
o 0 0

<] ©

256
1010 Ofo (~-l)
8
8
6 BN An
Analysis
alysis
6
4 ENEA AnAnalyst
alysis
I.
2
0
0
"'-, \

-2
-2
/- \
-I- .4 \
\
-6 \
-6 \
-8 \
-8 \
=70
=] 0 +t
I
-12 I
-1 2
-14
NÜ 1
-11.
01 -F6
-...J
-'6
-18-
-ra"
-20
-20
-222
-2
- 24
-2 4

-28" !
-30
-3 0
-32
-3 2
-34
-3 4
-36
-3 6 ABSORBER
ABSORBER
-38 "Pu0-

......
'Tj
OP
-3 8
OQ ENRICHED U 0
-40 ENR/CHED UO 2 RADIAL
-1,0 RADfAL
w 0 10.6
10 .6 BLANKE
21.2
21.2 BLANKETT
31.8
31.8
42.4
42.4 53.0
53.0 63.6
63.6 74
74.2.2 84 .8
84.8
-7

-12
-19

-9
-10

-2/

13

^r-1 % for TLD-700


= B, C rodlet
X = CEA-ENEA

Y = UK-BN
= Na rodlet

= Steel rodlet

Fig. 4
258
1 . 20
ISS. 1J-235

1 . 15

1 . 10

u.
1 . 05

/ \ / \
1. 00

0. 95

/ / \ / \ \
0. 90
u
0. 85

0. 80
/ W
0. 75

- // w
w
0. 70

o. 65

0. 60

0. 55

0 50
1
0 45

0 40
^
0 35

0 30 1 , 1 , 1 1 , II
-80 -70 -60 -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

U-235 MICROSCOPIC FISSION RATE


FIG. 5

259
o
m

I
-80 -70 -60 -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 10 20 30 SO 60 70 80
CM
O
O
O

00
CO

O
O
I -A- EXPERIMENT
CM
> -©- DOT CALCULATION
UJ

to
00
CM
o
Id B0R0N-10 MICROSCOPIC CAPTURE RATE FIG. 6
co
o
m

260

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