Monte Carlo simulations of the pulsed thermal neutron flux in two-zone systems with Plexiglas - Using the MCNP code with a modified hydrogen-data library

A comparison of real and Monte Carlo simulated pulsed neutron experiments in two-zone cylindrical systems is presented. Such geometry is met when a neutron moderator surrounds a sample of the investigated material. In this study, a Plexiglas shell (hydrogenous medium) surrounds the inner zone filled with a non-hydrogenous medium: copper oxide or chrome oxide. The time decay constant of the thermal neutron flux is determined as the result of the experiment. The primary simulations have been made using the MCNP code with the attached standard thermal neutron scattering library for hydrogen in polyethylene (poly.01t). A modification of this library is proposed to obtain the data dedicated more precisely for scattering of neutrons on hydrogen in Plexiglas in the thermal energy region. Results of the simulations for two-zone cylindrical systems, using the MCNP code with the modified hydrogen-data library, show a considerably better agreement with the experimental results. The average relative deviations have decreased from about 2% (always positive) to less than 0.5% fluctuating around zero. Adequacy of the applied modification is also confirmed in simulations of the pulsed neutron experiments on homogeneous cylinders of Plexiglas.