Neutronics of a poisoned para-hydrogen moderator for a pulsed spallation neutron source

Neutronic performance of a poisoned hydrogen moderator was studied in details. Using a simple rectangular-shape moderator-model, its basic characteristics were studied as a function of the poison position. We, for the first time, turned up that the pulse width was rather decreasing with increasing the moderator thickness of the back part from the poison. This is due to the fact that source neutron pulses entering into a front part of the poison through the back part exhibit a fast rise shape while those from the target and the reflector through the decoupler and liner exhibit a broad shape. Next, we studied the pulse deterioration in regard to a finite beam-extraction-angle by using a more realistic moderator shape, canteen shape and a concave-shape. It turns out that the pulse deterioration is considerably large in both cases even at a small extraction angle. The concave-shape moderator indicates a finite improvement compared to the canteen-shape one. Finally, merits and demerits of two poison materials, Cadmium and Gadolinium, were discussed taking into account the burn-up issue of poison with the operation time.