Electrochemical synthesis of boron-containing coatings on Mg alloy for thermal neutron shielding

The work provides the results of the one-step formation of boron-containing coatings on an Mg–Mn–Ce alloy by plasma electrolytic oxidation. The results of studies of the composition, structure and morphology of heteroxide coatings are presented. It was established that the boron is contained in the coating mainly in the form of B or B_(2)O_(3). The introduction of B changes the color of coatings, and also helps to increase their porosity. The method of determining the full cross section of the interaction of thermal neutron absorption efficiency by samples material using the installation of neutron-activation analysis based on ^(252)Cf was developed. It was shown that the introduction of boron into the formed coatings allows to increase the macroscopic cross-section of the interaction of samples with thermal neutrons by 3.8 times. This effect opens the potential for the use of synthesized material in the field of nuclear technologies and aerospace industry.

Static Structural Analysis for a Neutron Shielding Block in ITER

The ITER neutron shielding blocks are located between the outer shell and the inner shell of the vacuum vessel to provide neutron shielding. Considering the combined loads acting on the shielding blocks during ITER plasma operation, the structure of the shielding blocks must be evaluated. Using the finite element method with ANSYS analysis software, static structural analysis is performed, including elastic analysis and limit analysis for one typical shielding block. The evaluated results based on RCC-MR code show that the structure of this shielding block can meet the design requirement.

Limit Analysis for the Mechanical Structure of the ITER Neutron Shielding Block

The ITER neutron shielding blocks are located between the inner shell and the outer shell of the vacuum vessel （VV） with the main function of providing neutron shielding. Conskicring the combined loads of the shielding blocks during the plasma operation of the ITER, limit analysis for one typical ferromagnetic （FM） shielding block has been performed and the structural design has bccn evaluated based on the American Society of Mechanical Engineers （ASME） criterion and European standards. Results show that the collapse load of this shielding block is three times the specified load, which is much higher than the design requirement of 1.25. The structure of this neutron shielding block has a sufficient safety margin.

Numerical Analysis on Neutron Shielding Structure of ITER Vacuum Vessel

The neutron shielding component of ITER （International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor） vacuum vessel is a kind of structure resembling a wall in appearance. A FE （finite element） model is set up by using ANSYS code in terms of its structural features. Static analysis, thermal expansion analysis and dynamic analysis are performed. The static results show that the stress and displacement distribution are allowable, but the high stress appears in the junction between the upper and lower parts. The modal analysis indicates that the biggest deformation exists in the port area. Through modal superposition, the single-point response has been found with the lower rank frequency of the acceleration seismic response spectrum. But the deformation and the stress values are within the permissible limit. The analysis results would benefit the work in the next step and provide some reference for the implementation of the engineering plan in the future.

Effects due to a Pu-C source on a HPGe detector and the corresponding neutron shielding

A gamma spectrum of a Pu-C source is measured using a p-type HPGe detector, whose three peaks （full energy, single-escape and double-escape peak） can be used as a calibration source for the beam energy measurement system of BEPCII. The effect of fast neutron damage on the energy resolution of the HPGe detector is studied, which indicates that the energy resolution begins to deteriorate when the detector is subject to 2×107 n/cm^2 fast neutrons. The neutron damage mechanism and detector repair methods are reviewed. The Monte Carlo simulation technique is utilized to study the shielding of the HPGe detector from the fast neutron radiation damage, which is of great significance for the future commissioning of the beam energy measurement system.

Effect of Gd on neutron absorption properties and electrochemical corrosion behavior of Zr-Gd alloy in boiling concentrated HNO3

A Zr-Gd alloy with neutron poisoning properties and resistance to boiling concentrated HNO3 corrosion was developed based on a corrosion-resistant Zr-702 alloy to meet the demand for neutron shielding in the closed-loop treatment of spent fuel and the nuclear chemical industry.In this study,1 wt.%,3 wt.%,5 wt.%,7 wt.%,and 9 wt.%Zr-Gd alloys were designed and fabricated with Zr-702 as the control element.The electrochemical behavior of the Zr-Gd alloys in boiling concentrated HNO3 was investigated,and the neutron shielding effect on plate thickness and Gd content was simulated.The experimental results demonstrate that the corrosion resistance of the alloy decreased slightly before~7-9 wt.%with increasing Gd content;this is the inflection point of its corrosion resistance.The alloy uniformly dissolved the Gd content that could not be dissolved in the Zr lattice,resulting in numerous micropores on the passivation coating,which deteriorated and accelerated the corrosion rate.The MCNP simulation demonstrated that when the Gd content was increased to 5 wt.%,a 2-mm-thick plate can shield 99.9%neutrons;an alloy with a Gd content≥7 wt.%required only a 1-mm-thick plate,thereby showing that the addition of Gd provides an excellent neutron poisoning effect.Thus,the corrosion resistance and neutron shielding performance of the Zr-Gd alloy can meet the harsh service requirements of the nuclear industry.

Study on the gamma rays and neutrons energy response optimization of a scintillating fiber detector for EAST with Geant4

A new scintillating fiber detector inside magnetic shielding tube was designed and assembled for use in the next round of fusion experiments in the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak to provide D–T neutron yield with time resolution.In this study,Geant4 simulations were used to obtain the pulse height spectra for ideal signals produced when detecting neutrons and gamma rays of multiple energies.One of the main sources of interference was found to be low-energy neutrons below 10–5 MeV,which can generate numerous secondary particles in the detector components,such as the magnetic shielding tube,leading to high-amplitude output signals.To address this issue,a compact thermal neutron shield containing a 1-mm Cd layer outside the magnetic shielding tube and a 5-mm inner Pb layer was specifically designed.Adverse effects on the measurement of fast neutrons and the shielding effect on gamma rays were considered.This can suppress the height of the signals caused by thermal neutrons to a level below the height corresponding to neutrons above 4 MeV because the yield of the latter is used for detector calibration.In addition,the detector has relatively flat sensitivity curves in the fast neutron region,with the intrinsic detection efficiencies(IDEs)of approximately 40%.For gamma rays with energies that are not too high(<8 MeV),the IDEs of the detector are only approximately 20%,whereas for gamma rays below 1 MeV,the response curve cuts off earlier in the low-energy region,which is beneficial for avoiding counting saturation and signal accumulation.

Monte Carlo Evaluation for SSRF Beam Holes Shielding Neutrons of Front End Ratchet Walls

This study investigated the characteristics of bremsstrahlung and induced neutrons from the elec- tron storage ring in the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF).The EGSnrc and MCNP Monte Carlo code has been used to perform the assess neutron and photon dose profiles for a variety of shield ma- terials ranging from 5 to 115cm thick.The Monte Carlo simulations show that single material such as lead, iron and polyethylene have been found to be ineffective biological shield materials,while the mixed materials serve as effective shields for shielding high energy neutron.Mixed materials such as lead or iron combined with polyethylene or with concrete are good materials combination for high energy neutron radiation shield.And high-Z materials such as lead or iron combine with low-Z material containing some hydrogen such polyethylene are effective for shielding high energy neutrons as well as bremsstrahlung.

Physical design of target station and neutron instruments for China Spallation Neutron Source

The China Spallation Neutron Source(CSNS)is the first accelerator-based multidiscipline user facility to produce pulsed neutrons by tungsten target under collision of a pulsed proton beam with a beam power of 100 kW at a repetition rate of 25 Hz.In this paper,we focus on the physical design of CSNS target station and neutron instruments.Under optimized design,the flat tungsten target and the compact target-moderator-reflector coupling enhance effective cold and thermal neutron output from moderators.Three wing-type moderators supply four different characteristics of neutrons to 19 beamlines primarily for neutron scattering applications.Layout of neutron instruments are conceptually planned for total 20 beamlines,the configuration and specification have been determined for three day-one neutron instruments.All designs are optimized for the Phase I of 100 kW with a upgradable capacity to 500 kW.

Mechanical properties of UHMWPE/Sm_2O_3 composite shielding material

UHMWPE have good effect to slow down fast neutrons and Sm2O3 can absorb the thermal neutrons.A new style UHMWPE/ Sm2O3 composite shielding material was manufractured by hot-press moulding method.The microstructure and mechanical properties were characterized by IR and SEM.The results indicate that Sm2O3 distributed continuously,evenly in UHMWPE,and the interface was combined closely.Hardness of UHMWPE/Sm2O3 composites increased at first and decreased and tensile strength decreased with the increasing of Sm2O3 mass fraction.

Application of the first collision source method to CSNS target station shielding calculation

Ray effects are an inherent problem of the discrete ordinates method. RAY3 D, a functional module of ARES, which is a discrete ordinates code system, employs a semi-analytic first collision source method to mitigate ray effects. This method decomposes the flux into uncollided and collided components, and then calculates them with an analytical method and discrete ordinates method respectively. In this article, RAY3 D is validated by the Kobayashi benchmarks and applied to the neutron beamline shielding problem of China Spallation Neutron Source（CSNS）target station. The numerical results of the Kobayashi benchmarks indicate that the solutions of DONTRAN3 D with RAY3 D agree well with the Monte Carlo solutions. The dose rate at the end of the neutron beamline is less than10.83 μSv/h in the CSNS target station neutron beamline shutter model. RAY3 D can effectively mitigate the ray effects and obtain relatively reasonable results.

Self-polymerization and co-polymerization kinetics of gadolinium methacrylate

Gadolinium methacrylate（Gd（MAA）3） was synthesized by using gadolinium oxide and methacrylic acid as the starting materials and its self-polymerization kinetic was studied based on non-isothermal and isothermal analysis. Moreover, the monomer reactivity ratios of methyl methacrylate（MMA） and Gd（MAA）3 were evaluated by using Kelen-Tiidos method. The thermal neutron shielding properties of PMMA and poly（MMA-co-Gd（MAA）3） were calculated by MCNP program. The results show that the selfpolymerization of Gd（MAA）3 can be initiated by thermal and free radical and its activation energy is103.35 kJ/mol or 58.55 kJ/mol correspondingly in the solid state or aqueous solution. The polymerization rate,Rp,under low conversion at 65 ℃ is expressed as Rp = K[M]^（1.05）[I]^（0.60）. The reactivity ratios of r1（MMA） and r2（Gd（MAA）3） are 0.225 and 1.340, respectively. The ability of thermal neutron shielding of poly（MMA-co-Gd（MAA）3） is increased by gadolinium contents and is far better than PMMA.