Accuracy of reaction rates in the accelerator-driven system with 14 MeV neutrons at the Kyoto University Critical Assembly

Reaction rate experiments on the accelerator-driven system (ADS) are conducted by combining a critical assembly of a solid-moderated and -reflected core with a pulsed neutron generator. Neutrons (14 MeV) generated from the accelerator are injected into a subcritical system and the reaction rates are measured by the foil activation method to obtain neutronic spectrum data. The numerical calculations are executed by MCNPX with ENDF/B-VI.8, JENDL-3.3 and JENDL/D-99 libraries to evaluate the reaction rates of activation foils set in the center of the core. For the ADS experiments with 14 MeV neutrons, the C/E values between the experiments and the calculations are found to be well within the relative difference of about 30% in all foils up to subcriticality 1.05%Δk/k. The reaction rates do not depend on the subcriticality level in cases of 115In, 56Fe (purity 99.99%), 27Al, whereas subcriticality dependence is observed in 93Nb. In the critical experiments carried out in the A, B and C cores, special mention should be made of the remarkable effect of the composition rate of 56Fe material. Thus a remarkable improvement is observed in the accuracy of experimental and numerical reaction rates, demonstrating the importance of material impurity for subcritical experiments.

► Reaction rate experiments on ADS are conducted at the KUCA core with 14 MeV neutrons. ► The C/E values are found well within about 30% error in all foils up to 1.05 %Δk/k. ► An improvement is observed in the accuracy, demonstrating the importance of material impurity.