Fission energy program of the US Department of Energy, FY 1981

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-03-01

Information is presented concerning the National Energy Plan and fission energy policy; fission energy program management; converter reactor systems; breeder reactor systems; and special nuclear evaluations and systems

Charged particle-induced nuclear fission reactions

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The nuclear fission phenomenon continues to be an enigma, even after nearly 75 years of its discovery. Considerable progress has been made towards understanding the fission process. Both light projectiles and heavy ions have been employed to investigate nuclear fission. An extensive database of the properties of ...

Analytical measurements of fission products during a severe nuclear accident

Science.gov (United States)

Doizi, D.; Reymond la Ruinaz, S.; Haykal, I.; Manceron, L.; Perrin, A.; Boudon, V.; Vander Auwera, J.; tchana, F. Kwabia; Faye, M.

2018-01-01

The Fukushima accident emphasized the fact that ways to monitor in real time the evolution of a nuclear reactor during a severe accident remain to be developed. No fission products were monitored during twelve days; only dose rates were measured, which is not sufficient to carry out an online diagnosis of the event. The first measurements were announced with little reliability for low volatile fission products. In order to improve the safety of nuclear plants and minimize the industrial, ecological and health consequences of a severe accident, it is necessary to develop new reliable measurement systems, operating at the earliest and closest to the emission source of fission products. Through the French program ANR « Projet d'Investissement d'Avenir », the aim of the DECA-PF project (diagnosis of core degradation from fission products measurements) is to monitor in real time the release of the major fission products (krypton, xenon, gaseous forms of iodine and ruthenium) outside the nuclear reactor containment. These products are released at different times during a nuclear accident and at different states of the nuclear core degradation. Thus, monitoring these fission products gives information on the situation inside the containment and helps to apply the Severe Accident Management procedures. Analytical techniques have been proposed and evaluated. The results are discussed here.

Analytical measurements of fission products during a severe nuclear accident

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Doizi D.

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The Fukushima accident emphasized the fact that ways to monitor in real time the evolution of a nuclear reactor during a severe accident remain to be developed. No fission products were monitored during twelve days; only dose rates were measured, which is not sufficient to carry out an online diagnosis of the event. The first measurements were announced with little reliability for low volatile fission products. In order to improve the safety of nuclear plants and minimize the industrial, ecological and health consequences of a severe accident, it is necessary to develop new reliable measurement systems, operating at the earliest and closest to the emission source of fission products. Through the French program ANR « Projet d’Investissement d’Avenir », the aim of the DECA-PF project (diagnosis of core degradation from fission products measurements is to monitor in real time the release of the major fission products (krypton, xenon, gaseous forms of iodine and ruthenium outside the nuclear reactor containment. These products are released at different times during a nuclear accident and at different states of the nuclear core degradation. Thus, monitoring these fission products gives information on the situation inside the containment and helps to apply the Severe Accident Management procedures. Analytical techniques have been proposed and evaluated. The results are discussed here.

The nuclear fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fiorentino, J.

1983-01-01

The nuclear fission process considering initially the formation of compound nucleus and finishing with radioactive decay of fission products is studied. The process is divided in three parts which consist of the events associated to the nucleus of intermediate transitional state, the scission configuration, and the phenomenum of post scission. (M.C.K.) [pt

Fifty years with nuclear fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Behrens, J.W.; Carlson, A.D.

1989-01-01

The news of the discovery of nucler fission, by Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann in Germany, was brought to the United States by Niels Bohr in January 1939. Since its discovery, the United States, and the world for that matter, has never been the same. It therefore seemed appropriate to acknowledge the fiftieth anniversary of its discovery by holding a topical meeting entitled, ''Fifty years with nuclear fission,'' in the United States during the year 1989. The objective of the meeting was to bring together pioneers of the nuclear industry and other scientists and engineers to report on reminiscences of the past and on the more recent developments in fission science and technology. The conference highlighted the early pioneers of the nuclear industry by dedicating a full day (April 26), consisting of two plenary sessions, at the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in Washington, DC. More recent developments in fission science and technology in addition to historical reflections were topics for two full days of sessions (April 27 and 28) at the main sites of the NIST in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The wide range of topics covered by Volume 2 of this topical meeting included plenary invited, and contributed sessions entitled, Nuclear fission -- a prospective; reactors II; fission science II; medical and industrial applications by by-products; reactors and safeguards; general research, instrumentation, and by-products; and fission data, astrophysics, and space applications. The individual papers have been cataloged separately

Progress in fission product nuclear data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lammer, M.

1981-06-01

This is the seventh issue of a report series on Fission Product Nuclear Data (FPND) which is published by the Nuclear Data Section (NDS) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The purpose of this series is to inform scientists working on FPND, or using such data, about all activities in this field which are planned, ongoing, or have recently been completed. The present issue contains also a section with some recent references relative to fission product nuclear data, which were not covered by the contributions submitted. The types of activities being included in this report are measurements, compilations and evaluations of: fission product yields (neutron induced and spontaneous fission); neutron reaction cross sections of fission products; data related to the radioactive decay of fission products; delayed neutron data of fission products; and lumped fission product data (decay heat, absorption etc.). The sixth issue of this series has been published in June 1980 as INDC(NDS)-113/G+P. The present issue includes contributions which were received by NDS between 1 August 1980 and 25 May 1981

Intermediate energy nuclear fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hylten, G.

1982-01-01

Nuclear fission has been investigated with the double-kinetic-energy method using silicon surface barrier detectors. Fragment energy correlation measurements have been made for U, Th and Bi with bremsstrahlung of 600 MeV maximum energy. Distributions of kinetic energy as a function of fragment mass are presented. The results are compared with earlier photofission data and in the case of bismuth, with calculations based on the liquid drop model. The binary fission process in U, Yb, Tb, Ce, La, Sb, Ag and Y induced by 600 MeV protons has been investigated yielding fission cross sections, fragment kinetic energies, angular correlations and mass distributions. Fission-spallation competition calculations are used to deduce values of macroscopic fission barrier heights and nuclear level density parameter values at deformations corresponding to the saddle point shapes. We find macroscopic fission barriers lower than those predicted by macroscopic theories. No indication is found of the Businaro Gallone limit expected to occur somewhere in the mass range A = 100 to A = 140. For Ce and La asymmetric mass distributions similar to those in the actinide region are found. A method is described for the analysis of angular correlations between complementary fission products. The description is mainly concerned with fission induced by medium-energy protons but is applicable also to other projectiles and energies. It is shown that the momentum and excitation energy distributions of cascade residuals leading to fission can be extracted. (Author)

Progress in fission product nuclear data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lammer, M.

1983-08-01

This is the ninth issue of a report series on Fission Product Nuclear Data (FPND) which is published by the Nuclear Data Section (NDS) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The purpose of this series is to inform scientists working on FPND, or using such data, about all activities in this field which are planned, ongoing, or have recently been completed. The main part of this report consists of unaltered original contributions which the authors have sent to IAEA/NDS. The present issue contains also a section with some recent references relative to fission product nuclear data, which were not covered by the contributions submitted. The types of activities being included in this report are measurements, compilations and evaluations of: Fission product yields (neutron induced and spontaneous fission); Neutron reaction cross sections of fission products; Data related to the radioactive decay of fission products; Delayed neutron data of fission products; and lumped fission product data (decay heat, absorption etc.). The eighth issue of this series has been published in July 1982 as INDC(NDS)-130. The present issue includes contributions which were received by NDS between 1 August 1982 and 25 June 1983

Nuclear fission studies: from LOHENGRIN to FIPPS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chebboubi, Abdelaziz

2015-01-01

Nuclear fission consists in splitting a nucleus, in general an actinide, into smaller nuclei. Despite nuclear fission was discovered in 1939 by Hahn and Strassman, fission models cannot predict the fission observables with an acceptable accuracy for nuclear fuel cycle studies for instance. Improvement of fission models is an important issue for the knowledge of the process itself and for the applications. To reduce uncertainties of the nuclear data used in a nuclear reactor simulation, a validation of the models hypothesis is mandatory. In this work, two features of the nuclear fission were investigated in order to test the resistance of the theories. One aspect is the study of the symmetric fission fragments through the measurement of their yield and kinetic energy distribution. The other aspect is the study of the fission fragment angular momentum.Two techniques are available to assess the angular momentum of a fission fragment. The first one is to look at the properties of the prompt gamma. The new spectrometer FIPPS (Fission Product Prompt gamma-ray Spectrometer), is currently under development at the ILL and will combine a fission filter with a large array of gamma and neutron detectors in order to respond to these issues. The first part of this work is dedicated to the study of the properties of a Gas Filled Magnet (GFM) which is the type of fission filter considered for the FIPPS project.The second part of this work deals with the measurement of isomeric yields and evaluations of the angular momentum distribution of fission fragments. The study of the spherical nucleus 132 Sn shed the light on the current limits of fission models. Finally, the last part of this work is about the measurement of the yields and kinetic energy distributions of symmetric fission fragments. Since models predict the existence of fission modes, the symmetry region is a suitable choice to investigate this kind of prediction. In parallel with all these studies, an emphasis on the

The MCEF code for nuclear evaporation and fission calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deppman, A.; Pina, S.R. de; Likhachev, V.P.; Mesa, J.; Arruda-Neto, J.D.T.; Rodriguez, O.; Goncalves, M.

2001-11-01

We present an object oriented algorithm, written in the Java programming language, which performs a Monte Carlo calculation of the evaporation-fission process taking place inside an excited nucleus. We show that this nuclear physics problem is very suited for the object oriented programming by constructing two simple objects: one that handles all nuclear properties and another that takes care of the nuclear reaction. The MCEF code was used to calculate important results for nuclear reactions, and here we show examples of possible uses for this code. (author)

Progress in fission product nuclear data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lammer, G.

1975-01-01

This is the first issue of a report series on Fission Product Nuclear Data (FPND), published every six months by the Nuclear Data Section (NDS) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Its purpose is to inform scientists working on FPND, or using such data, about all activities in this field which are planned, ongoing, or have recently been completed. The types of activities being included in this report are measurements, compilations and evaluations of: fission product yields; neutron cross-section data of fission products; data related to β-, γ-decay of fission products; delayed neutron data; and fission product decay-heat. The present issue includes contributions which were received by NDS before 1 November 1975

Progress in fission product nuclear data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lammer, M.

1982-07-01

This is the eighth issue of a report series on Fission Product Nuclear Data (FPND) which is published by the Nuclear Data Section (NDS) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The purpose of this series is to inform scientists working on FPND, or using such data, about all activities in this field which are planned, ongoing, or have recently been completed. The main part of this report consists of unaltered original contributions which the authors have sent to IAEA/NDS. Therefore, the IAEA cannot be held responsible for the information contained nor for any consequences resulting from the use of this information. The present issue contains also a section with some recent references relative to fission product nuclear data, which were not covered by the contributions submitted. The types of activities being included in this report are measurements, compilations and evaluations of: Fission product yields (neutron induced and spontaneous fission); Neutron reaction cross sections of fission products; Data related to the radioactive decay of fission products; Delayed neutron data of fission products; and lumped fission product data (decay heat, absorption etc.). The seventh issue of this series has been published in July 1981 as INDC(NDS)-116. The present issue includes contributions which were received by NDS between 1 August 1981 and 15 June 1982

Induced-Fission Imaging of Nuclear Material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hausladen, Paul; Blackston, Matthew A.; Mullens, James Allen; McConchie, Seth M.; Mihalczo, John T.; Bingham, Philip R.; Ericson, Milton Nance; Fabris, Lorenzo

2010-01-01

This paper presents initial results from development of the induced-fission imaging technique, which can be used for the purpose of measuring or verifying the distribution of fissionable material in an unopened container. The technique is based on stimulating fissions in nuclear material with 14 MeV neutrons from an associated-particle deuterium-tritium (D-T) generator and counting the subsequent induced fast fission neutrons with an array of fast organic scintillation detectors. For each source neutron incident on the container, the neutron creation time and initial trajectory are known from detection of the associated alpha particle of the d + t → α + n reaction. Many induced fissions will lie along (or near) the interrogating neutron path, allowing an image of the spatial distribution of prompt induced fissions, and thereby fissionable material, to be constructed. A variety of induced-fission imaging measurements have been performed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory with a portable, low-dose D-T generator, including single-view radiographic measurements and three-dimensional tomographic measurements. Results from these measurements will be presented along with the neutron transmission images that have been performed simultaneously. This new capability may have applications to a number of areas in which there may be a need to confirm the presence or configuration of nuclear materials, such as nuclear material control and accountability, quality assurance, treaty confirmation, or homeland security applications.

Progress in fission product nuclear data. No. 14

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lammer, M.

1994-06-01

This is the 14th issue of a report series on Fission Product Nuclear Data published by the Nuclear Data Section of the IAEA. The types of activities included are measurements, compilations and evaluations of fission product yields, neutron reaction cross sections of fission products, data related to the radioactive decay of fission products, delayed neutron data from neutron induced and spontaneous fission, lumped fission product data. The first part of the report consists of unaltered original contributions which the authors have sent to IAEA/NDS. The second part contains some recent references relative to fission product nuclear data, which were not covered by the contributions submitted, and selected papers from conferences. The third part contains requirements for further measurements

Progress in fission product nuclear data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lammer, M.

1984-09-01

This is the tenth issue of a report series on Fission Product Data, which informs us about all the activities in this field, which are planned, ongoing, or have recently been completed. The types of activities included are measurements, compilations and evaluations of: fission product yields (neutron induced and spontaneous fission), neutron reaction cross sections of fission products, data related to the radioactive decay of fission products, delayed neutron data of fission products, lumped fission product data (decay heat, absorption, etc.). There is also a section with recent references relative to fission product nuclear data

Status update on the NIFFTE high precision fission cross section measurement program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laptev, Alexander B.; Tovesson, Fredrik; Burgett, Eric; Greife, Uwe; Grimes, Steven; Heffner, Michael D.; Hertel, Nolan E.; Hill, Tony; Isenhower, Donald; Klay, Jennifer L.; Kornilov, Nickolay; Kudo, Ryuho; Loveland, Walter; Massey, Thomas; McGrath, Chris; Pickle, Nathan; Qu, Hai; Sharma, Sarvagya; Snyder, Lucas; Thornton, Tyler; Towell, Rusty S.; Watson, Shon

2010-01-01

The Neutron Induced Fission Fragment Tracking Experiment (NIFFTE) program has been underway for nearly two years. The program's mission is to measure fission cross sections of the primary fissionable and fissile materials ( 235 U, 239 Pu, 238 U) as well as the minor actinides across energies from approximately 50 keV up to 20 MeV with an absolute uncertainty of less than one percent while investigating energy ranges from below an eV to 600 MeV. This basic nuclear physics data is being reinvestigated to support the next generation power plants and a fast burner reactor program. Uncertainties in the fast, resolved and unresolved resonance regions in plutonium and other transuranics are extremely large, dominating safety margins in the next generation nuclear power plants and power plants of today. This basic nuclear data can be used to support all aspects of the nuciear renaissance. The measurement campaign is utilizing a Time Projection Chamber or TPC as the tool to measure these cross sections to these unprecedented levels. Unlike traditional fission cross section measurements using time-of-flight and a multiple fission foil configurations in which fission cross sections in relation to that of 235 U are performed, the TPC project uses time-of-flight and hydrogen as the benchmark cross section. Using the switch to hydrogen, a simple, smooth cross section that can be used which removes the uncertainties associated with the resolved and unresolved resonances in 235 U.

ISOLDE experiment explores new territory in nuclear fission

CERN Multimedia

CERN Bulletin

2011-01-01

An international collaboration led by the University of Leuven, Belgium, exploiting ISOLDE’s radioactive beams, has recently discovered an unexpected new type of asymmetric nuclear fission, which challenges current theories. The surprising result opens the way for new nuclear structure models and further theories to elucidate the question.   Resonance Ionization Laser Ion Source (RILIS) in action at ISOLDE. RILIS was instrumental in providing the pure beam necessary for the successful nuclear fission experiment. In nuclear fission, the nucleus splits into two fragments (daughter nuclei), releasing a huge amount of energy. Nuclear fission is exploited in power plants to produce energy. From the fundamental research point of view, fission is not yet fully understood decades after its discovery and its properties can still surprise nuclear physicists. The way the process occurs can tell us a lot about the internal structure of the nucleus and the interactions taking place inside the com...

Fission energy program of the U.S. Department of Energy. FY 1980

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-04-01

This document presents the baseline implementation program plan as of January 1979 and is derived from the National Energy Plan and other major policy documents. The document discusses civilian nuclear power development, the policy for which has been established by the National Energy Plan of April 1977 and the National Energy Act of 1978. It derives the fission energy policy and program objectives from the National Energy Plan and Act, describes the overall program strategy, and presents the overall budget. The approach used in managing the program, including the program structure and methods used for program control, is explained. The civilian fission power development implementation programs are described in detail. Other considerations affecting civilian nuclear power development are also discussed

Bimodality in macroscopic dynamics of nuclear fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bastrukov, S.I.; Salamatin, V.S.; Strteltsova, O.I.; Molodtsova, I.V.; Podgainy, D.V.; )

2000-01-01

The elastodynamic collective model of nuclear fission is outlined whose underlying idea is that the stiff structure of nuclear shells imparts to nucleus properties typical of a small piece of an elastic solid. Emphasis is placed on the macroscopic dynamics of nuclear deformations resulting in fission by two energetically different modes. The low-energy S-mode is the fission due to disruption of elongated quadrupole spheroidal shape. The characteristic features of the high-energy T-mode of division by means of torsional shear deformations is the compact scission configuration. Analytic and numerical estimates for the macroscopic fission-barrier heights are presented, followed by discussion of fingerprints of the above dynamical bimodality in the available data [ru

Theory of nuclear fission: a review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mosel, U.

1976-01-01

General properties of nuclear fission are reviewed and related to our present knowledge of fission theory. For this purpose the basic reasons for the shape of the fission barriers are discussed and their consequences compared with experimental results on barrier shapes and structures. Special emphasis is put on the asymmetry of the fission barriers and mass-distributions and its relation to the shells of the nascent fragment shells. Finally the problem of calculating fission cross sections is discussed

Progress in fission product nuclear data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lammer, G.

1976-05-01

The purpose of this series is to inform scientists working on Fission Product Nuclear Data, or using such data, about all activities in this field which are planned, ongoing, or have recently been completed. This report consists of reproductions of essentially unaltered original contributions which the authors have sent to IAEA/NDS. The types of activities being included in this report are measurements, compilations and evaluations of: fission product yields; neutron cross-section data of fission products; data related to β-, γ-decay of fission products; delayed neutron data; and fission product decay-heat

Progress in fission product nuclear data. No. 13

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lammer, M.

1990-11-01

This is the 13th issue of a report series published by the Nuclear Data Section of the IAEA. The types of activities included are measurements, compilations and evaluations of: Fission product yields (neutron induced and spontaneous fission), neutron reaction cross-sections of fission products, data related to the radioactive decay of fission products, delayed neutron data of fission products and bumped fission product data (decay heat, absorption, etc.). The first part of the report consists of unaltered original data which the authors have sent to IAEA/NDS. The second part contains some recent references relative to fission product nuclear data, which were not covered by the contributions submitted, and selected papers from conferences. Part 3 contains requirements for further measurements

40 years of nuclear fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koch, H.

1979-01-01

On the occasion of both the 100th birthday of the discoverer of nuclear fission, Otto Hahn, and the 40th anniversary of this outstanding scientific discovery the historical development is described, which led to nuclear fission. Aspects of scientific life in Berlin and in the whole world at that time are presented, and relations between scientists are characterized by quotations. In particular, stress is laid on the life and activities of Otto Hahn as a human being and as a scientist, and his outstanding scientific achievements are appreciated. (author)

Nuclear Power from Fission Reactors. An Introduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Department of Energy, Washington, DC. Technical Information Center.

The purpose of this booklet is to provide a basic understanding of nuclear fission energy and different fission reaction concepts. Topics discussed are: energy use and production, current uses of fuels, oil and gas consumption, alternative energy sources, fossil fuel plants, nuclear plants, boiling water and pressurized water reactors, the light…

Nuclear dynamics in heavy ion induced fusion-fission reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kapoor, S.S.

1992-01-01

Heavy ion induced fission and fission-like reactions evolve through a complex nuclear dynamics encountered in the medium energy nucleus-nucleus collisions. In the recent years, measurements of the fragment-neutron and fragment-charged particle angular correlations in heavy ion induced fusion-fission reactions, have provided new information on the dynamical times of nuclear deformations of the initial dinuclear complex to the fission saddle point and the scission point. From the studies of fragment angular distributions in heavy ion induced fission it has been possible to infer the relaxation times of the dinuclear complex in the K-degree of freedom and our recent measurements on the entrance channel dependence of fragment anisotropies have provided an experimental signature of the presence of fissions before K-equilibration. This paper reviews recent experimental and theoretical status of the above studies with particular regard to the questions relating to dynamical times, nuclear dissipation and the effect of nuclear dissipation on the K-distributions at the fission saddle in completely equilibrated compound nucleus. (author). 19 refs., 9 figs

Chemical immobilization of fission products reactive with nuclear reactor components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grossman, L.N.; Kaznoff, A.I.; Clukey, H.V.

1975-01-01

This invention teaches a method of immobilizing deleterious fission products produced in nuclear fuel materials during nuclear fission chain reactions through the use of additives. The additives are disposed with the nuclear fuel materials in controlled quantities to form new compositions preventing attack of reactor components, especially nuclear fuel cld, by the deleterious fission products. (Patent Office Record)

Energy from nuclear fission()

Science.gov (United States)

Ripani, M.

2015-08-01

The main features of nuclear fission as physical phenomenon will be revisited, emphasizing its peculiarities with respect to other nuclear reactions. Some basic concepts underlying the operation of nuclear reactors and the main types of reactors will be illustrated, including fast reactors, showing the most important differences among them. The nuclear cycle and radioactive-nuclear-waste production will be also discussed, along with the perspectives offered by next generation nuclear assemblies being proposed. The current situation of nuclear power in the world, its role in reducing carbon emission and the available resources will be briefly illustrated.

Balanced program plan. Volume XI. Fission analysis for biomedical and environmental research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foster, R.F.

1976-06-01

Factors involved in the formulation of an ERDA-sponsored program for health and environmental research in connection with the fission fuel cycle are discussed under the following section headings: major issues associated with the use of nuclear power; fission fuel cycle technology: milling, UF 6 production, uranium enrichment, plutonium fuel fabrication, power production (reactors), fuel reprocessing, waste management, fuel and waste transportation; problem definition: characterization, measurement and monitoring, transport processes, health effects, ecological processes and effects, and integrated assessment; budget; characterization, measuring and monitoring program units; transport processes program units; health effects program units; ecological processes and effects program units; and integrated assessment program units

Rupture of the neck in nuclear fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davies, K.T.R.; Managan, R.A.; Nix, J.R.; Sierk, A.J.

1977-01-01

We introduce a degree of freedom to describe the rupture of the neck in nuclear fission and calculate the point at which the neck ruptures as the nucleus descends dynamically from its fission saddle point. This is done by mentally slicing the system into two portions at its minimum neck radius and calculating the force required to separate the two portions while keeping their shapes fixed. This force is obtained by differentiating with respect to separation the sum of the Coulomb and nuclear interaction energies between the two portions. For nuclei throughout the Periodic Table we calculate this force along dynamical paths leading from the fission saddle point. The force is initially attractive but becomes repulsive when the neck reaches a critical size. For actinide nuclei the neck radius at which rupture occurs is about 2 fm. This increases the calculated translational kinetic energy of the fission fragments at infinity relative to that calculated for scission occurring at zero neck radius. With the effect of neck rupture taken into account, we calculate and compare with experimental results fission-fragment kinetic energies for two types of nuclear dissipation: ordinary two-body viscosity and one-body dissipation

Contribution to the study of nuclear fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serot, O.

2009-09-01

The author proposes an overview of his research activity during the past fifteen years and more particularly that dealing with nuclear fission. The first part reports works on nucleus physics at the scission via the investigation of ternary fission (experimental procedure, influence of fission modes, influence of resonance spin, influence of excitation energy of the fissioning nucleus, emission probabilities, energy spectra of ternary alphas and tritons, emission mechanism). The second part reports measurements and assessments of neutron-induced fission cross sections. The third part reports the investigation of some properties of fission products (efficiencies, branching ratios of the main delayed neutron precursors)

Dynamics of process at the final stage of nuclear fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koljari, I.G.; Mavlitov, N.D.

2005-01-01

Numerous experimental data show, that the final stage of nuclear fission near to a scission point plays an essential role at formation of characteristics of fission products. At the description of a final stage of fission there is a number of problems: Definition of the form of the nuclear near the scission point and definition forms of a fission fragments; The account of dynamic processes in compound nuclear directly before of fission. The condition of the quasistatic al adiabatic process - dS/dt=0 - is applied in a point of transition from the uniform compound nuclei to several forms for definition of generalized coordinates and speeds. Calculation of dependence of post neutrons from nuclear mass of fission fragments for reactions is α+ 83 Bi 209 → 85 At 213 (E lab = 45 MeV); α+ 92 U 242 → 94 Pu 242 (E lab = 45 MeV); 8 O 18 + 79 Au 197 → 97 Fr 215 (E lab = 159 MeV). System of equations, which describes behaviour of system in a point of nuclear fission-transition from the uniform form to system of a two (and, probably more) fission fragments is given. The system of the equations allows in a fission point to define the generalized coordinates, and the generalized speeds for each of the generalized coordinates of collective deformation variables

Sequential character of low-energy ternary and quaternary nuclear fission

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kadmensky, S. G., E-mail: kadmensky@phys.vsu.ru; Bulychev, A. O. [Voronezh State University (Russian Federation)

2016-09-15

An analysis of low-energy true ternary (quaternary) nuclear fission leads to the conclusion that these fission modes have a sequential two-step (three-step) character such that the emission of a third particle (third and fourth particles) and the separation of fission fragments occur at distinctly different instants, in contrast to the simultaneous emergence of all fission products in the case of onestep ternary (quaternary) fission. This conclusion relies on the following arguments. First, the emission of a third particle (third and fourth particles) from a fissile nucleus is due to a nonevaporative mechanism associated with a nonadiabatic character of the collective deformation motion of this nucleus at the stages preceding its scission. Second, the axial symmetry of the deformed fissile compound nucleus and the direction of its symmetry axis both remain unchanged at all stages of ternary (quaternary) fission. This circumstancemakes it possible to explain themechanism of the appearance of observed anisotropies and T — odd asymmeries in the angular distributions of products of ternary (quaternary) nuclear fission. Third, the T —odd asymmetry discovered experimentally in ternary nuclear fission induced by cold polarized neutrons obeys the T —invariance condition only in the case of a sequential two-step (three-step) character of true ternary (quaternary) nuclear fission. At the same time, this asymmetry is not a T —invariant quantity in the case of the simultaneous emission of products of true ternary (quaternary) nuclear fission from the fissile compound nucleus.

Sequential character of low-energy ternary and quaternary nuclear fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kadmensky, S. G.; Bulychev, A. O.

2016-01-01

An analysis of low-energy true ternary (quaternary) nuclear fission leads to the conclusion that these fission modes have a sequential two-step (three-step) character such that the emission of a third particle (third and fourth particles) and the separation of fission fragments occur at distinctly different instants, in contrast to the simultaneous emergence of all fission products in the case of onestep ternary (quaternary) fission. This conclusion relies on the following arguments. First, the emission of a third particle (third and fourth particles) from a fissile nucleus is due to a nonevaporative mechanism associated with a nonadiabatic character of the collective deformation motion of this nucleus at the stages preceding its scission. Second, the axial symmetry of the deformed fissile compound nucleus and the direction of its symmetry axis both remain unchanged at all stages of ternary (quaternary) fission. This circumstancemakes it possible to explain themechanism of the appearance of observed anisotropies and T — odd asymmeries in the angular distributions of products of ternary (quaternary) nuclear fission. Third, the T —odd asymmetry discovered experimentally in ternary nuclear fission induced by cold polarized neutrons obeys the T —invariance condition only in the case of a sequential two-step (three-step) character of true ternary (quaternary) nuclear fission. At the same time, this asymmetry is not a T —invariant quantity in the case of the simultaneous emission of products of true ternary (quaternary) nuclear fission from the fissile compound nucleus.

Nuclear fission - the great discovery of the nuclear chemistry 50 years ago

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eichler, B.

1988-01-01

A scientific discovery only seldom in that extent has influenced the scientific-technical progress and the historical development of mankind as the discovery of nuclear fission. The investigation of the reactions at irradiation of the uranium with neutrons was historically the order of the day. In 1938, the radiochemical proof of the nuclear fission succeeded by coprecipitation, fractional crystallization and application of the tracer method. To be master of these methods as well as their profound physico-chemical insight enabled O. Hahn and F. Strassmann to give reliable evidence of fission by identifying the fission product barium. (author)

Nuclear fission induced by heavy ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Newton, J.O.

1988-09-01

Because the accelerators of the 50's and 60's mostly provided beams of light ions, well suited for studying individual quantum states of low angular momentum or reactions involving the transfer of one or two nucleons, the study of fission, being an example of large-scale collective motion, has until recently been outside of the mainstream of nuclear research. This situation has changed in recent years, due to the new generation of accelerators capable of producing beams of heavy ions with energies high enough to overcome the Coulomb barriers of all stable nuclei. These have made possible the study of new examples of large-scale collective motions, involving major rearrangements of nuclear matter, such as deep-inelastic collisions and heavy-ion fusion. Perhaps the most exciting development in the past few years is the discovery that dissipative effects (nuclear viscosity) play an important role in fission induced by heavy ions, contrary to earlier assumptions that the viscosity involved in fission was very weak and played only a minor role. This review will be mainly concerned with developments in heavy-ion induced fission during the last few years and have an emphasis on the very recent results on dissipative effects. Since heavy-ion bombardment usually results in compound systems with high excitation energies and angular momenta, shell effects might be expected to be small, and the subject of low energy fission, where they are important, will not be addressed. 285 refs., 58 figs

The role of the dinuclear system in the processes of nuclear fusion, quasi-fission, fission and cluster formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Volkov, V.V.

1999-01-01

The nuclear fusion, quasi-fission, fission and cluster formation in an excited nucleus are considered as the processes of the formation and evolution of the dinuclear system. This approach allows one to reveal new aspects of nuclear fusion, to show that quasi-fission plays an important role in nuclear reactions used to synthesise superheavy elements. A qualitative picture is given of the fission process of an excited nucleus and an important role of cluster formation in this process is shown

Nuclear fission with a Langevin equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boilley, D.; Suraud, E.; Abe, Yasuhisa

1992-01-01

A microscopically derived Langevin equation is applied to thermally induced nuclear fission. An important memory effect is pointed out and discussed. A strong friction coefficient, estimated from microscopic quantities, tends to decrease the stationary limit of the fission rate and to increase the transient time. The calculations are performed with a collective mass depending on the collective variable and with a constant mass. Fission rates calculated at different temperatures are shown and compared with previous available results. (author) 23 refs.; 7 figs

JNDC nuclear data library of fission products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tasaka, Kanji; Ihara, Hitoshi; Akiyama, Masatsugu; Yoshida, Tadashi; Matumoto, Zyun-itiro; Nakasima, Ryuzo

1983-10-01

The JNDC (Japanese Nuclear Data Committee) FP (Fission Product) nuclear data library for 1172 fission products is described in this report. The gross theory of beta decay has been used extensively for estimating unknown decay data and also some of known decay data with poor accuracy. The calculated decay powers of fission products using the present library show excellent agreement with the latest measurements at ORNL (Oak Ridge National Laboratory), LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory) and UTT (University of Tokyo, Tokai) for cooling times shorter than 10 3 s after irradiation. The calculated decay powers by the existing libraries showed systematic deviations at short cooling times; the calculated beta and gamma decay powers after burst fission were smaller than the experimental results for cooling times shorter than 10 s, and in the cooling time range 10 to 10 3 s the beta-decay power was larger than the measured values and the gamma decay power smaller than the measured results. The present JNDC FP nuclear data library resolved these discrepancies in the short cooling time ranges. The decay power of fission products has been calculated for ten fission types and the results have been fitted by an analytical function with 31 exponentials. This permits the easy application of the present results of decay power calculations to a LOCA (Loss-of-Coolant Accident) analysis of a light water reactor and so on. (author)

Progress in fission product nuclear data. Information about activities in the field of measurements and compilations/evaluations of fission product nuclear data (FPND)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lammer, G.

1978-07-01

This is the fourth issue of a report series on Fission Product Nuclear Data (FPND) which is published by the Nuclear Data Section (NDS) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The purpose of this series is to inform scientists working on FPND, or using such data, about all activities in this field which are planned, ongoing, or have recently been completed. The main part of this report consists of unaltered original contributions which the authors have sent to IAEA/NDS. The types of activities being included in this report are measurements, compilations and evaluations of: Fission product yields (neutron induced and spontaneous fission); neutron reaction cross sections of fission products; data related to the radioactive decay of fission products; delayed neutron data of fission products; and lumped fission product data (decay heat, absorption etc.)

Nuclear fission as a macroscopic quantum tunneling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takigawa, N.

1995-01-01

We discuss nuclear fission from the point of view of a macroscopic quantum tunneling, one of whose major interests is to study the effects of environments on the tunneling rate of a macroscopic variable. We show that a vibrational excitation of the fissioning nucleus significantly enhances the fission rate. We show this effect by two different methods. The one is to treat the vibrational excitation as an environmental degree of freedom, the other treats the fission as a two dimensional quantum tunneling. (author)

Nuclear Technology Programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harmon, J.E.

1990-10-01

This document reports on the work done by the Nuclear Technology Programs of the Chemical Technology Division, Argonne National Laboratory, in the period April--September 1988. These programs involve R ampersand D in three areas: applied physical chemistry, separation science and technology, and nuclear waste management. The work in applied physical chemistry includes investigations into the processes that control the release and transport of fission products under accident-like conditions, the thermophysical properties of selected materials in environments simulating those of fusion energy systems. In the area of separation science and technology, the bulk of the effort is concerned with developing and implementing processes for the removal and concentration of actinides from waste streams contaminated by transuranic elements. Another effort is concerned with examining the feasibility of substituting low-enriched for high-enriched uranium in the production of fission-product 99 Mo. In the area of waste management, investigations are underway on the performance of materials in projected nuclear repository conditions to provide input to the licensing of the nation's high-level waste repositories

Nuclear Technology Programs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harmon, J.E. (ed.)

1990-10-01

This document reports on the work done by the Nuclear Technology Programs of the Chemical Technology Division, Argonne National Laboratory, in the period April--September 1988. These programs involve R D in three areas: applied physical chemistry, separation science and technology, and nuclear waste management. The work in applied physical chemistry includes investigations into the processes that control the release and transport of fission products under accident-like conditions, the thermophysical properties of selected materials in environments simulating those of fusion energy systems. In the area of separation science and technology, the bulk of the effort is concerned with developing and implementing processes for the removal and concentration of actinides from waste streams contaminated by transuranic elements. Another effort is concerned with examining the feasibility of substituting low-enriched for high-enriched uranium in the production of fission-product {sup 99}Mo. In the area of waste management, investigations are underway on the performance of materials in projected nuclear repository conditions to provide input to the licensing of the nation's high-level waste repositories.

National nuclear scientific program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plecas, I.; Matausek, M.V.; Neskovic, N.

2001-01-01

National scientific program of the Vinca Institute Nuclear Reactors And Radioactive Waste comprises research and development in the following fields: application of energy of nuclear fission, application of neutron beams, analyses of nuclear safety and radiation protection. In the first phase preparatory activities, conceptual design and design of certain processes and facilities should be accomplished. In the second phase realization of the projects is expected. (author)

Hybrid fission-fusion nuclear reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zucchetti, Massimo

2011-01-01

A fusion-fission hybrid could contribute to all components of nuclear power - fuel supply, electricity production, and waste management. The idea of the fusion-fission hybrid is many decades old. Several ideas, both new and revisited, have been investigated by hybrid proponents. These ideas appear to have attractive features, but they require various levels of advances in plasma science and fusion and nuclear technology. As a first step towards the development of hybrid reactors, fusion neutron sources can be considered as an option. Compact high-field tokamaks can be a candidate for being the neutron source in a fission-fusion hybrid, essentially due to their design characteristics, such as compact dimensions, high magnetic field, flexibility of operation. This study presents the development of a tokamak neutron source for a material testing facility using an Ignitor-based concept. The computed values show the potential of this neutron-rich device for fusion materials testing. Some full-power months of operation are sufficient to obtain relevant radiation damage values in terms of dpa. (Author)

An application program for fission product decay heat calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pham, Ngoc Son; Katakura, Jun-ichi

2007-10-01

The precise knowledge of decay heat is one of the most important factors in safety design and operation of nuclear power facilities. Furthermore, decay heat data also play an important role in design of fuel discharges, fuel storage and transport flasks, and in spent fuel management and processing. In this study, a new application program, called DHP (Decay Heat Power program), has been developed for exact decay heat summation calculations, uncertainty analysis, and for determination of the individual contribution of each fission product. The analytical methods were applied in the program without any simplification or approximation, in which all of linear and non-linear decay chains, and 12 decay modes, including ground state and meta-stable states, are automatically identified, and processed by using a decay data library and a fission yield data file, both in ENDF/B-VI format. The window interface of the program is designed with optional properties which is very easy for users to run the code. (author)

Proceedings of the Conference on 75 years of Nuclear Fission

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Proceedings of the Conference on 75 years of Nuclear Fission: Present Status and Future Perspectives (Fission75) - Part I. pp 187-188. Organizing Committee · More Details Fulltext PDF. pp 189-190. Foreword · D C Biswas K Mahata V M Datar · More Details Fulltext PDF. pp 191-198. Seventy-five years of nuclear fission.

Sustainable and safe nuclear fission energy technology and safety of fast and thermal nuclear reactors

CERN Document Server

Kessler, Günter

2012-01-01

Unlike existing books of nuclear reactor physics, nuclear engineering and nuclear chemical engineering this book covers a complete description and evaluation of nuclear fission power generation. It covers the whole nuclear fuel cycle, from the extraction of natural uranium from ore mines, uranium conversion and enrichment up to the fabrication of fuel elements for the cores of various types of fission reactors. This is followed by the description of the different fuel cycle options and the final storage in nuclear waste repositories. In addition the release of radioactivity under normal and possible accidental conditions is given for all parts of the nuclear fuel cycle and especially for the different fission reactor types.

Fifty years of nuclear fission: Nuclear data and measurements series

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lynn, J.E.

1989-06-01

This report is the written version of a colloquium first presented at Argonne National Laboratory in January 1989. The paper begins with an historical preamble about the events leading to the discovery of nuclear fission. This leads naturally to an account of early results and understanding of the fission phenomena. Some of the key concepts in the development of fission theory are then discussed. The main theme of this discussion is the topography of the fission barrier, in which the interplay of the liquid-drop model and nucleon shell effects lead to a wide range of fascinating phenomena encompassing metastable isomers, intermediate-structure effects in fission cross-sections, and large changes in fission product properties. It is shown how study of these changing effects and theoretical calculations of the potential energy of the deformed nucleus have led to broad qualitative understanding of the nature of the fission process. 54 refs., 35 figs

Microscopic theory of nuclear fission: a review

Science.gov (United States)

Schunck, N.; Robledo, L. M.

2016-11-01

This article reviews how nuclear fission is described within nuclear density functional theory. A distinction should be made between spontaneous fission, where half-lives are the main observables and quantum tunnelling the essential concept, and induced fission, where the focus is on fragment properties and explicitly time-dependent approaches are often invoked. Overall, the cornerstone of the density functional theory approach to fission is the energy density functional formalism. The basic tenets of this method, including some well-known tools such as the Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB) theory, effective two-body nuclear potentials such as the Skyrme and Gogny force, finite-temperature extensions and beyond mean-field corrections, are presented succinctly. The energy density functional approach is often combined with the hypothesis that the time-scale of the large amplitude collective motion driving the system to fission is slow compared to typical time-scales of nucleons inside the nucleus. In practice, this hypothesis of adiabaticity is implemented by introducing (a few) collective variables and mapping out the many-body Schrödinger equation into a collective Schrödinger-like equation for the nuclear wave-packet. The region of the collective space where the system transitions from one nucleus to two (or more) fragments defines what are called the scission configurations. The inertia tensor that enters the kinetic energy term of the collective Schrödinger-like equation is one of the most essential ingredients of the theory, since it includes the response of the system to small changes in the collective variables. For this reason, the two main approximations used to compute this inertia tensor, the adiabatic time-dependent HFB and the generator coordinate method, are presented in detail, both in their general formulation and in their most common approximations. The collective inertia tensor enters also the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin (WKB) formula used to extract

Fission product release during MCCI. CEC nuclear safety program: MCCI project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cenerino, G [CEA Centre d` Etudes Nucleaires de Fontenay-aux-Roses, 92 (France). Inst. de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire; Cordfunke, E H.P. [Netherlands Energy Research Foundation (ECN), Petten (Netherlands); Hunterlaar, M E [Netherlands Energy Research Foundation (ECN), Petten (Netherlands)

1995-01-01

The assessment of the consequences of severe accidents in nuclear reactors involving molten core-concrete interactions (MCCls) requires estimates of the quantities and physicochemical forms of the radioactive species released from the melt into the cavity atmosphere. Such estimates in turn require a detailed knowledge of the complex chemical interactions which would occur between the fission products, fuel and the components of the core structural materials and the concrete. In recent years, effort has been put into the thermodynamic characterization of these processes. The results of such studies are important for predicting several aspects of MCCls, including: 1. The release of species by vaporization; 2. the extent of concrete penetration: a. The melt solidus and liquidus temperatures, which in turn affect the heat transfer processes and hence tile predictions of the melt temperature and the onset of solidification, b. the amounts of the solid and liquid phases and the respective compositions, which determines the viscosity of the melt, and c. the composition of the crust formed following the addition of water to quench the interaction. d. the distribution of fission products among metallic and oxidic phases. This SOAR is devoted to thermochemical calculations in the context of MCCI where most fission products and the metallic components of the melt are transferred into an oxidic form sooner or later. Calculations on fission product release from a molten pool without MCCI are underway in the source term project of the CEC-RCA. The following conditions have to be taken into account in order to be able to perform reliable thermodynamic calculations. (orig./HP).

Fission product release during MCCI. CEC nuclear safety program: MCCI project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cenerino, G.; Hunterlaar, M.E.

1995-01-01

The assessment of the consequences of severe accidents in nuclear reactors involving molten core-concrete interactions (MCCls) requires estimates of the quantities and physicochemical forms of the radioactive species released from the melt into the cavity atmosphere. Such estimates in turn require a detailed knowledge of the complex chemical interactions which would occur between the fission products, fuel and the components of the core structural materials and the concrete. In recent years, effort has been put into the thermodynamic characterization of these processes. The results of such studies are important for predicting several aspects of MCCls, including: 1. The release of species by vaporization; 2. the extent of concrete penetration: a. The melt solidus and liquidus temperatures, which in turn affect the heat transfer processes and hence tile predictions of the melt temperature and the onset of solidification, b. the amounts of the solid and liquid phases and the respective compositions, which determines the viscosity of the melt, and c. the composition of the crust formed following the addition of water to quench the interaction. d. the distribution of fission products among metallic and oxidic phases. This SOAR is devoted to thermochemical calculations in the context of MCCI where most fission products and the metallic components of the melt are transferred into an oxidic form sooner or later. Calculations on fission product release from a molten pool without MCCI are underway in the source term project of the CEC-RCA. The following conditions have to be taken into account in order to be able to perform reliable thermodynamic calculations. (orig./HP)

Nuclear fission: What have we learned in 50 years?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vandenbosch, R.

1989-01-01

Nuclear fission has captured the imagination of chemists and physicists for half a century now. There are several reasons for this. One of course is that it represents the most drastic rearrangement of nuclear matter known, challenged only recently by collisions induced by very heavy ions. Another is that both statistical and dynamical features come into play. Perhaps one of the most compelling reasons is its never-ending capacity to surprise us: asymmetric mass distributions, the sawtooth dependence of neutron yields in fragment mass, spontaneously fissioning isomers and intermediate structure resonances. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, fission is a rich laboratory within which one can explore the delicate interplay between the macroscopic aspects of bulk nuclear matter and the quantal effects of a finite number of Fermions. It will of course be impossible for me to cover all aspects of fission. I have chosen a limited number of topics to cover, with particular topics being chosen either because the have been associated with persistent puzzles in fission or because they have, or hopefully will, tell us something special about how nuclei behave. After a brief historical note, I organize these topics sequentially according to the various stages of the fission process, starting first with the probability for fission to occur and ending with scission phenomena. 56 refs., 11 figs

Design of containment system of nuclear fuel attacked by corrosion with leaking fission products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poblete Maturana, Tomas

2015-01-01

The following report presents the design of an innovative confinement system for the nuclear fuel attacked by corrosion, with leakage of fission products to be used in the RECH-1 nuclear experimental reactor of the Chilean Nuclear Energy Commission, is currently within the framework of the international nuclear waste management program developed by the member countries of the IAEA, including Chile. The main objective of this project is the development of a system that is capable of containing, in the smallest possible volume, the fission products that are released to the reactor coolant medium from the nuclear fuel that are attacked by corrosion. Among the tasks carried out for the development of the project are: the compilation of the necessary bibliography for the selection of the most suitable technology for the retention of the fission products, the calculation of the most important parameters to ensure that the system will operate within ranges that do not compromise the radiological safety, and the design of the hydraulic circuit of the system. The results obtained from the calculations showed that the fuel element confinement system is stable from a thermal point of view since the refrigerant does not under any circumstances reach the saturation temperature and, in addition, from a hydraulic point of view, since the rate at which the refrigerant flows through the hydraulic circuit is low enough so that the deformation of the fuel plates forming the nuclear fuel does not occur. The most appropriate technology for the extraction of fission products according to the literature consulted is by ion exchange. The calculations developed showed that with a very small volume of resins, it is possible to capture all of the non-volatile fission products of a nuclear fuel

Hybrid nuclear cycles for nuclear fission sustainability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piera, M.; Martinez-Val, M. M.

2007-01-01

Nuclear fission can play and must play an important role in paving the road to Energy Sustainability. Nuclear Fission does not produce CO 2 emissions, and it is already exploited at commercial level with the current NPP (Nuclear Power Plants). Most of them are based on LWR reactors, which have a very good safety record. It must be noted, however, that all LWR (including the advanced or evolutionary ones) have some drawbacks, particularly their very poor efficiency in exploiting the natural resources of nuclear fuels. In this paper, an analysis is presented on how to maximize the energy actually generated from the potential contents of fission natural resources. The role of fertile-to-fissile breeding is highlighted, as well as the need of attaining a very high safety performance in the reactors and other installations of the fuel cycle. The proposal presented in this paper is to use advanced and evolutionary LWR as energy producing reactors, and to use subcritical fast assemblies as breeders. The main result would be to increase by two orders of magnitude the percentage of energy effectively exploited from fission natural resources, while keeping a very high level of safety standards in the full fuel cycle. Breeders would not be intended for energy production, so that safety standards could rely on very low values of the thermal magnitudes, so allowing for very large safety margins for emergency cooling. Similarly, subcriticality would offer a very large margin for not to reach prompt criticality in any event. The main drawback of this proposal is that a sizeable fraction of the energy generated in the cycle (about 1/3, maybe a little more) would not be useful for the thermodynamic cycle to produce electricity. Besides that, a fraction of the generated electricity, between 5 and 10 %, would have to be recirculated to feed the accelerator activating the neutron source. Even so, the overall result would be very positive, because more than 50 % of the natural

Measurement of Fission Product Yields from Fast-Neutron Fission

Science.gov (United States)

Arnold, C. W.; Bond, E. M.; Bredeweg, T. A.; Fowler, M. M.; Moody, W. A.; Rusev, G.; Vieira, D. J.; Wilhelmy, J. B.; Becker, J. A.; Henderson, R.; Kenneally, J.; Macri, R.; McNabb, D.; Ryan, C.; Sheets, S.; Stoyer, M. A.; Tonchev, A. P.; Bhatia, C.; Bhike, M.; Fallin, B.; Gooden, M. E.; Howell, C. R.; Kelley, J. H.; Tornow, W.

2014-09-01

One of the aims of the Stockpile Stewardship Program is a reduction of the uncertainties on fission data used for analyzing nuclear test data [1,2]. Fission products such as 147Nd are convenient for determining fission yields because of their relatively high yield per fission (about 2%) and long half-life (10.98 days). A scientific program for measuring fission product yields from 235U,238U and 239Pu targets as a function of bombarding neutron energy (0.1 to 15 MeV) is currently underway using monoenergetic neutron beams produced at the 10 MV Tandem Accelerator at TUNL. Dual-fission chambers are used to determine the rate of fission in targets during activation. Activated targets are counted in highly shielded HPGe detectors over a period of several weeks to identify decaying fission products. To date, data have been collected at neutron bombarding energies 4.6, 9.0, 14.5 and 14.8 MeV. Experimental methods and data reduction techniques are discussed, and some preliminary results are presented.

Comparative evaluation of solar, fission, fusion, and fossil energy resources. Part 2: Power from nuclear fission

Science.gov (United States)

Clement, J. D.

1973-01-01

Different types of nuclear fission reactors and fissionable materials are compared. Special emphasis is placed upon the environmental impact of such reactors. Graphs and charts comparing reactor facilities in the U. S. are presented.

Influence of the bud neck on nuclear envelope fission in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Science.gov (United States)

Melloy, Patricia G; Rose, Mark D

2017-09-15

Studies have shown that nuclear envelope fission (karyokinesis) in budding yeast depends on cytokinesis, but not distinguished whether this was a direct requirement, indirect, because of cell cycle arrest, or due to bud neck-localized proteins impacting both processes. To determine the requirements for karyokinesis, we examined mutants conditionally defective for bud emergence and/or nuclear migration. The common mutant phenotype was completion of the nuclear division cycle within the mother cell, but karyokinesis did not occur. In the cdc24 swe1 mutant, at the non-permissive temperature, multiple nuclei accumulated within the unbudded cell, with connected nuclear envelopes. Upon return to the permissive temperature, the cdc24 swe1 mutant initiated bud emergence, but only the nucleus spanning the neck underwent fission suggesting that the bud neck region is important for fission initiation. The neck may be critical for either mechanical reasons, as the contractile ring might facilitate fission, or for regulatory reasons, as the site of a protein network regulating nuclear envelope fission, mitotic exit, and cytokinesis. We also found that 77-85% of pairs of septin mutant nuclei completed nuclear envelope fission. In addition, 27% of myo1Δ mutant nuclei completed karyokinesis. These data suggested that fission is not dependent on mechanical contraction at the bud neck, but was instead controlled by regulatory proteins there. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Compilation and evaluation of fission yield nuclear data. Final report of a co-ordinated research project 1991-1996

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-12-01

Fission product yields are required at several stages of the nuclear fuel cycle and are therefore included in all large international data files for reactor calculations and related applications. Such files are maintained and disseminated by the Nuclear Data Section of the IAEA as a member of an international data centres network. Users of these data are from the fields of reactor design and operation, waste management and nuclear materials safeguards, all of which are essential parts of the IAEA programme. In the 1980s, the number of measured fission yields increased so drastically that the manpower available for evaluating them to meet specific user needs was insufficient. To cope with this task, it was concluded in several meetings on fission product nuclear data, some of them convened by the IAEA, that international co-operation was required, and an IAEA co-ordinated research project (CRP) was recommended. This recommendation was endorsed by the International Nuclear Data Committee, an advisory body for the nuclear data programme of the IAEA. As a consequence, the CRP on the Compilation and Evaluation of Fission Yield Nuclear Data was initiated in 1991, after its scope, objectives and tasks had been defined by a preparatory meeting. The different tasks, such as special evaluations and development of improved methods, were distributed among participants. The results of the research work were discussed and approved by all participants in research co-ordination meetings. For a successful development of theoretical and empirical models, experiments had to be recommended and their results to be awaited, which made necessary an extension of the CRP by two years. This TECDOC is the result of a joint effort of all participants in this CRP. The individual sections represent CRP tasks and were prepared by the participants responsible for doing the research, some of which comprise significant new scientific developments. The appendices to this book contain voluminous

Source driven breeding fission power reactors and the nuclear energy strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greenspan, E.

The nuclear energy economy is facing severe difficulties associated with low utilization of uranium resources, safety, non-proliferation and environmental issues. Energy policy makers face the dilemma: commercialize LMFBRs immediately with the risk of negative economical, proliferation or other consequences, or continue with R and D programs that will provide the information needed for sounder decisions, but now taking the risk of running out of economically exploitable uranium ore resources. The development of hybrid reactors can provide an assurance against the latter risk and offers many interesting new options for the nuclear energy strategy. Being based on the technology of LWRs and HWRs, Light Water Hybrid Reactors (LWHR) provide a most natural link between the fission reactor technology of the present and the fusion power technology of the future. The investment in their development in excess of that required for the development of fusion power reactors is expected to be relatively small, thus making the development of LWHRs potentially a high benefit-to-cost ratio program. It is recommended that the fission and fusion communities will cooperate in hybrids R and D programs aimed at assessing the technological and economical viability of hybrid reactors as reliably and soon as possible. (author)

IAEA CRP on Fission Yield Data and activity of WG in Japanese Nuclear Data Committee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katakura, Junichi; Fukahori, Tokio

1999-01-01

The outline of the coordinate research program on fission yield data organized by International Atomic Energy Agency and the working group on the subject newly organized in Japanese Nuclear Data Committee are presented. (author)

60 years controlled nuclear fission: CP-1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2002-01-01

On December 2, 1942, the Chicago Pile 1 (CP-1) went critical for the first time. In this way, the scientists and engineers involved in the project under the leadership of Enrico Fermi succeeded in demonstrating that a self-sustaining nuclear reaction with nuclear fission processes was technically feasible. Only four years after the discovery and proof of nuclear fission by Otto Hahn, Fritz Strassmann, and Lise Meitner, the experiment consisting of graphite blocks as the moderator and uranium dioxide pellets as the fuel, as well as instrumentation and control devices, had been set up in the former squash court of the field and track stadium of the University of Chicago. Precisely at 3.36 a.m. Chicago time, after control rods had been withdrawn, the instruments showed the chain reaction by the neutron flux they indicated. An important cornerstone in the use of nuclear power had thus been laid. (orig.)

Dynamics of nuclear fission and heavy-ion reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nix, J.R.; Sierk, A.J.

1979-01-01

Large-amplitude collective motion in fission and heavy-ion reactions is studied by solving classical equations of motion for the time evolution of the nuclear shape. In the nuclear potential energy of deformation, the generalized surface energy was calculated by means of a double volume integral of a Yukawa-plus-exponential function, which was obtained by requiring that two semi-infinite slabs of constant-density nuclear matter have minimum energy at zero separation. The collective kinetic energy is calculated for nuclear flow that is a superposition of incompressible, nearly irrotational collective-shape motion and rigid-body rotation. Nuclear dissipation is included by means of the Rayleigh dissipation function, which depends upon the physical mechanism that converts collective energy into internal energy. For both ordinary two-body viscosity and a combined wall and window one-body dissipation, fission-fragment kinetic energies are calculated for the fission of nuclei throughout the periodic table and compare with experimental results. Finally, the one-body dynamics of nucleons inside a cylinder colliding with a moving piston is explicitly studied by solving exactly the collisionless Boltzmann equation for the distribution function. By examining the relative phases of the pressure at the piston and the piston's velocity, a dissipative force and an elastic restoring force can be separately identified. 9 references

Seventy-five years of nuclear fission

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

technology can play such a vital role in a nation's development subsequently motivated ... fragments with a broad mass distribution is a unique nuclear phenomenon ... low energy and spontaneous fission of actinide nuclei and how these ...

Dynamical features of nuclear fission

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Wheeler underestimates several observables in heavy-ion-induced ... excitation energies, there may not be sufficient nuclei near the fission barrier after the .... Dissipation in nuclear dynamics in the mean-field regime accounts for the coupling of the .... barrier for different isotopes of Fr. The lines are drawn to guide the eye.

Dynamical chaos and induced nuclear fission

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bolotin, Yu L; Krivoshej, I V

1985-01-01

It is shown that the exponential instability of trajectories, which arises at negative curvature of the potential energy surface, leads to diffusion of the image point through the barrier and determines real time delays in induced nuclear fission.

Hyperfission - a new mode of nuclear fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ion, D.B.; Ivascu, M.; Ion-Mihai, R.

1988-02-01

In this paper the nuclear hyperfission as a new mode of fission, possible for heavy elements with Z > 92, is investigated. The Q-systematics, hyperfissibility parameters, hyperfission barrier as well as the essential hindrance factors are presented. The hyperfission hindrance factor relative to that of fission is found to be in the interval 1.0x10 -17 - 3.4x10 -16 for the parent nuclei with Z = 92-108. (orig.)

Nuclear Dissipation from Fission Time

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gontchar, I.; Morjean, M.; Basnary, S.

2000-01-01

Fission times, pre-scission neutron multiplicities and GDR pre-scission γ-ray multiplicities measured for uranium or thorium nuclei formed with temperatures T ∼ 1.8 MeV have been compared with calculations performed with CDSM2, a two-dimensional dynamical model combined with a statistical one. Among the three experimental approaches considered, fission times give access to the most precise pieces of information on nuclear dissipation at high excitation energy. For the temperature range under consideration, an agreement between the model and data is achieved if one-body dissipation is used with a strength factor k red ∼ 0.45 ± 0.10 applied to the wall term for the mononuclear configuration. (authors)

Nuclear structure in cold rearrangement processes in fission and fusion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Armbruster, P.

1998-11-01

In fission and fusion of heavy nuclei large numbers of nucleons are rearranged at a scale of excitation energy very small compared to the binding energy of the nuclei. The energies involved are less than 40 MeV at nuclear temperatures below 1.5 MeV. The shapes of the configurations in the rearrangement of a binary system into a monosystem in fusion, or vice versa in fission, change their elongations by as much as 8 fm, the radius of the monosystem. The dynamics of the reactions macroscopically described by a potential energy surface, inertia parameters, dissipation, and a collision energy is strongly modified by the nuclear structure of the participating nuclei. Experiments showing nuclear structure effects in fusion and fission of the heaviest nuclei are reviewed. The reaction kinematics and the multitude of isotopes involved are investigated by detector techniques and by recoil spectrometers. The advancement of the latter allows to find very small reaction branches in the range of 10{sup -5} to 10{sup -10}. The experiments reveal nuclear structure effects in all stages of the rearrangement processes. These are discussed pointing to analogies in fusion and fission on the microscopic scale, notwithstanding that both processes macroscopically are irreversible. Heavy clusters, as 132Sn, 208Pb, nuclei with closed shell configurations N=82,126, Z=50,82 survive in large parts of the nuclear rearrangement. They determine the asymmetry in the mass distribution of low energy fission, and they allow to synthesise superheavy elements, until now up to element 112. Experiments on the cold rearrangement in fission and fusion are presented. Here, in the range of excitation energies below 12 MeV the phenomena are observed most convincingly. (orig.)

Advantages of Production of New Fissionable Nuclides for the Nuclear Power Industry in Hybrid Fusion-Fission Reactors

Science.gov (United States)

Tsibulskiy, V. F.; Andrianova, E. A.; Davidenko, V. D.; Rodionova, E. V.; Tsibulskiy, S. V.

2017-12-01

A concept of a large-scale nuclear power engineering system equipped with fusion and fission reactors is presented. The reactors have a joint fuel cycle, which imposes the lowest risk of the radiation impact on the environment. The formation of such a system is considered within the framework of the evolution of the current nuclear power industry with the dominance of thermal reactors, gradual transition to the thorium fuel cycle, and integration into the system of the hybrid fusion-fission reactors for breeding nuclear fuel for fission reactors. Such evolution of the nuclear power engineering system will allow preservation of the existing structure with the dominance of thermal reactors, enable the reprocessing of the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) with low burnup, and prevent the dangerous accumulation of minor actinides. The proposed structure of the nuclear power engineering system minimizes the risk of radioactive contamination of the environment and the SNF reprocessing facilities, decreasing it by more than one order of magnitude in comparison with the proposed scheme of closing the uranium-plutonium fuel cycle based on the reprocessing of SNF with high burnup from fast reactors.

Insights into nuclear structure and the fission process from spontaneous fission

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hamilton, J.H.; Butler-Moore, K.; Ramayya, A.V. [Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, TN (United States)] [and others

1993-12-31

The {gamma}-rays emitted following spontaneous and induced fission are rich sources of information about the structure of neutron-rich nuclei and about the fission process itself. The study of spontaneous fissioning isotopes with large Ge detector arrays are providing a wealth of such information as seen, for example, in recent reports. In this paper we present some of our most recent results on nuclear structure studies and conclusions on the fission process itself. In our work, we have employed in spontaneous fission, a triple gamma coincidence study for the first time and a high resolution, X-ray detector-{gamma}-coincidence study. These data provide powerful ways of separating the gamma rays which belong to a particular nucleus. The triple coincidence technique was used to uniquely identify the levels in {sup 136}Te and higher spin states in its N=84 isotones, {sup 138}Xe and {sup 140}Ba{sup 171}. Some other examples of the level structures observed in the low and high mass partners are presented, including a detailed analysis of the backbending of the moment of inertia in {sup 112,114,116}Pd. Finally, we present the first examples of how our analysis allows one to extract a detailed picture of the dependence of the angular momentum on the mass and atomic numbers of the fission fragments and of the long-sought neutron multiplicity distribution from zero-n to ten-n as a function of the charge and mass asymmetry.

Theoretical Description of the Fission Process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nazarewicz, Witold

2009-01-01

Advanced theoretical methods and high-performance computers may finally unlock the secrets of nuclear fission, a fundamental nuclear decay that is of great relevance to society. In this work, we studied the phenomenon of spontaneous fission using the symmetry-unrestricted nuclear density functional theory (DFT). Our results show that many observed properties of fissioning nuclei can be explained in terms of pathways in multidimensional collective space corresponding to different geometries of fission products. From the calculated collective potential and collective mass, we estimated spontaneous fission half-lives, and good agreement with experimental data was found. We also predicted a new phenomenon of trimodal spontaneous fission for some transfermium isotopes. Our calculations demonstrate that fission barriers of excited superheavy nuclei vary rapidly with particle number, pointing to the importance of shell effects even at large excitation energies. The results are consistent with recent experiments where superheavy elements were created by bombarding an actinide target with 48-calcium; yet even at high excitation energies, sizable fission barriers remained. Not only does this reveal clues about the conditions for creating new elements, it also provides a wider context for understanding other types of fission. Understanding of the fission process is crucial for many areas of science and technology. Fission governs existence of many transuranium elements, including the predicted long-lived superheavy species. In nuclear astrophysics, fission influences the formation of heavy elements on the final stages of the r-process in a very high neutron density environment. Fission applications are numerous. Improved understanding of the fission process will enable scientists to enhance the safety and reliability of the nation's nuclear stockpile and nuclear reactors. The deployment of a fleet of safe and efficient advanced reactors, which will also minimize radiotoxic

Nuclear fission with inertial confinement

CERN Document Server

Koshkarev, D G

2002-01-01

The possibility of initiating the explosive fission reaction in a small quantity of fissile material through the heavy ions beam from the powerful accelerator-driver, developed for realization of the thermonuclear synthesis in the deuterium-tritium cylindrical targets with the direct ignition, is considered. The consequences of applying this method in the nuclear engineering are discussed

Characteristic relation for the mass and energy distribution of the nuclear fission products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexandru, G.

1977-01-01

The dispersion relation for nuclear fission is written in the two part fragmentation approach which allows to obtain the characteristic relation for the mass and energy distribution of the nuclear fission products. One explains the resonance approximation in the mass distribution of the fission products taking into account the high order resonances too. (author)

A brief history of the ''Delayed'' discovery of nuclear fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holden, N.E.

1989-08-01

This year marks the Fiftieth Anniversary of the discovery of Nuclear Fission. In the early 1930's, the neutron was discovered, followed by the discovery of artificial radioactivity and then the use of the neutron to produce artificial radioactivity. The first experiments resulting in the fission of uranium took place in 1934. A paper which speculated on fission as an explanation was almost immediately published, yet no one took it seriously not even the author herself. Why did it take an additional five years before anyone realized what had occurred? This is an abnormally long time in a period when discoveries, particularly in nuclear physics, seemed to be almost a daily occurrence. The events which led up to the discovery are recounted, with an attempt made to put them into their historical perspective. The role played by Mendeleev's Periodic Table, the role of the natural radioactive decay chain of uranium, the discovery of protactinium, the apparent discovery of masurium (technetium) and a speculation on the reason why Irene Curie may have missed the discovery of nuclear fission will all be discussed. 43 refs

R and D in Ciemat Nuclear Fission Department

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diaz, J. L.; Diaz Arocas, P.; Gomez Briceno, D.; Gonzalez de la Huebra Gordo, A.; Gonzalez Romero, E.; Herranz Puebla, L. E.; Sola Farre, R.

2000-01-01

The technologically developed countries count on nuclear fission as a durable energy resource to produce electricity, facing the future by establishing research programmes to enhance the safety and extend the lifetime of the current power plants and to achieve the adequate management of radioactive waste. At the same time, the progress in the development of a new generation of reactors based in innovative safety concepts. The Nuclear fission Department has the ultimate objective of providing technical support to the Spanish nuclear reactors through applied research and development focused on improving the safety and performance of the operating power plants, and cooperating in the activities related to radioactive waste. In this context, the Departament has been organised in four R and D project covering the areas of Safety, Materials, Radioactive. (Author)

Exclusion of nuclear forces in heavy-ion Coulomb excitation and Coulomb fission experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neese, R.E.; Guidry, M.W.

1982-01-01

A simple prescription for estimating the energy at which nuclear forces begin to play a role in heavy-ion Coulomb excitation and Coulomb fission experiments is presented. The method differs from most commonly used recipes in accounting for projectile and target nucleus deformation effects. Using a single adjustable parameter the formula reproduces the energy for the onset of Coulomb-nuclear interference effects for a broad range of heavy-ion systems. It is suggested that most Coulomb fission experiments which have been done involve both Coulomb and nuclear excitation processes and should more properly be termed Coulomb-nuclear fission experiments

Fission yeast cells undergo nuclear division in the absence of spindle microtubules.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefania Castagnetti

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Mitosis in eukaryotic cells employs spindle microtubules to drive accurate chromosome segregation at cell division. Cells lacking spindle microtubules arrest in mitosis due to a spindle checkpoint that delays mitotic progression until all chromosomes have achieved stable bipolar attachment to spindle microtubules. In fission yeast, mitosis occurs within an intact nuclear membrane with the mitotic spindle elongating between the spindle pole bodies. We show here that in fission yeast interference with mitotic spindle formation delays mitosis only briefly and cells proceed to an unusual nuclear division process we term nuclear fission, during which cells perform some chromosome segregation and efficiently enter S-phase of the next cell cycle. Nuclear fission is blocked if spindle pole body maturation or sister chromatid separation cannot take place or if actin polymerization is inhibited. We suggest that this process exhibits vestiges of a primitive nuclear division process independent of spindle microtubules, possibly reflecting an evolutionary intermediate state between bacterial and Archeal chromosome segregation where the nucleoid divides without a spindle and a microtubule spindle-based eukaryotic mitosis.

Strengthening the fission reactor nuclear science and engineering program at UCLA. Final technical report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okrent, D.

1997-01-01

This is the final report on DOE Award No. DE-FG03-92ER75838 A000, a three year matching grant program with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG and E) to support strengthening of the fission reactor nuclear science and engineering program at UCLA. The program began on September 30, 1992. The program has enabled UCLA to use its strong existing background to train students in technological problems which simultaneously are of interest to the industry and of specific interest to PG and E. The program included undergraduate scholarships, graduate traineeships and distinguished lecturers. Four topics were selected for research the first year, with the benefit of active collaboration with personnel from PG and E. These topics remained the same during the second year of this program. During the third year, two topics ended with the departure o the students involved (reflux cooling in a PWR during a shutdown and erosion/corrosion of carbon steel piping). Two new topics (long-term risk and fuel relocation within the reactor vessel) were added; hence, the topics during the third year award were the following: reflux condensation and the effect of non-condensable gases; erosion/corrosion of carbon steel piping; use of artificial intelligence in severe accident diagnosis for PWRs (diagnosis of plant status during a PWR station blackout scenario); the influence on risk of organization and management quality; considerations of long term risk from the disposal of hazardous wastes; and a probabilistic treatment of fuel motion and fuel relocation within the reactor vessel during a severe core damage accident

Nuclear data in the problem of fission reactor decommissioning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manokhin, V.N.; Kulagin, N.T.

1993-01-01

This report presents a review of the works published in Russia during last several years and devoted to the problem of nuclear data and calculations of nuclear facilities activation for fission reactor decommissioning. 6 refs

Separation of fission strontium from nuclear fuels by ammonium molybdatophosphate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hermann, A.

1984-01-01

The separation of fission strontium from solutions of prolonged cooled nuclear fuel has been performed using ammoniummolybdatophosphate (AMP) columns. The sorption mechanism of bivalent ions of AMP has been investigated by column and batch experiments. A pure ion exchange of Sr 2+ for two H + or NH 4 + ions has been established. Conditions for the sepasorption and elution of fission strontium and other fission products on AMP columns are described. (author)

Determination of the fission coefficients in thermal nuclear reactors for antineutrino detection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Araujo, Lenilson M. [Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-Graduacao de Engenharia (PEN/COPPE/UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Programa de Engenharia Nuclear; Cabral, Ronaldo G., E-mail: rgcabral@ime.eb.b [Instituto Militar de Engenharia (IME), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Anjos, Joao C.C. dos, E-mail: janjos@cbpf.b [Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas (CBPF), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Dept. GLN - G

2011-07-01

The nuclear reactors in operation periodically need to change their fuel. It is during this process that these reactors are more vulnerable to occurring of several situations of fuel diversion, thus the monitoring of the nuclear installations is indispensable to avoid events of this nature. Considering this fact, the most promissory technique to be used for the nuclear safeguard for the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, it is based on the detection and spectroscopy of antineutrino from fissions that occur in the nuclear reactors. The detection and spectroscopy of antineutrino, they both depend on the single contribution for the total number of fission of each actinide in the core reactor, these contributions receive the name of fission coefficients. The goal of this research is to show the computational and mathematical modeling used to determinate these coefficients for PWR reactors. (author)

Geology behind nuclear fission technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dhana Raju, R.

2005-01-01

Geology appears to have played an important role of a precursor to Nuclear Fission Technology (NFT), in the latter's both birth from the nucleus of an atom of and most important application as nuclear power extracted from Uranium (U), present in its minerals. NFT critically depends upon the availability of its basic raw material, viz., nuclear fuel as U and/ or Th, extracted from U-Th minerals of specific rock types in the earth's crust. Research and Development of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle (NFC) depends heavily on 'Geology'. In this paper, a brief review of the major branches of geology and their contributions during different stages of NFC, in the Indian scenario, is presented so as to demonstrate the important role played by 'Geology' behind the development of NFT, in general, and NFC, in particular. (author)

Tables and figures from JNDC Nuclear Data Library of fission products, version 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ihara, Hitoshi

1989-11-01

The content of JNDC (Japanese Nuclear Data Committee) FP (Fission Product) Nuclear Data Library version 2 for 1227 fission products is presented in the form of tables and figures. The library is inclusive of evaluated decay data such as decay constant, Q-value, average energies of beta, gamma and internal conversion electron, spin-parity, branching ratio of each decay mode and fission yield. The neutron capture cross-sections are also contained for 166 nuclides. The mass number of the fission product nuclides ranges from A = 66 to A = 172. (author)

Discovery of nuclear fission in Berlin 1938

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hilscher, D.

1989-01-01

The story of the discovery of nuclear fission, one of the most exciting stories of how a scientific puzzle was finally solved and how the scientists involved were blind to many obvious indications, is described. (author). 29 refs

Low-energy nuclear fission and our understanding of the nucleus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hall, H.L.; Hoffman, D.C.

1990-01-01

The interactions between experimental discoveries in low-energy nuclear fission and the theoretical understanding of the structure of the nucleus are reviewed. The history of this synergistic relationship begins with the discovery of fission, the development of the liquid-drop model and the experimental evidence for magic numbers, continues through the development of the shell model, the experimental discovery of shape isomerism, the double-humped fission barrier the spontaneous fission half-life disaster, the discovery of symmetric mass division in spontaneous fission and theoretical treatments based on different paths to scission. It concludes with a brief review of current experimental and theoretical understanding of low-energy fission and the prospects for future developments. (author) 150 refs.; 5 figs.; 1 tab

Comparative energetics of three fusion-fission symbiotic nuclear reactor systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gordon, C.W.; Harms, A.A.

1975-01-01

The energetics of three symbiotic fusion-fission nuclear reactor concepts are investigated. The fuel and power balances are considered for various values of systems parameters. The results from this analysis suggest that symbiotic fusion-fission systems are advantageous from the standpoint of economy and resource utilization. (Auth.)

Influence of nuclear dissipation on fission dynamics of the excited ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

A stochastic approach to fission dynamics based on two-dimensional Langevin equations was applied to calculate the anisotropy of the fission fragments angular distribution and average pre-scission neutron multiplicities for the compound nucleus 248Cf formed in the $${16}$O+$^{232}$Th reactions. Postsaddle nuclear ...

Mechanism of nuclear dissipation in fission and heavy-ion reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nix, J.R.; Sierk, A.J.

1986-01-01

Recent advances in the theoretical understanding of nuclear dissipation at intermediate excitation energies are reviewed, with particular emphasis on a new surface-plus-window mechanism that involves interactions of either one or two nucleons with the moving nuclear surface and also, for dumbbell-like shapes encountered in fission and heavy-ion reactions, the transfer of nucleons through the window separating the two portions of the system. This novel dissipation mechanism provides a unified macroscopic description of such diverse phenomena as widths of isoscalar giant quadrupole and giant octupole resonances, mean fission-fragment kinetic energies and excitation energies, dynamical thresholds for compound-nucleus formation, enhancement in neutron emission prior to fission, and widths of mass and charge distributions in deep-inelastic heavy-ion reactions. 41 refs., 8 figs

Proceedings of the specialists' meeting on interdisciplinary approach to nuclear fission 1998

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakagome, Yoshihiro

1999-02-01

One of the prominent features of nuclear fission phenomena distinguished from other reactions consists in its many-facet nature. This includes interesting problems in nuclear physics like stability and properties of transactinide and superheavy nuclei, macroscopic and microscopic effects in large-amplitude deformation process, partition of mass and energy at scission, formation of neutron-rich nuclei, neutron- and gamma-ray emission from highly excited states and so on. These aspects are intriguing not only from scientific point of view but also from technological one, because knowledge and understanding of the essential features of the phenomena forms the basis of application of nuclear energy. Physicists expect to obtain a deeper insight into fundamental problems in subjects such as relation between fission process and fusion of heavy-ions, statistical and dynamical processes in nuclear reactions, level structure and decay modes of highly-excited nuclei. On the other hand, there are still continued requests from scientists in nuclear engineering for more accurate data for transuranium nuclei and fission products, as well as for fundamental constants, like fission cross sections, multiplicity and spectra of prompt and delayed neutrons, and other physical quantities that are important in reactor physics. Studies on properties of neutron-rich nuclei are conducted under double interests: one from nucleosynthesis in the universe, another from nuclear incineration of fission products. We considered that these many-facet nature of the fission phenomena should be the central idea of the Specialists' Meeting itself. This implies that we intended to devise a common place where people from different fields encounter, discuss together, exchange ideas and hopefully find good suggestions for pursuing further studies. We are sure that such a meeting, really rare and unique in academic communities in our country, should serve to vitalize research activities relevant to fission

Safety device for nuclear fission reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brownlee, M.L.

1982-01-01

A plurality of radially arranged and neutron absorbing baffles are stacked in vertical sets under the fuel core assemblies, and the whole enclosed in a bottle shaped containment vessel. The radially arranged baffles of each set extend vertically, and each set has double the number of baffles as the set above it in the stack. A melt-down of a fuel core assembly drops the fissioning nuclear fuel into the stacked sets of baffles, there, as it passes through, to be progressively divided, redivided and dispersed in smaller and smaller masses between the doubling number of baffles in safe fuel pellet size. Neutron absorbing containment prevents contamination of the environment and together with cooling means stops fissioning of fuel

Nuclear data for neutron emission in the fission process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ganesan, S.

1991-11-01

This document contains the proceedings of the IAEA Consultants' Meeting on Nuclear Data for Neutron Emission in the Fission Process, Vienna, 22 - 24 October 1990. Included are the conclusions and recommendations reached at the meeting and the papers presented by the meeting participants. These papers provide a review of the status of experimental and theoretical data on neutron emission in spontaneous and neutron induced fission with reference to the data needs for reactor applications oriented towards actinide burner studies. The specific topics covered are the following: experimental measurements and theoretical predictions and evaluations of fission neutron energy spectra, average prompt fission neutron multiplicity, correlation in neutron emission from complementary fragments, neutron emission during acceleration of fission fragments, statistical properties of neutron rich nuclei by study of emission spectra of neutrons from the excited fission fragments, integral qualification of nu-bar for the major fissile isotopes, nu-bar total of 239 Pu and 235 U, and related problems. Refs figs and tabs

Nuclear fission, chain reaction and criticality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reuss, Paul

2016-01-01

Criticality is, notably for nuclear reactors, the status which separates the case of a fission chain reaction which inexorably decays, from that of a reaction which grows faster and faster until a counter-reaction occurs. If this status is an objective in nuclear reactors, it must not be reached or exceeded in any case in other types of installations in which fissile materials are handled (fabrication, transports, nuclear fuel processing). The author proposes an insight into this notion of criticality, discusses elements of neutron science which allow the multiplication factor to be assessed, analyses accidental scenarios which may happen, and presents associated experiments and computation codes

Thirty years of nuclear fission in Yugoslavia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pesic, M; Stefanovic, D [Boris Kidric Institute of Nuclear Sciences VINCA, Belgrade (Yugoslavia)

1989-07-01

Experimental nuclear reactor 'RB' in Boris Kidric Institute in Vinca is the first nuclear facility built in Yugoslavia in which the first Yugoslav controlled nuclear fission was achieved thirty years ago on April 26, 1958. Designed by Yugoslav scientist as a bare, natural uranium-heavy water critical assembly, the 'RB' reactor has survived a series of modifications trying to follow directions of contemporary nuclear research. The actual 'RB' reactor technical characteristics and experimental possibilities are described. The modifications are underlined, the experience gained and plans for future are presented. A brief review of reactor operation and experiments performed is shown. (author)

Some aspects of the nuclear fission process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Netter, F.

1961-01-01

In the following report one can find first a short general view on the present situation of our knowledge concerning the nuclear fission process, namely on the nucleus going through the saddle-point. Then there are some aspects connected with the excitation energy of the fissioning nucleus. The measurements made at Saclay on the fast neutron fission cross-section of U 233 , U 235 , Pu 239 , U 238 are described at the beginning of this work. It appears that for U 233 there is some characteristic shape modulation of the cross-section curve, in relation with the collective excited state of the deformed nucleus at the saddle-point. Good evidence of this is also given by the study of the relative fission rate with emission of long-range particles; it appears also that this ternary fission rate does not change substantially for neutron between thermal energy and 2 MeV, but that is very lower for the compound nucleus U 239 than for even-even compound nuclei. At the end there are some experiments on the strong 4,5 MeV gamma-ray originated by slow neutron absorption in U 235 . Time-of-flight device is used to establish that this 4,5 MeV gamma-ray seems mostly connected with radiative capture. (author) [fr

Journey from discovery of nuclear fission to accelerator-driven sub-critical reactor systems (ADS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kapoor, S.S.

2005-01-01

The epoch making discovery of nuclear fission in 1939, which resulted purely from the curiosity driven basic research to understand the atomic and nuclear structure has changed the world forever with the onset of a new era in the history of human civilization. The basic nuclear physics research pursued after the discovery of fission has also been of much relevance in the harnessing of nuclear energy. In the recent years, there is considerable interest towards developing accelerator driven sub-critical reactor systems (ADS) for the incineration of the long-lived spent fuel radioactive waste and for the utilization of thorium fuel for nuclear power generation. In this talk, we discuss important milestones in the journey from discovery of nuclear fission to ADS. (author)

Studies on the reaction mechanism of the muon induced nuclear fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mutius, R. von.

1985-01-01

The mass and energy distribution of the fission fragments after muon induced nuclear fission allows the determination of the mean excitation energy of the fissioning nucleus after muon capture. By the systematic comparison with a mass distribution of a corresponding reaction for the first time for this an accuracy of about 1 MeV could be reached. Theoretical calculations on the excitation probability in the muon capture allow in connection with the fission probability an estimating calculation of this energy. The experimental result represents by this a test criterium for the valuation of the theoretical calculation. The measured probabilities for the occurrence of radiationless transitions in the muonic γ cascade of 237 Np permit an indirect experimental determination of the barrier enhancement which causes the muon present during the fission process. The value found for this extends to 0.75+-0.1 MeV. A change of the mass distribution by the muon cannot be detected in the nuclides 235 U, 237 Np, and 242 Pu studied here. Only the mean total kinetic energy of the fission products is reduced in these three nuclides in the prompt μ - induced fission by 1 to 2 MeV. For this result the incomplete screening of the nuclear charge during the fission process is made responsible. A mass dependence of this reduction has not been stated. Because the muon has appearently no influence on the mass splitting it can be valied as nearly ideal particle in order to study the hitherto little studied dynamics of the fission process. (orig.) [de

The discovery of nuclear fission and the responsibility of the scientist

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Staab, H.A.

1989-01-01

The history of the discovery of nuclear fission is placed in historical context and the responsibility of the scientists involved for the subsequent military uses is discussed. It is explained that the deep things in science are not found because they are useful; they are found because it is possible to find them. If Otto Hahn and his co-workers had not discovered nuclear fission someone else in the late 1930s or early 1940s would have done so. It was decisions outside science which set the course for the nuclear fission research once the basic principle had been understood. The question how far does the scientists responsibility extend for unknown and unintended consequences of research and for misuses of his findings by others is discussed. Scientists have a duty to understand the applications of their work and to warn of misuse or hazards, as did Otto Hahn. (UK)

Otto Hahn (1944). Discovery of nuclear fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

Otto Hahn (Frankfurt-on-Main, 1879-Gotinga, 1968) is the discoverer of nuclear fission, which awarded him the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1944. After leaving Germany during the Second World War to settle in the United Kingdom, he returned to this country as a renown figure

Otto Hahn (1944). Discovery of nuclear fission

CERN Document Server

Hahn, Otto

2003-01-01

Otto Hahn (Frankfurt-on-Main, 1879-Gotinga, 1968) is the discoverer of nuclear fission, which awarded him the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1944. After leaving Germany during the Second World War to settle in the United Kingdom, he returned to this country as a renown figure.

Fission and nuclear fragmentation of silver and bromine nuclei by photons of 1-6 GeV

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinheiro Filho, J.D.

1983-01-01

The studies of fission and fragmentation of silver and bromine nuclei by Bremsstrahlung photons of 1.6 GeV energy range are presented. The Il ford-KO nuclear emulsion submitted to Bremsstrahlung beams in Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron (DESY) with total doses of 10'' equivalent photons, was used for nuclear fragment detection. The discrimination of fission and fragmentation events was done analysing angular distribution, range and angles between fragments. The results of fragment range distributions, angular distributions, distributions of angles between fragments, distributions of ratio between range, velocity distributions forward/backward ratio, cross sections of fission and fragmentation, nuclear fissionability and ternary fission frequency are presented and discussed. (M.C.K.)

Nuclear data requirements for fission reactor neutronics calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finck, P.

1998-01-01

The paper discusses current European nuclear data measurement and evaluation requirements for fission reactor technology applications and problems involved in meeting the requirements. Reference is made to the NEA High Priority Nuclear Data Request List and to the production of the new JEFF-3 library of evaluated nuclear data. There are requirements for both differential (or basic) nuclear data measurements and for different types of integral measurement critical facility measurements and isotopic sample irradiation measurements. Cross-section adjustment procedures are being used to take into account the simpler types of integral measurement, and to define accuracy needs for evaluated nuclear data

Legal and Regulatroy Obstacles to Nuclear Fission Technology in Space

Science.gov (United States)

Force, Melissa K.

2013-09-01

In forecasting the prospective use of small nuclear reactors for spacecraft and space-based power stations, the U.S. Air Force describes space as "the ultimate high ground," providing access to every part of the globe. But is it? A report titled "Energy Horizons: United States Air Force Energy Science &Technology Vision 2011-2026," focuses on core Air Force missions in space energy generation, operations and propulsion and recognizes that investments into small modular nuclear fission reactors can be leveraged for space-based systems. However, the report mentions, as an aside, that "potential catastrophic outcomes" are an element to be weighed and provides no insight into the monumental political and legal will required to overcome the mere stigma of nuclear energy, even when referring only to the most benign nuclear power generation systems - RTGs. On the heels of that report, a joint Department of Energy and NASA team published positive results from the demonstration of a uranium- powered fission reactor. The experiment was perhaps most notable for exemplifying just how effective the powerful anti-nuclear lobby has been in the United States: It was the first such demonstration of its kind in nearly fifty years. Space visionaries must anticipate a difficult war, consisting of multiple battles that must be waged in order to obtain a license to fly any but the feeblest of nuclear power sources in space. This paper aims to guide the reader through the obstacles to be overcome before nuclear fission technology can be put to use in space.

Future research program on prompt γ-ray emission in nuclear fission

Science.gov (United States)

Oberstedt, S.; Billnert, R.; Hambsch, F.-J.; Lebois, M.; Oberstedt, A.; Wilson, J. N.

2015-12-01

In recent years the measurement of prompt fission γ-ray spectra (PFGS) has gained renewed interest, after about forty years since the first comprehensive studies of the reactions 235U(n th , f), 239Pu(n th ,f) and 252Cf(sf). The renaissance was initiated by requests for new values especially for γ-ray multiplicity and average total energy release per fission in neutron-induced fission of 235U and 239Pu. Both isotopes are considered the most important ones with respect to the modeling of innovative cores required for the Generation-IV reactors, the majority working with fast neutrons. During the last 5 years we have conducted a systematic study of spectral data for thermal-neutron-induced fission on 235U and 241Pu as well as for the spontaneous fission of 252Cf with unprecedented accuracy. From the new data we conclude that those reactions do not considerably contribute to the observed heat excess and suspect other reactions playing a significant role. Possible contributions may originate from fast-neutron-induced reactions on 238U, which is largely present in the fuel, or from γ-induced fission from neutron capture in the construction material. A first experiment campaign on prompt γ-ray emission from fast-neutron-induced fission on 235,238U was successfully performed in order to test our assumptions. In the following we attempt to summarize, what has been done in the field to date, and to motivate future measurement campaigns exploiting dedicated neutron and photon beams as well as upcoming highly efficient detector assemblies.

Nuclear data for structural materials of fission and fusion reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goulo, V.

1989-06-01

The document presents the status of nuclear reaction theory concerning optical model development, level density models and pre-equilibrium and direct processes used in calculation of neutron nuclear data for structural materials of fission and fusion reactors. 6 refs

Fission product chemistry in severe nuclear reactor accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nichols, A.L.

1990-09-01

A specialist's meeting was held at JRC-Ispra from 15 to 17 January 1990 to review the current understanding of fission-product chemistry during severe accidents in light water reactors. Discussions focussed on the important chemical phenomena that could occur across the wide range of conditions of a damaged nuclear plant. Recommendations for future chemistry work were made covering the following areas: (a) fuel degradation and fission-product release, (b) transport and attenuation processes in the reactor coolant system, (c) containment chemistry (iodine behaviour and core-concrete interactions)

Nuclear technology programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harmon, J.E.

1992-01-01

This document reports on the work done by the Nuclear Technology Programs of the Chemical Technology Division, Argonne National Laboratory, in the period October 1989--March 1990. These programs involve R ampersand D in three areas: applied physical chemistry, separation science and technology, and nuclear waste management. The work in applied physical chemistry includes investigations into the processes that control the release and transport of fission products under accident-like conditions, the thermophysical properties of metal fuel and blanket materials of the Integral Fast Reactor, and the properties of selected materials in environments simulating those of fusion energy systems. In the area of separation science and technology, the bulk of the effort is concerned with developing and implementing processes for the removal and concentration of actinides from waste streams contaminated by transuranic elements. Another effort is concerned water waste stream generated in production of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene. In the area of waste management, investigations are underway on the performance of materials in projected nuclear repository conditions to provide input to the licensing of the nation's high-level waste repositories

Review of the book: Vasilenko, I.Ya. Toxicology of nuclear fission products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gordeev, K.I.

2001-01-01

Review on monograph of Vasilenko, I.Ya. Toxicology of nuclear fission (Moscow, Medicine, 1999) is presented. Data of longevity full-scale investigations during nuclear explosions on the Semipalatinsk test site are given. Classified, complex investigations into the effect of nuclear fission products mixtures on different kinds of laboratory animals are described, transfer of radiobiological researches to organism of man is scientific valid. The most complicate radiobiological problem of low dose is analyzed. The being investigated monograph contains unique scientific information and makes a heavy contribution in radiobiology [ru

Future research program on prompt γ-ray emission in nuclear fission

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oberstedt, S.; Hambsch, F.J. [Joint Research Centre IRMM, European Commission, Geel (Belgium); Billnert, R. [Joint Research Centre IRMM, European Commission, Geel (Belgium); Chalmers Tekniska Hoegskola, Fundamental Fysik, Goeteborg (Sweden); Lebois, M.; Wilson, J.N. [Institut de Physique Nucleaire Orsay, Orsay (France); Oberstedt, A. [Chalmers Tekniska Hoegskola, Fundamental Fysik, Goeteborg (Sweden); Ossolution Consulting, Oerebro (Sweden)

2015-12-15

In recent years the measurement of prompt fission γ-ray spectra (PFGS) has gained renewed interest, after about forty years since the first comprehensive studies of the reactions {sup 235}U(n{sub th}, f), {sup 239}Pu(n{sub th},f) and {sup 252}Cf(sf). The renaissance was initiated by requests for new values especially for γ-ray multiplicity and average total energy release per fission in neutron-induced fission of {sup 235}U and {sup 239}Pu. Both isotopes are considered the most important ones with respect to the modeling of innovative cores required for the Generation-IV reactors, the majority working with fast neutrons. During the last 5 years we have conducted a systematic study of spectral data for thermal-neutron-induced fission on {sup 235}U and {sup 241}Pu as well as for the spontaneous fission of {sup 252}Cf with unprecedented accuracy. From the new data we conclude that those reactions do not considerably contribute to the observed heat excess and suspect other reactions playing a significant role. Possible contributions may originate from fast-neutron-induced reactions on {sup 238}U, which is largely present in the fuel, or from γ-induced fission from neutron capture in the construction material. A first experiment campaign on prompt γ-ray emission from fast-neutron-induced fission on {sup 235,238}U was successfully performed in order to test our assumptions. In the following we attempt to summarize, what has been done in the field to date, and to motivate future measurement campaigns exploiting dedicated neutron and photon beams as well as upcoming highly efficient detector assemblies. (orig.)

Fission product yield data for the transmutation of minor actinide nuclear waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-04-01

A report issued by an international study group for the transmutation of nuclear waste using accelerator driven systems has highlighted the need for specific sets of nuclear data. These authoritative requirements include fission product yields at an intermediate incident neutron energy of up to 150 MeV. Before the start of the present CRP on fission product yield data for the transmutation of nuclear waste, only four types of evaluated fission yield data sets existed, namely for spontaneous fission, and for fission induced by thermal, fast (or fission) spectrum, and by 'high energy' (14-15 MeV) neutrons. A new type of evaluation for energy dependent neutron induced fission yields was required for this project. In view of the scarcity of experimental data, such an evaluation has to be based on systematics and theoretical model calculations. Unlike fission cross-sections, where nuclear models are being used successfully for the calculation of unmeasured cross-section ranges, such models or theories existed only for low energy fission yields. Hence the CRP participants entered a completely new field of research for which the progress and outcome were unpredictable. Clearly the ultimate goal of such an effort, namely an evaluation of energy dependent fission yields, could not be realized within the perceived lifetime of a CRP. The main emphasis of the CRP was on the development of adequate systematics and models for the calculation of energy dependent fission yields up to 150 MeV incident neutron energy. Several problems had to be solved, such as the correct choice of model parameters and multiplicity distributions of emitted neutrons, and the effect of multi-chance fission. Models and systematics have been tested for lower energy yields, but they failed to reproduce recent experimental data, particularly at higher energies, and the parameters had to be modified. Other models have been developed from the analysis of experimental data in order to derive systematic

Applications of nuclear data on short-lived fission products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rudstam, G.; Aagaard, P.; Aleklett, K.; Lund, E.

1981-01-01

The study of short-lived fission products gives information about the nuclear structure on the neutron-rich side of stability. The data are also of interest for various applications both to basic science and to nuclear technology. Some of these applications, taken up by the OSIRIS group at Studsvik, are described in the present contribution. (orig.)

Chemistry of fission product iodine under nuclear reactor accident conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malinauskas, A.P.; Bell, J.T.

1986-01-01

The radioisotopes of iodine are generally acknowledged to be the species whose release into the biosphere as a result of a nuclear reactor accident is of the greatest concern. In the course of its release, the fission product is subjected to differing chemical environments; these can alter the physicochemical form of the fission product and thus modify the manner and extent to which release occurs. Both the chemical environments which are characteristic of reactor accidents and their effect in determining physical and chemical form of fission product iodine have been studied extensively, and are reviewed in this report. 76 refs

1: the atom. 2: radioactivity. 3: man and radiations. 4: the energy. 5: nuclear energy: fusion and fission. 6: the operation of a nuclear reactor. 7: the nuclear fuel cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

This series of 7 digest booklets present the bases of the nuclear physics and of the nuclear energy: 1 - the atom (structure of matter, chemical elements and isotopes, the four fundamental interactions, nuclear physics); 2 - radioactivity (definition, origins of radioelements, applications of radioactivity); 3 - man and radiations (radiations diversity, biological effects, radioprotection, examples of radiation applications); 4 - energy (energy states, different forms of energy, characteristics); 5 - nuclear energy: fusion and fission (nuclear energy release, thermonuclear fusion, nuclear fission and chain reaction); 6 - operation of a nuclear reactor (nuclear fission, reactor components, reactor types); 7 - nuclear fuel cycle (nuclear fuel preparation, fuel consumption, reprocessing, wastes management). (J.S.)

Microscopic Theory of Fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Younes, W; Gogny, D

2008-01-01

In recent years, the microscopic method has been applied to the notoriously difficult problem of nuclear fission with unprecedented success. In this paper, we discuss some of the achievements and promise of the microscopic method, as embodied in the Hartree-Fock method using the Gogny finite-range effective interaction, and beyond-mean-field extensions to the theory. The nascent program to describe induced fission observables using this approach at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is presented

Scission-point model of nuclear fission based on deformed-shell effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilkins, B.D.; Steinberg, E.P.; Chasman, R.R.

1976-01-01

A static model of nuclear fission is proposed based on the assumption of statistical equilibrium among collective degrees of freedom at the scission point. The relative probabilities of formation of complementary fission fragment pairs are determined from the relative potential energies of a system of two nearly touching, coaxial spheroids with quadrupole deformations. The total potential energy of the system at the scission point is calculated as the sum of liquid-drop and shell- and pairing-correction terms for each spheroid, and Coulomb and nuclear potential terms describing the interaction between them. The fissioning system at the scission point is characterized by three parameters: the distance between the tips of the spheroids (d), the intrinsic excitation energy of the fragments (tau/sub int/), and a collective temperature (T/sub coll/). No attempt is made to adjust these parameters to give optimum fits to experimental data, but rather, a single choice of values for d, tau/sub int/, and T/sub coll/ is used in the calculations for all fissioning systems. The general trends of the distributions of mass, nuclear charge, and kinetic energy in the fission of a wide range of nuclides from Po to Fm are well reproduced in the calculations. The major influence of the deformed-shell corrections for neutrons is indicated and provides a convenient framework for the interpretation of observed trends in the data and for the prediction of new results. The scission-point configurations derived from the model provide an interpretation of the ''saw-tooth'' neutron emission curve as well as previously unexplained observations on the variation of TKE for isotopes of U, Pu, Cm, and Cf; structure in the width of total kinetic energy release as a function of fragment mass ratio; and a difference in threshold energies for symmetric and asymmetric mass splits in the fission of Ra and Ac isotopes

A brief history of the Delayed'' discovery of nuclear fission

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Holden, N.E.

1989-08-01

This year marks the Fiftieth Anniversary of the discovery of Nuclear Fission. In the early 1930's, the neutron was discovered, followed by the discovery of artificial radioactivity and then the use of the neutron to produce artificial radioactivity. The first experiments resulting in the fission of uranium took place in 1934. A paper which speculated on fission as an explanation was almost immediately published, yet no one took it seriously not even the author herself. Why did it take an additional five years before anyone realized what had occurred This is an abnormally long time in a period when discoveries, particularly in nuclear physics, seemed to be almost a daily occurrence. The events which led up to the discovery are recounted, with an attempt made to put them into their historical perspective. The role played by Mendeleev's Periodic Table, the role of the natural radioactive decay chain of uranium, the discovery of protactinium, the apparent discovery of masurium (technetium) and a speculation on the reason why Irene Curie may have missed the discovery of nuclear fission will all be discussed. 43 refs.

Research activities in fission chamber modeling in support of the nuclear energy industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jammes, C.; Filliatre, P.; Geslot, B.; Oriol, L.; Berhouet, F.; Villard, J. F. [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, DEN/SPEX/LDCI, Centre de Cadarache, F-13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France); Vermeeren, L. [SCK-CEN, Boeretang 200, B-2400 Mol (Belgium)

2009-07-01

Fission chambers are widely used in the nuclear industry. As an example, they play a major role in the control of any fission reactor and are thus regarded as a key component for ensuring their safety. They are also employed in the material testing reactors for monitoring irradiations. We have recently started a research program, the objective of which is to improve the performance of those neutron detectors in terms of lifetime, calibration and online diagnosis. In this paper, we present several studies carried out in order to model the signal delivered by a fission chamber. First, the simulation of the deposit evolution allowed us to select the most appropriate fissile material for a given spectrum and fluence. Second, we studied the impact of the bias voltage and filling gas characteristics on the charge collection time. Finally, the simulation of a pulse signal prior to amplification showed how it is important to have a satisfactory knowledge of the energy for creating ion pairs to accurately assess the signal in current or Campbelling mode. (authors)

Research activities in fission chamber modeling in support of the nuclear energy industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jammes, C.; Filliatre, P.; Geslot, B.; Oriol, L.; Berhouet, F.; Villard, J. F.; Vermeeren, L.

2009-01-01

Fission chambers are widely used in the nuclear industry. As an example, they play a major role in the control of any fission reactor and are thus regarded as a key component for ensuring their safety. They are also employed in the material testing reactors for monitoring irradiations. We have recently started a research program, the objective of which is to improve the performance of those neutron detectors in terms of lifetime, calibration and online diagnosis. In this paper, we present several studies carried out in order to model the signal delivered by a fission chamber. First, the simulation of the deposit evolution allowed us to select the most appropriate fissile material for a given spectrum and fluence. Second, we studied the impact of the bias voltage and filling gas characteristics on the charge collection time. Finally, the simulation of a pulse signal prior to amplification showed how it is important to have a satisfactory knowledge of the energy for creating ion pairs to accurately assess the signal in current or Campbelling mode. (authors)

Nuclear fission: the tarnished star of our energy future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1986-01-01

The use of fission nuclear energy to fuel commercial electricity-generating facilities, once considered the answer to the world's energy dilemma, is facing serious financial problems and reduced demand. Although the technology to handle the necessary functions exists, construction errors and delays, extensive cost overruns, equipment malfunctions, operator errors, continual regulation and design changes, and concern about long-term wastes and their effects on the environment and human health are plaguing the industry. Research and development efforts continue worldwide to improve the technology in the areas of use and waste handling. Many people express the belief that nuclear fission is necessary to fill the void being created by the decline in availability of fossil fuels. This may be true without extensive efforts in conservation and the use of other energy forms. 26 references, 13 figures

Multi-channel probes to understand fission dynamics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mosby, Shea Morgan [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2016-04-15

Explaining the origin of the elements is a major outstanding question in nuclear astrophysics. Observed elemental abundance distribution shows strong nuclear physics effects. In conclusion, neutron-induced reactions are important for nuclear astrophysics and applied fields in nuclear energy and security. LANSCE has a program to address many of these questions directly with neutron beams on (near-)stable nuclei. Increasing demand for correlated data to test details of fission models poses additional challenges. Possibilities exist to extend existing experimental efforts to radioactive beam facilities. Kinematic focusing from using inverse kinematics has potential to circumvent some challenges associated with measuring correlations between fission output channels.

High-energy nuclear reaction mechanisms - fission, fragmentation and spallation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaufman, S.B.

1987-01-01

Measurements of the correlations in kinetic energy, mass, charge, and angle of coincident fragments formed in high-energy nuclear reactions have helped to characterize the processes of fission, fragmentation and spallation. For example, fission or fission-like two-body breakup mechanisms result in a strong angular correlation between two heavy fragments; in addition, the momentum transfer in the reaction can be deduced from the correlation. Another example is the multiplicity of light charged particles associated with a given heavy fragment, which is a measure of the violence of the collision, thus distinguishing between central and peripheral collisions. A summary of what has been learned about these processes from such studies will be given, along with some suggestions for further experiments

Progress in fission product nuclear data. Issue no. 6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lammer, G.; Lammer, M.

1980-06-01

This is the sixth issue of a report series on Fission Product Nuclear Data (FPND) which is published by the Nuclear Data Section (NDS) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The purpose of this series is to inform scientists working on FPND, or using such data, about all activities in this field which are planned, ongoing, or have recently been completed

Implementation of a Thermodynamic Solver within a Computer Program for Calculating Fission-Product Release Fractions

Science.gov (United States)

Barber, Duncan Henry

During some postulated accidents at nuclear power stations, fuel cooling may be impaired. In such cases, the fuel heats up and the subsequent increased fission-gas release from the fuel to the gap may result in fuel sheath failure. After fuel sheath failure, the barrier between the coolant and the fuel pellets is lost or impaired, gases and vapours from the fuel-to-sheath gap and other open voids in the fuel pellets can be vented. Gases and steam from the coolant can enter the broken fuel sheath and interact with the fuel pellet surfaces and the fission-product inclusion on the fuel surface (including material at the surface of the fuel matrix). The chemistry of this interaction is an important mechanism to model in order to assess fission-product releases from fuel. Starting in 1995, the computer program SOURCE 2.0 was developed by the Canadian nuclear industry to model fission-product release from fuel during such accidents. SOURCE 2.0 has employed an early thermochemical model of irradiated uranium dioxide fuel developed at the Royal Military College of Canada. To overcome the limitations of computers of that time, the implementation of the RMC model employed lookup tables to pre-calculated equilibrium conditions. In the intervening years, the RMC model has been improved, the power of computers has increased significantly, and thermodynamic subroutine libraries have become available. This thesis is the result of extensive work based on these three factors. A prototype computer program (referred to as SC11) has been developed that uses a thermodynamic subroutine library to calculate thermodynamic equilibria using Gibbs energy minimization. The Gibbs energy minimization requires the system temperature (T) and pressure (P), and the inventory of chemical elements (n) in the system. In order to calculate the inventory of chemical elements in the fuel, the list of nuclides and nuclear isomers modelled in SC11 had to be expanded from the list used by SOURCE 2.0. A

Mitochondrial fission proteins regulate programmed cell death in yeast.

Science.gov (United States)

Fannjiang, Yihru; Cheng, Wen-Chih; Lee, Sarah J; Qi, Bing; Pevsner, Jonathan; McCaffery, J Michael; Hill, R Blake; Basañez, Gorka; Hardwick, J Marie

2004-11-15

The possibility that single-cell organisms undergo programmed cell death has been questioned in part because they lack several key components of the mammalian cell death machinery. However, yeast encode a homolog of human Drp1, a mitochondrial fission protein that was shown previously to promote mammalian cell death and the excessive mitochondrial fragmentation characteristic of apoptotic mammalian cells. In support of a primordial origin of programmed cell death involving mitochondria, we found that the Saccharomyces cerevisiae homolog of human Drp1, Dnm1, promotes mitochondrial fragmentation/degradation and cell death following treatment with several death stimuli. Two Dnm1-interacting factors also regulate yeast cell death. The WD40 repeat protein Mdv1/Net2 promotes cell death, consistent with its role in mitochondrial fission. In contrast to its fission function in healthy cells, Fis1 unexpectedly inhibits Dnm1-mediated mitochondrial fission and cysteine protease-dependent cell death in yeast. Furthermore, the ability of yeast Fis1 to inhibit mitochondrial fission and cell death can be functionally replaced by human Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. Together, these findings indicate that yeast and mammalian cells have a conserved programmed death pathway regulated by a common molecular component, Drp1/Dnm1, that is inhibited by a Bcl-2-like function.

Isotopic Determination of Nuclear Materials Using Nuclear Fission Track Registration Technique and Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometric Technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeon, Young Sin; Pyo, Hyeong Yeol; Park, Yong Joon; Song, Kyu Seok; Kim, Won Ho; Jee, Kwang Yong

2007-05-01

It is very important to develope the technology for the determination of isotopic ratios of hot particles( 234 U, 235 U, 236 U etc.) detected from swipe samples of various nuclear facilities. This technology is highly competitive internationally and has to be established independently as long as our government maintains atomic energy and treats nuclear materials. In this text, sample pretreatment procedure, gamma-ray counting, alpha or fission track techniques, isotopic analysis of U and Pu, background problems and detection limits for mass determination, and their application to the real swipe sample were described with detailed procedure. This technology would contribute to the Korean economy's high growth rate as well as to superiority of government's leading research and development programs if successfully established

Qualitative and quantitative characteristics of fission products in spent nuclear fuel from RBMK-type reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adlys, G.; Adliene, D.

2002-01-01

Well-known empirical models or experimental instruments and methods for the estimation of fission product yields do not allow prediction of the behavior and evaluation of the time-dependent qualitative and quantitative characteristics of all fission products in spent nuclear fuel during long-term storage. Several computer codes were developed in different countries to solve this problem. French codes APOLLO1 and PEPIN were used in this work for modeling the characteristics of spent nuclear fuel in the RBMK reactor. The modeling results of qualitative and quantitative characteristics of long-lived fission products for different cooling periods of spent nuclear fuel, including 50-year cooling period, are presented in this paper. The 50-year cooling period conforms to the foreseen time of storage of spent nuclear fuel in CONSTOR and CASTOR casks at the Ignalina NPP. These results correlate well with evaluated quantities for the well-known yields of the nuclides and could be used for the compilation of the database for long-lived fission products in spent nuclear fuel from the RBMK-type reactor. They allow one to predict and to solve effectively safety problems concerning with long-term spent nuclear fuel storage in casks. (author)

Theoretical analysis of knock-out release of fission products from nuclear fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamagishi, S.

1975-01-01

The knock-out release of fission products is studied theoretically. The general equations of knock-out release are derived, assuming that a fission fragment passing through the surface of nuclear fuels knocks out a local region of the surface with an effective thickness and an effective cross-sectional area. Using these equations, the knock-out release of fission gases is calculated for various cases. The conditions under which the knock-out coefficients (the average number of uranium atoms knocked out by one fission fragment) is obtainable are clarified by experiments on the knock-out release of fission gases. A method of determining the effective thickness and the effective cross-sectional area of a knock-out region is proposed. (Auth.)

Nuclear fission discovered fifty years ago

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weis, M.

1988-01-01

Fifty years ago, Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner and Fritz Strassmann discovered the process of nuclear fission which, more than other scientific discoveries to date, profoundly has changed the world and continues to influence our life significantly: This discovery made the up to then incontestable physicists' view of the atom as an inseparable whole suddenly shatter to pieces. It has brought about the invaluable advantages of a peaceful utilization of nuclear energy, and at the same time put scientists in the position to build the most terrible weapon ever, threatening mankind and earth with complete destruction. All this certainly is reason enough to recall the scientists, their work and the spirit of the time. (orig.) [de

Main orientations of the JRC nuclear fission programme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haas, Didier

2009-01-01

Full text: The European Union has taken the lead in responding to climate change, announcing far-reaching initiatives from promoting energy efficient light bulbs and cars to new building codes, carbon trading schemes, the development of low carbon technologies and greater competition in energy markets. Nuclear energy remains central to the energy debate in Europe. One third of EU electricity is produced via nuclear fission, and eight new reactors are under construction. Traditionally non-nuclear countries are manifesting an interest in building nuclear power plants while the clock is ticking down on Belgium, Germany and the UK's decision to renew or close existing nuclear infrastructures. Sustainability in nuclear energy production is ensured in the medium term due to the large and diverse uranium resources available in politically stable countries around the world. The quantities available with high probability ensure more than hundred year of nuclear energy production. This extrapolation depends however on the forecast for the future nuclear energy production. The use of fast neutron breeder reactors would lead to a much more efficient utilisation of the uranium, extending the sustainable energy production to several thousands of years. The presentation will outline the fast reactors of the new generation currently being developed within the 'Generation IV' initiative. Broad conclusions of the presentation will be that: -There is a growing nuclear renaissance in Europe for good reason; - Nuclear energy is a green and sustainable option for Europe and indeed the world's energy needs; - Nuclear energy is a competitive energy that makes economic sense; - Nuclear fission reactors have a safety and environmental track record that is second to none, yet public misperceptions persist and must be tackled; - Waste management solutions exist while new developments hold great promise; - The evolution and promise of nuclear technologies must also be examined against the

Detecting special nuclear materials in suspect containers using high-energy gamma rays emitted by fission products

Science.gov (United States)

Norman, Eric B [Oakland, CA; Prussin, Stanley G [Kensington, CA

2009-01-27

A method and a system for detecting the presence of special nuclear materials in a suspect container. The system and its method include irradiating the suspect container with a beam of neutrons, so as to induce a thermal fission in a portion of the special nuclear materials, detecting the gamma rays that are emitted from the fission products formed by the thermal fission, to produce a detector signal, comparing the detector signal with a threshold value to form a comparison, and detecting the presence of the special nuclear materials using the comparison.

Phase 1 space fission propulsion system testing and development progress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Dyke, Melissa; Houts, Mike; Godfroy, Tom; Dickens, Ricky; Poston, David; Kapernick, Rick; Reid, Bob; Salvail, Pat; Ring, Peter

2002-01-01

Successful development of space fission systems requires an extensive program of affordable and realistic testing. In addition to tests related to design/development of the fission system, realistic testing of the actual flight unit must also be performed. If the system is designed to operate within established radiation damage and fuel burn up limits while simultaneously being designed to allow close simulation of heat from fission using resistance heaters, high confidence in fission system performance and lifetime can be attained through a series of non-nuclear tests. The Safe Affordable Fission Engine (SAFE) test series, whose ultimate goal is the demonstration of a 300 kW flight configuration system, has demonstrated that realistic testing can be performed using non-nuclear methods. This test series, carried out in collaboration with other NASA centers, other government agencies, industry, and universities, successfully completed a testing program with a 30 kWt core. Stirling engine, and ion engine configuration. Additionally, a 100 kWt core is in fabrication and appropriate test facilities are being reconfigured. This paper describes the current SAFE non-nuclear tests, which includes test article descriptions, test results and conclusions, and future test plans

Charged particle-induced nuclear fission reactions – Progress and ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

attracting the attention of the investigators right from the beginning of nuclear fis- ... the change from mass asymmetric division to symmetric division as A and N/Z values .... (a) Schematic of the fissioning nucleus showing the decision making.

Fission nuclear power prospects and its role in meeting global energy needs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Golan, S.

1992-01-01

Nuclear power currently makes an important contribution to world's energy requirements providing 17% of its electricity. But as global warming becomes of greater concern, many ask whether nuclear power can and should contribute more. The author, who is involved in the nuclear power enterprise for 35 years, tries to answer this question affirmative. He holds the view that: a) nuclear fission power is essential to meeting world's energy needs without unduly impairing the global environment; b) by possessing the required attributes discussed in this paper, nuclear fission power can be made societally acceptable; c) the industrialized world should accelerate LMFR deployment while fostering more convenient energy alternatives for the developing world; and d) the HTGR is unique in its ability to augment non-electricity energy needs and could become the technology choice of developing countries for nuclear electricity production. (author). 5 refs., 5 figs., 4 tabs

Study of the adequacy of personnel for the US nuclear program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-11-01

The report will emphasize fission topics relative to fusion because of the relative number of personnel involved. However, the commonality of types of personnel and their required educational background are such that the health of the fission educational infrastructure will affect the future supply of fusion technologists. Alternatively, the attractive aspects of some closely related fusion research in universities can help attract the high quality personnel needed in the fission field. The report's recommendations are therefore based on the needs of both programs. A separate study of the detailed requirements for fusion scientific and engineering personnel has been prepared by the Office of Fusion Energy. In this report, the present status of nuclear power, historic personnel requirements, future requirements, and constraints on future supply are analyzed. The intent of this report is to provide a context for conclusions and recommendation of Government actions leading to an adequate supply of nuclear manpower both for the industrial and Government components of the nuclear enterprise

Transfer-induced fission in inverse kinematics: Impact on experimental and evaluated nuclear data bases

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farget, F.; Schmidt, K.H.; Clement, E.; Delaune, O.; Derkx, X.; Dijon, A.; Golabek, C.; Lemasson, A.; Roger, T.; Schmitt, C. [CEA/DSM-CNRS/IN2P3, GANIL, Caen (France); Caamano, M.; Ramos, D.; Benlliure, J.; Cortina, D.; Fernandez-Dominguez, B.; Paradela, C. [Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela (Spain); Rodriguez-Tajes, C. [CEA/DSM-CNRS/IN2P3, GANIL, Caen (France); Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela (Spain); Audouin, L. [Universite Paris-Sud 11, CNRS/IN2P3, Institut de Physique Nucleaire, Orsay (France); Casarejos, E. [Universidade de Vigo, Vigo (Spain); Dore, D.; Salsac, M.D. [Centre de Saclay, CEA, Irfu, Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Gaudefroy, L. [CEA DAM Ile-de-France, BP 12, Bruyeres-le-Chatel (France); Heinz, A. [Chalmers Tekniska Hoegskola, Fundamental Fysik, Goeteborg (Sweden); Jurado, B. [Universite Bordeaux, CENBG, UMR 5797 CNRS/IN2P3, Gradignan (France)

2015-12-15

Inverse kinematics is a new tool to study nuclear fission. Its main advantage is the possibility to measure with an unmatched resolution the atomic number of fission fragments, leading to new observables in the properties of fission-fragment distributions. In addition to the resolution improvement, the study of fission based on nuclear collisions in inverse kinematics beneficiates from a larger view with respect to the neutron-induced fission, as in a single experiment the number of fissioning systems and the excitation energy range are widden. With the use of spectrometers, mass and kinetic-energy distributions may now be investigated as a function of the proton and neutron number sharing. The production of fissioning nuclei in transfer reactions allows studying the isotopic yields of fission fragments as a function of the excitation energy. The higher excitation energy resulting in the fusion reaction leading to the compound nucleus {sup 250}Cf at an excitation energy of 45MeV is also presented. With the use of inverse kinematics, the charge polarisation of fragments at scission is now revealed with high precision, and it is shown that it cannot be neglected, even at higher excitation energies. In addition, the kinematical properties of the fragments inform on the deformation configuration at scission. (orig.)

Lise meitner and her contribution to the discovery of nuclear fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dai Hongyi; Wang Shangwu

1999-01-01

Lise Meitner, a famous nuclear physicist in both theory and experiment, played a unique role and made outstanding contributions in the course of the discovery of nuclear fission reviewed. However, due to a variety of reasons, her great contributions were not recognized during her time

ORNL Nuclear Safety Research and Development Program Bimonthly Report for July-August 1968

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cottrell, W.B.

2001-08-17

The accomplishments during the months of July and August in the research and development program under way at ORNL as part of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission's Nuclear Safety Program are summarized, Included in this report are work on various chemical reactions, as well as the release, characterization, and transport of fission products in containment systems under various accident conditions and on problems associated with the removal of these fission products from gas streams. Although most of this work is in general support of water-cooled power reactor technology, including LOFT and CSE programs, the work reflects the current safety problems, such as measurements of the prompt fuel element failure phenomena and the efficacy of containment spray and pool-suppression systems for fission-product removal. Several projects are also conducted in support of the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR). Other major projects include fuel-transport safety investigations, a series of discussion papers on various aspects of water-reactor technology, antiseismic design of nuclear facilities, and studies of primary piping and steel, pressure-vessel technology. Experimental work relative to pressure-vessel technology includes investigations of the attachment of nozzles to shells and the implementation of joint AEX-PVFX programs on heavy-section steel technology and nuclear piping, pumps, and valves. Several of the projects are directly related to another major undertaking; namely, the AEC's standards program, which entails development of engineering safeguards and the establishment of codes and standards for government-owned or -sponsored reactor facilities. Another task, CHORD-S, is concerned with the establishment of computer programs for the evaluation of reactor design data, The recent activities of the NSIC and the Nuclear Safety journal in behalf of the nuclear community are also discussed.

The Commission's research action programme on the development of nuclear fission energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-01-01

For its 'Framework Programme 1984-1987' the Commission has defined the major goals for a European Scientific and Technical Strategy. One of the means to reduce the energy dependence of the Community, which is an important objective, is to favour the development of nuclear fission energy. As electricity production by nuclear reactors has reached industrial maturity, the Community activities are directed mainly to safety aspects, in order to ensure the protection of workers and the general public, against hazards linked to operations in the nuclear fuel cycle. A description of the main features of the five sub-programmes on nuclear fission energy is given below; these programmes are: reactor safety; nuclear fuels and actinides research; management of radioactive waste; safeguarding and management of fissile materials; decommissioning of nuclear installations. The research and development work is carried out either by the Commission's Joint Research Center or by organizations and companies of the Member Countries, with the Commission's financial support. (author)

Proceedings of the Second Fusion-Fission Energy Systems Review Meeting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1977-11-02

The agenda of the meeting was developed to address, in turn, the following major areas: specific problem areas in nuclear energy systems for application of fusion-fission concepts; current and proposed fusion-fission programs in response to the identified problem areas; target costs and projected benefits associated with fusion-fission energy systems; and technical problems associated with the development of fusion-fission concepts. The greatest emphasis was placed on the characteristics of and problems, associated with fuel producing fusion-fission hybrid reactors.

Recoil release of fission products from nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wise, C.

1985-01-01

An analytical approximation is developed for calculating recoil release from nuclear fuel into gas filled interspaces. This expression is evaluated for a number of interspace geometries and shown to be generally accurate to within about 10% by comparison with numerical calculations. The results are applied to situations of physical interest and it is demonstrated that recoil can be important when modelling fission product release from low temperature CAGR pin failures. Furthermore, recoil can contribute significantly in experiments on low temperature fission product release, particularly where oxidation enhancement of this release is measured by exposing the fuel to CO 2 . The calculations presented here are one way of allowing for this, other methods are suggested. (orig.)

Radiochemical studies on fission

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1973-07-01

Research progress is reported on nuclear chemistry; topics considered include: recoil range and kinetic energy distribution in the thermal neutron ftssion of /sup 245/Cm; mass distribution and recoil range measurements in the reactor neutron-induced fission of /sup 232/U; fission yields in the thermal neutron fission of /sup 241/PU highly asymmetric binary fission of uranium induced by reactor neutrons; and nuclear charge distribution in low energy fission. ( DHM)

Fission product inventory calculation by a CASMO/ORIGEN coupling program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Do Heon; Kim, Jong Kyung [Hanyang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Hang Bok; Roh, Gyu Hong; Jung, In Ha [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1998-12-31

A CASMO/ORIGEN coupling utility program was developed to predict the composition of all the fission products in spent PWR fuels. The coupling program reads the CASMO output file, modifies the ORIGEN cross section library and reconstructs the ORIGEN input file at each depletion step. In ORIGEN, the burnup equation is solved for actinides and fission products based on the fission reaction rates and depletion flux of CASMO. A sample calculation has been performed using a 14 x 14 PWR fuel assembly and the results are given in this paper. 3 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab. (Author)

Fission product inventory calculation by a CASMO/ORIGEN coupling program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Do Heon; Kim, Jong Kyung [Hanyang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Hang Bok; Roh, Gyu Hong; Jung, In Ha [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1997-12-31

A CASMO/ORIGEN coupling utility program was developed to predict the composition of all the fission products in spent PWR fuels. The coupling program reads the CASMO output file, modifies the ORIGEN cross section library and reconstructs the ORIGEN input file at each depletion step. In ORIGEN, the burnup equation is solved for actinides and fission products based on the fission reaction rates and depletion flux of CASMO. A sample calculation has been performed using a 14 x 14 PWR fuel assembly and the results are given in this paper. 3 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab. (Author)

Systematics of Fission-Product Yields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wahl, A.C.

2002-01-01

Empirical equations representing systematics of fission-product yields have been derived from experimental data. The systematics give some insight into nuclear-structure effects on yields, and the equations allow estimation of yields from fission of any nuclide with atomic number Z F = 90 thru 98, mass number A F = 230 thru 252, and precursor excitation energy (projectile kinetic plus binding energies) PE = 0 thru ∼200 MeV--the ranges of these quantities for the fissioning nuclei investigated. Calculations can be made with the computer program CYFP. Estimates of uncertainties in the yield estimates are given by equations, also in CYFP, and range from ∼ 15% for the highest yield values to several orders of magnitude for very small yield values. A summation method is used to calculate weighted average parameter values for fast-neutron (∼ fission spectrum) induced fission reactions

Systematics of Fission-Product Yields

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A.C. Wahl

2002-05-01

Empirical equations representing systematics of fission-product yields have been derived from experimental data. The systematics give some insight into nuclear-structure effects on yields, and the equations allow estimation of yields from fission of any nuclide with atomic number Z{sub F} = 90 thru 98, mass number A{sub F} = 230 thru 252, and precursor excitation energy (projectile kinetic plus binding energies) PE = 0 thru {approx}200 MeV--the ranges of these quantities for the fissioning nuclei investigated. Calculations can be made with the computer program CYFP. Estimates of uncertainties in the yield estimates are given by equations, also in CYFP, and range from {approx} 15% for the highest yield values to several orders of magnitude for very small yield values. A summation method is used to calculate weighted average parameter values for fast-neutron ({approx} fission spectrum) induced fission reactions.

Experimental approach to fission process of actinides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baba, Hiroshi [Osaka Univ., Toyonaka (Japan). Faculty of Science

1997-07-01

From experimental views, it seems likely that the mechanism of nuclear fission process remains unsolved even after the Bohr and Weeler`s study in 1939. Especially, it is marked in respect of mass distribution in unsymmetric nuclear fission. The energy dependency of mass distribution can be explained with an assumption of 2-mode nuclear fission. Further, it was demonstrated that the symmetrical fission components and the unsymmetrical ones have different saddle and fission points. Thus, the presence of the 2-mode fission mechanism was confirmed. Here, transition in the nuclear fission mechanism and its cause were investigated here. As the cause of such transition, plausible four causes; a contribution of multiple-chance fission, disappearance of shell effects, beginning of fission following collective excitation due to GDR and nuclear phase transition were examined in the condition of excitation energy of 14.0 MeV. And it was suggested that the transition in the nuclear fission concerned might be related to phase transition. In addition, the mechanism of nuclear fission at a low energy and multi-mode hypothesis were examined by determination of the energy for thermal neutron fission ({sup 233,235}U and {sup 239}Pu) and spontaneous nuclear fission ({sup 252}Cf). (M.N.)

Coupling of mass and charge distributions for low excited nuclear fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salamatin, V.S.; )

2000-01-01

The simple model for calculation of charge distributions of fission fragments for low exited nuclear fission from experimental mass distributions is offered. The model contains two parameters, determining amplitude of even-odd effect of charge distributions and its dependence on excitation energy. Results for reactions 233 U(n th ,f), 235 U(n th ,f), 229 Th(n th ,f), 249 Cf(n th ,f) are spent [ru

Coulomb fission and transfer fission at heavy ion collisions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Himmele, G.

1981-01-01

In the present thesis the first direct evidence of nuclear fission after inelastic scattering of heavy ions (sup(183,184)W, 152 Sm → 238 U; 184 W → 232 Th; 184 W, 232 Th → 248 Cm) is reported. Experiments which were performed at the UNILAC of the Gesellschaft fuer Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt show the observed heavy ion induced fission possesses significant properties of the Coulomb fission. The observed dependence of the fission probability for inelastic scattering on the projectile charge proves that the nuclear fission is mediated by the electromagnetic interaction between heavy ions. This result suggests moreover a multiple Coulomb-excitation preceding the fission. Model calculations give a first indication, that the Coulomb fission proceeds mainly from the higher β phonons. In the irradiation with 184 W the fission probability of 232 Th is for all incident energies about 40% smaller that at 238 U. The target dependence of the Coulomb fission however doesn't allow, to give quantitative statements about the position and B(E2)-values of higher lying β phonons. (orig./HSI) [de

Distribution of nuclear charge in the proton-induced fission of Th-232

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pate, B D [Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York (United States); Foster, J S; Yaffe, L [McGill Univ., Montreal, Quebec (Canada)

1958-09-15

A great deal of work has been done on the distribution of nuclear mass in the fission process. About the nuclear charge distribution less is known. Data exist on the distribution from the fission of U-235 with thermal neutrons and with 14 Mev neutrons. Data also exist for the fission of uranium by 170 Mev protons, of bismuth by 190 Mev deuterons, and of uranium, thorium and bismuth by 480 Mev protons, and there is fragmentary information from other systems. The present work was undertaken to investigate the changes that occur in the charge distribution from proton-induced fission of Th-232 as the bombarding energy is raised from 8 to 90 Mev, the maximum proton energy of the McGill synchrocyclotron. This energy range is of interest in view of the substantial changes observed in the mass distribution. Also in this interval a change presumably begins in the nature of the initial step in nuclear reactions, from simple compound-nucleus formation, to a mechanism of direct interaction with individual nucleons. Thus at the lower energies studied, excitation of the nuclei at the end of the first step of the reaction will be essentially monochromatic whereas at the higher end of the bombarding-energy range, a broad spectrum of excitation energies will be produced, with corresponding complexity of the reaction products observed. (author)

Sustainable, Full-Scope Nuclear Fission Energy at Planetary Scale

OpenAIRE

Robert Petroski; Lowell Wood

2012-01-01

A nuclear fission-based energy system is described that is capable of supplying the energy needs of all of human civilization for a full range of human energy use scenarios, including both very high rates of energy use and strikingly-large amounts of total energy-utilized. To achieve such “planetary scale sustainability”, this nuclear energy system integrates three nascent technologies: uranium extraction from seawater, manifestly safe breeder reactors, and deep borehole d...

An Inconvenient History: the Nuclear-Fission Display in the Deutsches Museum

Science.gov (United States)

Sime, Ruth Lewin

2010-06-01

One of the longstanding attractions of the Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany, has been its display of the apparatus associated with the discovery of nuclear fission. Although the discovery involved three scientists, Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner, and Fritz Strassmann, the fission display was designated for over 30 years as the Arbeitstisch von Otto Hahn (Otto Hahn’s Worktable), with Strassmann mentioned peripherally and Meitner not at all, and it was not until the early 1990s that the display was revised to include all three codiscoverers more equitably. I examine the creation of the fission display in the context of the postwar German culture of silencing the National Socialist past, and trace the eventual transformation of the display into a contemporary exhibit that more accurately represents the scientific history of the fission discovery.

The LANL/LLNL Program to Measure Prompt Fission Neutron Spectra at LANSCE

Science.gov (United States)

Haight, Robert; Wu, Ching Yen; Lee, Hye Young; Taddeucci, Terry; Mosby, Shea; O'Donnell, John; Fotiades, Nikolaos; Devlin, Mattew; Ullmann, John; Nelson, Ronald; Wender, Stephen; White, Morgan; Solomon, Clell; Neudecker, Denise; Talou, Patrick; Rising, Michael; Bucher, Brian; Buckner, Matthew; Henderson, Roger

2015-10-01

Accurate data on the spectrum of neutrons emitted in neutron-induced fission are needed for applications and for a better understanding of the fission process. At LANSCE we have made important progress in understanding systematic uncertainties and in obtaining data for 235U on the low-energy part of the prompt fission neutron spectra (PFNS), a particularly difficult region because down-scattered neutrons go in this direction. We use a double time-of-flight technique to determine energies of incoming and outgoing neutrons. With data acquisition via waveform digitizers, accidental coincidences between fission chamber and neutron detector are measured to high statistical accuracy and then subtracted from measured events. Monte Carlo simulations with high performance computers have proven to be essential in the design to minimize neutron scattering and in calculating detector response. Results from one of three approaches to analyzing the data will be presented. This work is funded by the US Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration and Office of Nuclear Physics.

Computer program system for evaluation of FP nuclear data for JENDL. Smooth part

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakagawa, Tsuneo [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment; Watanabe, Takashi; Iijima, Shungo

1997-12-01

This report describes computer programs used to evaluate nuclear data of fission product (FP) nuclides stored in an evaluated nuclear data library JENDL, especially in the smooth part above the resonance region. Many programs were used for determination of nuclear model parameters, calculation of nuclear data, handling of experimental and/or calculated data, and so on. Among them, reported here are programs for determination of level density parameters (ENSDFRET, LVLPLOT, LEVDES), for making sets of JCL and input data for the theoretical calculation program CASTHY (JOBSETTER, INDES/CASTHY), and for conversion of format of CASTHY output files to the ENDF format (CTOB2). (author). 51 refs.

Some aspects of the nuclear fission process; Quelques aspects du processus de fission nucleaire

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Netter, F [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1961-07-01

In the following report one can find first a short general view on the present situation of our knowledge concerning the nuclear fission process, namely on the nucleus going through the saddle-point. Then there are some aspects connected with the excitation energy of the fissioning nucleus. The measurements made at Saclay on the fast neutron fission cross-section of U{sup 233}, U{sup 235}, Pu{sup 239}, U{sup 238} are described at the beginning of this work. It appears that for U{sup 233} there is some characteristic shape modulation of the cross-section curve, in relation with the collective excited state of the deformed nucleus at the saddle-point. Good evidence of this is also given by the study of the relative fission rate with emission of long-range particles; it appears also that this ternary fission rate does not change substantially for neutron between thermal energy and 2 MeV, but that is very lower for the compound nucleus U{sup 239} than for even-even compound nuclei. At the end there are some experiments on the strong 4,5 MeV gamma-ray originated by slow neutron absorption in U{sup 235}. Time-of-flight device is used to establish that this 4,5 MeV gamma-ray seems mostly connected with radiative capture. (author) [French] Le present travail debute par un apercu de l'etat actuel de nos connaissances sur le processus de fission nucleaire, notamment sur le passage par le point-seuil. Puis sont evoques des aspects lies au niveau d'energie d'excitation auquel est porte le noyau qui subit la fission. Les mesures de sections efficaces de fission induite dans {sup 233}U, {sup 235}U, {sup 239}Pu et {sup 238}U par des neutrons rapides effectuees a Saclay sont decrites en premier lieu; elles font apparaitre pour {sup 233}U une ondulation caracteristique du role des etats collectifs d'excitation du noyau deforme au point-seuil. Des experiences sur la fission avec emission de particules de long parcours confirment cet aspect tout en demontrant que la frequence

Measurement of fission track of uranium particle by solid state nuclear track detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Son, S. C.; Pyo, H. W.; Ji, K. Y.; Kim, W. H.

2002-01-01

In this study, we discussed results of the measurement of fission tracks for the uranium containing particles by solid state nuclear track detector. Uranium containing silica and uranium oxide particles were prepared by uranium sorption onto silica powder in weak acidic medium and laser ablation on uranium pellet, respectively. Fission tracks for the uranium containing silica and uranium oxide particles were detected on Lexan plastic detector. It was found that the fission track size and shapes depend on the particle size uranium content in particles. Correlation of uranium particle diameter with fission track radius was also discussed

Nuclear isomerism in fission fragments produced by the spontaneous fission of {sup 252}Cf; Isomerisme nucleaire dans les fragments de fission produits dans la fission spontanee du {sup 252}Cf

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gautherin, C

1997-09-01

This thesis is devoted to the study of the nuclear structure of neutron-rich nuclei, via the search of isomeric nuclear states. Neutron-rich nuclei were produced in the spontaneous fission of {sup 252}Cf. The experimental study of isomeric states in these nuclei was performed with the {gamma}-array EUROGAM II, coupled to an additional and original fission fragment detector composed by photovoltaic cells, SAPhIR. The photovoltaic cells are well adapted to detect low energy heavy ions and have good energy and time resolutions to obtain a good fission fragment detection. This experiment led to the discovery of new isomeric states in {sup 135}Xe, {sup 104}Mo, {sup 146,147,148}Ce and {sup 152,154,156}Nd, with lifetimes between 60 ns and 2 {mu}s. Level schemes of these nuclei have been completed. An interpretation of the isomeric states in the nuclei {sup 154,156}Nd and {sup 156,158}Sm was performed by Hartree-Fock-Bogolyubov calculations using the DIS Gogny force with two quasi-particles excitations. The confrontation with the experimental results led to an interpretation of these isomeric states as K-isomers. (author)

Reprocessing free nuclear fuel production via fusion fission hybrids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kotschenreuther, Mike, E-mail: mtk@mail.utexas.edu [Intitute for Fusion Studies, University of Texas at Austin (United States); Valanju, Prashant; Mahajan, Swadesh [Intitute for Fusion Studies, University of Texas at Austin (United States)

2012-05-15

Fusion fission hybrids, driven by a copious source of fusion neutrons can open qualitatively 'new' cycles for transmuting nuclear fertile material into fissile fuel. A totally reprocessing-free (ReFree) Th{sup 232}-U{sup 233} conversion fuel cycle is presented. Virgin fertile fuel rods are exposed to neutrons in the hybrid, and burned in a traditional light water reactor, without ever violating the integrity of the fuel rods. Throughout this cycle (during breeding in the hybrid, transport, as well as burning of the fissile fuel in a water reactor) the fissile fuel remains a part of a bulky, countable, ThO{sub 2} matrix in cladding, protected by the radiation field of all fission products. This highly proliferation-resistant mode of fuel production, as distinct from a reprocessing dominated path via fast breeder reactors (FBR), can bring great acceptability to the enterprise of nuclear fuel production, and insure that scarcity of naturally available U{sup 235} fuel does not throttle expansion of nuclear energy. It also provides a reprocessing free path to energy security for many countries. Ideas and innovations responsible for the creation of a high intensity neutron source are also presented.

Reprocessing free nuclear fuel production via fusion fission hybrids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kotschenreuther, Mike; Valanju, Prashant; Mahajan, Swadesh

2012-01-01

Fusion fission hybrids, driven by a copious source of fusion neutrons can open qualitatively “new” cycles for transmuting nuclear fertile material into fissile fuel. A totally reprocessing-free (ReFree) Th 232 –U 233 conversion fuel cycle is presented. Virgin fertile fuel rods are exposed to neutrons in the hybrid, and burned in a traditional light water reactor, without ever violating the integrity of the fuel rods. Throughout this cycle (during breeding in the hybrid, transport, as well as burning of the fissile fuel in a water reactor) the fissile fuel remains a part of a bulky, countable, ThO 2 matrix in cladding, protected by the radiation field of all fission products. This highly proliferation-resistant mode of fuel production, as distinct from a reprocessing dominated path via fast breeder reactors (FBR), can bring great acceptability to the enterprise of nuclear fuel production, and insure that scarcity of naturally available U 235 fuel does not throttle expansion of nuclear energy. It also provides a reprocessing free path to energy security for many countries. Ideas and innovations responsible for the creation of a high intensity neutron source are also presented.

New prompt fission gamma-ray spectral data from 239Pu(nth, f in response to a high priority request from OECD Nuclear Energy Agency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gatera Angélique

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Benchmark reactor calculations have revealed an underestimation of γ-heat following fission of up to 28%. To improve the modelling of new nuclear reactors, the OECD/NEA initiated a nuclear data High Priority Request List (HPRL entry for the major isotopes (235U, 239Pu. In response to that HPRL entry, we executed a dedicated measurement program on prompt fission γ-rays employing state-of-the-art lanthanum bromide (LaBr3 detectors with superior timing and good energy resolution. Our new results from 252Cf(sf, 235U(nth,f and 241Pu(nth,f provide prompt fission γ-ray spectra characteristics : average number of photons per fission, average total energy per fission and mean photon energy; all within 2% of uncertainty. We present preliminary results on 239Pu(nth,f, recently measured at the Budapest Neutron Centre and supported by the CHANDA Trans-national Access Activity, as well as discussing our different published results in comparison to the historical data and what it says about the discrepancy observed in the benchmark calculations.

Delayed fission

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hatsukawa, Yuichi [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

1997-07-01

Delayed fission is a nuclear decay process that couples {beta} decay and fission. In the delayed fission process, a parent nucleus undergoes {beta} decay and thereby populates excited states in the daughter. If these states are of energies comparable to or greater than the fission barrier of the daughter, then fission may compete with other decay modes of the excited states in the daughter. In this paper, mechanism and some experiments of the delayed fission will be discussed. (author)

Nuclear fission energy: the international scene and the outlook for Italy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Monti, S.

2008-01-01

Because of concerns about the environment, energy security and energy costs, fission nuclear energy is gaining ground again around the world. In Italy, the research community can help relaunch the national nuclear programmes by providing advanced training, recruiting young engineers and researchers for RD activities, and furthering an immediate cooperation of the Italian system in the principal European and international projects on sustainable nuclear energy [it

Nuclear fission and the transuranium elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seaborg, G.T.

1989-02-01

Many of the transuranium elements are produced and isolated in large quantities through the use of neutrons furnished by nuclear fission reactions: plutonium (atomic number 94) in ton quantities; neptunium (93), americium (95), and curium (96) in kilogram quantities; berkelium (97) in 100 milligram quantities; californium (98) in gram quantities; and einsteinium (99) in milligram quantities. Transuranium isotopes have found many practical applications---as nuclear fuel for the large-scale generation of electricity, as compact, long-lived power sources for use in space exploration, as means for diagnosis and treatment in the medical area, and as tools in numerous industrial processes. Of particular interest is the unusual chemistry and impact of these heaviest elements on the periodic table. This account will feature these aspects. 9 refs., 5 figs

Nuclear fission and the transuranium elements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seaborg, G.T.

1989-02-01

Many of the transuranium elements are produced and isolated in large quantities through the use of neutrons furnished by nuclear fission reactions: plutonium (atomic number 94) in ton quantities; neptunium (93), americium (95), and curium (96) in kilogram quantities; berkelium (97) in 100 milligram quantities; californium (98) in gram quantities; and einsteinium (99) in milligram quantities. Transuranium isotopes have found many practical applications---as nuclear fuel for the large-scale generation of electricity, as compact, long-lived power sources for use in space exploration, as means for diagnosis and treatment in the medical area, and as tools in numerous industrial processes. Of particular interest is the unusual chemistry and impact of these heaviest elements on the periodic table. This account will feature these aspects. 9 refs., 5 figs.

Radiochemistry and the Study of Fission

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rundberg, Robert S. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2016-11-14

These are slides from a lecture given at UC Berkeley. Radiochemistry has been used to study fission since its discovery. Radiochemical methods are used to determine cumulative mass yields. These measurements have led to the two-mode fission hypothesis to model the neutron energy dependence of fission product yields. Fission product yields can be used for the nuclear forensics of nuclear explosions. The mass yield curve depends on both the fuel and the neutron spectrum of a device. Recent studies have shown that the nuclear structure of the compound nucleus can affect the mass yield distribution. The following topics are covered: In the beginning: the discovery of fission; forensics using fission products: what can be learned from fission products, definitions of R-values and Q-values, fission bases, K-factors and fission chambers, limitations; the neutron energy dependence of the mass yield distribution (the two mode fission hypothesis); the influence of nuclear structure on the mass yield distribution. In summary: Radiochemistry has been used to study fission since its discovery. Radiochemical measurement of fission product yields have provided the highest precision data for developing fission models and for nuclear forensics. The two-mode fission hypothesis provides a description of the neutron energy dependence of the mass yield curve. However, data is still rather sparse and more work is needed near second and third chance fission. Radiochemical measurements have provided evidence for the importance of nuclear states in the compound nucleus in predicting the mass yield curve in the resonance region.

Radiochemistry and the Study of Fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rundberg, Robert S.

2016-01-01

These are slides from a lecture given at UC Berkeley. Radiochemistry has been used to study fission since its discovery. Radiochemical methods are used to determine cumulative mass yields. These measurements have led to the two-mode fission hypothesis to model the neutron energy dependence of fission product yields. Fission product yields can be used for the nuclear forensics of nuclear explosions. The mass yield curve depends on both the fuel and the neutron spectrum of a device. Recent studies have shown that the nuclear structure of the compound nucleus can affect the mass yield distribution. The following topics are covered: In the beginning: the discovery of fission; forensics using fission products: what can be learned from fission products, definitions of R-values and Q-values, fission bases, K-factors and fission chambers, limitations; the neutron energy dependence of the mass yield distribution (the two mode fission hypothesis); the influence of nuclear structure on the mass yield distribution. In summary: Radiochemistry has been used to study fission since its discovery. Radiochemical measurement of fission product yields have provided the highest precision data for developing fission models and for nuclear forensics. The two-mode fission hypothesis provides a description of the neutron energy dependence of the mass yield curve. However, data is still rather sparse and more work is needed near second and third chance fission. Radiochemical measurements have provided evidence for the importance of nuclear states in the compound nucleus in predicting the mass yield curve in the resonance region.

Nuclear energy: fusion and fission - From the atomic nucleus to energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-09-01

Matter is made up of atoms. In 1912, the English physicist Ernest Rutherford (who had shown that the atom had a nucleus), and the Danish physicist Niels Bohr developed a model in which the atom was made up of a positively charged nucleus surrounded by a cloud of electrons. In 1913, Rutherford discovered the proton, and in 1932, the English physicist Chadwick discovered the neutron. In 1938, Hahn and Strassmann discovered spontaneous fission and the French physicist Frederic Joliot-Curie, assisted by Lew Kowarski and Hans Von Halban, showed in 1939 that splitting uranium nuclei caused an intense release of heat. The discovery of the chain reaction would enable the exploitation of nuclear energy. 'It was the Second World War leaders who, by encouraging research for military purposes, contributed to the development of nuclear energy'. During the Second World War, from 1939 to 1945, studies of fission continued in the United States, with the participation of emigre physicists. The Manhattan project was launched, the aim of which was to provide the country with a nuclear weapon (used at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945). After the war ended, research into energy production by the nuclear fission reaction continued for civil purposes. CEA (the French Atomic Energy Commission) was set up in France in 1945 under the impetus of General de Gaulle. This public research body is responsible for giving France mastery of the atom in the research, health, energy, industrial, safety and defense sectors. (authors)

Fission products collecting devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsumoto, Hiroshi

1979-01-01

Purpose: To enable fission products trap with no contamination to coolants and cover gas by the provision of a fission products trap above the upper part of a nuclear power plant. Constitution: Upon fuel failures in a reactor core, nuclear fission products leak into coolants and move along the flow of the coolants to the coolants above the reactor core. The fission products are collected in a trap container and guided along a pipeline into fission products detector. The fission products detector monitors the concentration of the fission products and opens the downstream valve of the detector when a predetermined concentration of the fission products is detected to introduce the fission products into a waste gas processing device and release them through the exhaust pipe. (Seki, T.)

Prompt muon-induced fission: A probe for nuclear friction in large-amplitude collective motion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oberacker, V.E.; Umar, A.S.; Wells, J.C.; Strayer, M.R.; Maruhn, J.A.; Reinhard, P.G.

1998-01-01

Excited muonic atoms in the actinide region may induce prompt fission by inverse internal conversion, i.e. the excitation energy of the muonic atom is transferred to the nucleus. The authors solve the time dependent Dirac equation for the muonic spinor wave function in the Coulomb field of the fissioning nucleus on a 3-dimensional lattice and demonstrate that the muon attachment probability to the light fission fragment is a measure of the nuclear energy dissipation between the outer fission barrier and the scission point

Evaluation of fission product worth margins in PWR spent nuclear fuel burnup credit calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blomquist, R.N.; Finck, P.J.; Jammes, C.; Stenberg, C.G.

1999-01-01

Current criticality safety calculations for the transportation of irradiated LWR fuel make the very conservative assumption that the fuel is fresh. This results in a very substantial overprediction of the actual k eff of the transportation casks; in certain cases, this decreases the amount of spent fuel which can be loaded in a cask, and increases the cost of transporting the spent fuel to the repository. Accounting for the change of reactivity due to fuel depletion is usually referred to as ''burnup credit.'' The US DOE is currently funding a program aimed at establishing an actinide only burnup credit methodology (in this case, the calculated reactivity takes into account the buildup or depletion of a limited number of actinides). This work is undergoing NRC review. While this methodology is being validated on a significant experimental basis, it implicitly relies on additional margins: in particular, the absorption of neutrons by certain actinides and by all fission products is not taken into account. This provides an important additional margin and helps guarantee that the methodology is conservative provided these neglected absorption are known with reasonable accuracy. This report establishes the accuracy of fission product absorption rate calculations: (1) the analysis of European fission product worth experiments demonstrates that fission product cross-sections available in the US provide very good predictions of fission product worth; (2) this is confirmed by a direct comparison of European and US cross section evaluations; (3) accuracy of Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) fission product content predictions is established in a recent ORNL report where several SNF isotopic assays are analyzed; and (4) these data are then combined to establish in a conservative manner the fraction of the predicted total fission product absorption which can be guaranteed based on available experimental data

Preparation of a primary target for the production of fission products in a nuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arino, H.; Cosolito, F.J.; George, K.D.; Thornton, A.K.

1976-01-01

A primary target for the production of fission products in a nuclear reactor, such as uranium or plutonium fission products, is comprised of an enclosed, cylindrical vessel, preferably comprised of stainless steel, having a thin, continuous, uniform layer of fissionable material, integrally bonded to its inner walls and a port permitting access to the interior of the vessel. A process is also provided for depositing uranium material on to the inner walls of the vessel. Upon irradiation of the target with neutrons from a nuclear reactor, radioactive fission products, such as molybdenum-99, are formed, and thereafter separated from the target by the introduction of an acidic solution through the port to dissolve the irradiated inner layer. The irradiation and dissolution are thus effected in the same vessel without the necessity of transferring the fissionable material and fission products to a separate chemical reactor. Subsequently, the desired isotopes are extracted and purified. Molybdenum-99 decays to technetium-99m which is a valuable medical diagnostic radioisotope. 3 claims, 1 drawing figure

Detector for gaseous nuclear fission products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kobayashi, Yoshihiro; Kubo, Katsumi.

1979-01-01

Purpose: To facilitate the fabrication of a precipitator type detector, as well as improve the reliability. Constitution: Gas to be measured flown in an anode is stored in a gas processing system. By applying a voltage between the anode and the cathode, if positively charged Rb or Cs which is the daughter products of gaseous fission products are present in the gas to be measured, the daughter products are successively deposited electrostatically to the cathode. The daughter products issue beta-rays and gamma-rays to ionize the argon gas at the anode, whereby ionizing current flows between both of the electrodes. Pulses are generated from the ionizing current, and presence or absence, as well as the amount of the gaseous fission products are determined by the value recorded for the number of the pulses to thereby detect failures in the nuclear fuel elements. After the completion of the detection, the inside of the anode is evacuated and the cathode is heated to evaporate and discharge the daughter products externally. This eliminates the effects of the former detection to the succeeding detection. (Moriyama, K.)

Nuclear inertia for fission in a generalized cranking model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kunz, J.; Nix, J.R.

1984-01-01

The Inglis cranking model has been widely used to calculate the nuclear inertia associated with collective degrees of freedom. After the inclusion of pairing correlations, theoretical results obtained with the cranking model for nuclear rotations and γ-vibrations were in relatively good agreement with experimental data. Calculations of β-vibrational inertias were also performed in the cranking model for fission deformations. Theoretical results were several times the irrotational values and gave reasonable agreement with experimental spontaneous-fission lifetimes, although in one study a renormalization factor of 0.8 was required. However, as pointed out by many authors, the Inglis cranking model possesses two serious deficiencies. First, problems arise when the single-particle potential contains momentum-dependence terms. Second, in the limit of large pairing strength the inertia approaches zero instead of a finite (irrotational) limit. Alternative approaches to the cranking model which did not lead to such unacceptable results were developed by Migdal, Belyaev and Thouless and Valatin. They showed that these deficiencies of the cranking model are due to a lack of self-consistency, since the reaction of the mean field to the collective motion is neglected in the Inglis model. Previously we used their arguments and developed a generalized cranking model for stationary collective motion. Here it is shown how to develop a time-dependent formalism appropriate to β-vibrations and fission. 10 references

Neutronics issues in fusion-fission hybrid reactor design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Chengan

1995-01-01

The coupled neutron and γ-ray transport equations and nuclear number density equations, and its computer program systems concerned in fusion-fission hybrid reactor design are briefly described. The current status and focal point for coming work of nuclear data used in fusion reactor design are explained

Nuclearization of ionic chromatography system for fission products analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dimeglio, Remi

1996-06-01

The accident at Tchernobyl in 1986 had entailed the release in the atmosphere of different products coming from the splitting of the fuel. It is to better understand, and also to warn this type of catastrophe that the CEA (Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique) develops many programs of researches, aiming to characterize these fission products and to study their mechanisms of relaxation. Thus, the LESC (Laboratoire d'Etude de la Surete du Combustible) takes part, since several years, in many nuclear safety experiences, and in particular to the project PHEBUS PF, that is a reconstitution, in reduced scale, of an accident entailing the fusion of the reactor core. The aim of the researches that have been led during this training period was to the nuclearization of an HPIC (High Performance Ion Chromatography) system, dedicated to the analysis of the PHEBUS PF fission products analysis. The first step was to develop HPIC lines already settled, so as to reduce the quantity of wastes. Indeed, those one are very difficult to process in a radioactive area. For this purpose, we have implanted a column cationic more effective, so as to decrease analysis times, and, by there even, the quantity of sewage generated. We have equally replaced, on lines cationic and anionic, the system of suppression of the eluent conductivity, to make it thriftier in fluid. But the radioactive products characterization necessitates that all analyses are led within a special box with gloves. The second step of the project was therefore to adapt the system to this type of cell, and to its automation. It has been necessary to modify the system of sample injection, the system of detection, and to put in place a supplementary box with gloves, connected by sieve to the first, for the active products dilution. (author) [fr

Non Nuclear Testing of Reactor Systems In The Early Flight Fission Test Facilities (EFF-TF)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Dyke, Melissa; Martin, James

2004-01-01

The Early Flight Fission-Test Facility (EFF-TF) can assist in the design and development of systems through highly effective non-nuclear testing of nuclear systems when technical issues associated with near-term space fission systems are 'non-nuclear' in nature (e.g. system's nuclear operations are understood). For many systems, thermal simulators can be used to closely mimic fission heat deposition. Axial power profile, radial power profile, and fuel pin thermal conductivity can be matched. In addition to component and subsystem testing, operational and lifetime issues associated with the steady state and transient performance of the integrated reactor module can be investigated. Instrumentation at the EFF-TF allows accurate measurement of temperature, pressure, strain, and bulk core deformation (useful for accurately simulating nuclear behavior). Ongoing research at the EFF-TF is geared towards facilitating research, development, system integration, and system utilization via cooperative efforts with DOE laboratories, industry, universities, and other Nasa centers. This paper describes the current efforts for the latter portion of 2003 and beginning of 2004. (authors)

Dual-fission chamber and neutron beam characterization for fission product yield measurements using monoenergetic neutrons

Science.gov (United States)

Bhatia, C.; Fallin, B.; Gooden, M. E.; Howell, C. R.; Kelley, J. H.; Tornow, W.; Arnold, C. W.; Bond, E. M.; Bredeweg, T. A.; Fowler, M. M.; Moody, W. A.; Rundberg, R. S.; Rusev, G.; Vieira, D. J.; Wilhelmy, J. B.; Becker, J. A.; Macri, R.; Ryan, C.; Sheets, S. A.; Stoyer, M. A.; Tonchev, A. P.

2014-09-01

A program has been initiated to measure the energy dependence of selected high-yield fission products used in the analysis of nuclear test data. We present out initial work of neutron activation using a dual-fission chamber with quasi-monoenergetic neutrons and gamma-counting method. Quasi-monoenergetic neutrons of energies from 0.5 to 15 MeV using the TUNL 10 MV FM tandem to provide high-precision and self-consistent measurements of fission product yields (FPY). The final FPY results will be coupled with theoretical analysis to provide a more fundamental understanding of the fission process. To accomplish this goal, we have developed and tested a set of dual-fission ionization chambers to provide an accurate determination of the number of fissions occurring in a thick target located in the middle plane of the chamber assembly. Details of the fission chamber and its performance are presented along with neutron beam production and characterization. Also presented are studies on the background issues associated with room-return and off-energy neutron production. We show that the off-energy neutron contribution can be significant, but correctable, while room-return neutron background levels contribute less than <1% to the fission signal.

Nuclear Fission Reactor Safety Research in FP7 and future perspectives

CERN Document Server

Garbil, Roger

2014-01-01

The European Union (ЕU) has defined in the Europe 2020 strategy and 2050 Energy Roadmap its long-term vision for establishing a secure, sustainable and competitive energy system and setting up legally binding targets by 2020 for reducing greenhouse emissions, by increasing energy efficiency and the share of renewable energy sources while including a significant share from nuclear fission. Nuclear energy can enable the further reduction in harmful emissions and can contribute to the EU’s competitive energy system, security of supply and independence from fossil fuels. Nuclear fission is a valuable option for those 14 EU countries that promote its use as part of their national energy mix. The European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE) adopted its Opinion No.27 ‘An ethical framework for assessing research, production and use of energy’ and proposed an integrated ethics approach for the research, production and use of energy in the EU, seeking equilibrium among four criteria – access ...

Hardware based technology assessment in support of near-term space fission missions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Houts, Mike; Van Dyke, Melissa; Godfroy, Tom; Martin, James; Bragg-Sitton, Shannon; Dickens, Ricky; Salvail, Pat; Williams, Eric; Harper, Roger; Hrbud, Ivana; Carter, Robert

2003-01-01

Fission technology can enable rapid, affordable access to any point in the solar system. If fission propulsion systems are to be developed to their full potential; however, near-term customers must be identified and initial fission systems successfully developed, launched, and utilized. Successful utilization will most likely occur if frequent, significant hardware-based milestones can be achieved throughout the program. Achieving these milestones will depend on the capability to perform highly realistic non-nuclear testing of nuclear systems. This paper discusses ongoing and potential research that could help achieve these milestones

Hardware Based Technology Assessment in Support of Near-Term Space Fission Missions

Science.gov (United States)

Houts, Mike; VanDyke, Melissa; Godfroy, Tom; Martin, James; BraggSitton, Shannon; Carter, Robert; Dickens, Ricky; Salvail, Pat; Williams, Eric; Harper, Roger

2003-01-01

Fission technology can enable rapid, affordable access to any point in the solar system. If fission propulsion systems are to be developed to their full potential; however, near-term customers must be identified and initial fission systems successfully developed, launched, and utilized. Successful utilization will most likely occur if frequent, significant hardware-based milestones can be achieved throughout the program. Achieving these milestones will depend on the capability to perform highly realistic non-nuclear testing of nuclear systems. This paper discusses ongoing and potential research that could help achieve these milestones.

Uncertainty of decay heat calculations originating from errors in the nuclear data and the yields of individual fission products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rudstam, G.

1979-01-01

The calculation of the abundance pattern of the fission products with due account taken of feeding from the fission of 235 U, 238 U, and 239 Pu, from the decay of parent nuclei, from neutron capture, and from delayed-neutron emission is described. By means of the abundances and the average beta and gamma energies the decay heat in nuclear fuel is evaluated along with its error derived from the uncertainties of fission yields and nuclear properties of the inddividual fission products. (author)

Dynamical calculations of nuclear fission and heavy-ion reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nix, J.R.; Sierk, A.J.

1984-01-01

With the goal of determining the magnitude and mechanism of nuclear dissipation from comparisons of predictions with experimental data, we describe recent calculations in a unified macroscopic-microscopic approach to large-amplitude collective nuclear motion such as occurs in fission and heavy-ion reactions. We describe the time dependence of the distribution function in phase space of collective coordinates and momenta by a generalized Fokker-Planck equation. The nuclear potential energy of deformation is calculated as the sum of repulsive Coulomb and centrifugal energies and an attractive Yukawa-plus-exponential potential, the inertia tensor is calculated for a superposition of rigid-body rotation and incompressible, nearly irrotational flow by use of the Werner-Wheeler method, and the dissipation ensor that describes the conversion of collective energy into single-particle excitation energy is calculated for two prototype mechanisms that represent opposite extremes of large and small dissipation. We solve the generalized Hamilton equations of motion for the first moments of the distribution function to obtain the mean translational fission-fragment kinetic energy and mass of a third fragment that sometimes forms between the two end fragments, as well as dynamical thresholds, capture cross sections, and ternary events in heavy-ion reactions. 33 references

Nuclear Technology Programs semiannual progress report, October 1988--March 1989

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harmon, J.E.

1990-12-01

This document reports on the work done by the Nuclear Technology Programs of the Chemical Technology Division, Argonne National Laboratory, in the period October 1988--March 1989. These programs involve R ampersand D in three areas: applied physical chemistry, separation science and technology, and nuclear waste management. The work in applied physical chemistry includes investigations into the processes that control the release and transport of fission products under accident-like conditions, the thermophysical properties of metal fuel and blanket materials of the Integral Fast Reactor, and the properties of selected materials in environments simulating those of fusion energy systems. In the area of separation science and technology, the bulk of the effort is concerned with developing and implementing processes for the removal and concentration of actinides from waste streams contaminated by transuranic elements. Another effort is concerned with examining the feasibility of substituting low-enriched for high-enriched uranium in the production of fission product 99 Mo. In the area of waste management, investigations are underway on the performance of materials in projected nuclear repository conditions to provide input to the licensing of the nation's high-level waste repositories. 127 refs., 76 figs., 103 tabs

Nuclear Technology Programs semiannual progress report, October 1988--March 1989

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harmon, J.E. [ed.

1990-12-01

This document reports on the work done by the Nuclear Technology Programs of the Chemical Technology Division, Argonne National Laboratory, in the period October 1988--March 1989. These programs involve R&D in three areas: applied physical chemistry, separation science and technology, and nuclear waste management. The work in applied physical chemistry includes investigations into the processes that control the release and transport of fission products under accident-like conditions, the thermophysical properties of metal fuel and blanket materials of the Integral Fast Reactor, and the properties of selected materials in environments simulating those of fusion energy systems. In the area of separation science and technology, the bulk of the effort is concerned with developing and implementing processes for the removal and concentration of actinides from waste streams contaminated by transuranic elements. Another effort is concerned with examining the feasibility of substituting low-enriched for high-enriched uranium in the production of fission product {sup 99}Mo. In the area of waste management, investigations are underway on the performance of materials in projected nuclear repository conditions to provide input to the licensing of the nation`s high-level waste repositories. 127 refs., 76 figs., 103 tabs.

The Potential Of Fission Nuclear Energy In Resolving Global Climate Change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pevec, D.

2015-01-01

There is an international consensus on the need of drastic reduction of carbon emission if very serious global climate changes are to be avoided. At present target is to limit global temperature increase to 2 Degrees of C and to keep CO 2 concentration below 450 ppm, though some recent request by climatologists argue for lower limit of 1.5 Degrees of C. The carbon emission reduction has to be done in the next few decades, as climate effects are essentially determined by integral emission. The integral emissions should not exceed 1000 Gt CO 2 to keep the probability of exceeding global temperature by 2 Degrees of C below 25 percent. Consequently, when we consider energy sources that could produce carbon free energy we have to concentrate on the period not later than 2060-2065. The sources that can take the burden of reduction in the years up to 2065 are Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and nuclear fission energy. The potential of RES has been estimated by many organizations and individuals. Their predictions indicate that RES are not likely to be sufficient to replace carbon emitters and fulfill the 2 Degrees of C limit requirements. The nuclear fission energy can give a very serious and hopefully timely (unlike nuclear fusion) contribution to reduction of emission. Even with proven conventional reactors using once through fuel cycle without fuel reprocessing the nuclear build-up in the years 2025-2065 could reach 3330 GW. With this concept nuclear contribution of 94.5 EJ/y would be reached by 2065, while integral CO 2 emission savings would be about 500 Gt CO 2 by 2065. This shows that essential nuclear contribution is possible without the use of plutonium and fast breeders, technology not ready for climate-critical next 50 years and not acceptable in present political environment. This nuclear fission energy contribution along with contributions from renewable sources, energy saving, and increased efficiency in energy use can solve the climate problems. (author).

Mass and Inertia Parameters for Nuclear Fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Damgaard, J.; Pauli, H.C.; Strutinsky, V.M.; Wong, C.Y.; Brack, M.; Stenholm-Jensen, A.

1969-01-01

The effective mass parameter and the moments of inertia for a deformed nucleus are evaluated using the cranking-model formalism. Special attention is paid to the dependence of these quantities on the intrinsic structure, which may arise due to shells in deformed nuclei. It is found that these inertial parameters are very much influenced by the shells present. The effective-mass parameter, which appears in an important way in the theory of spontaneous fission, fluctuates in the same manner as the shell-energy corrections. Its values at the fission barrier are up to two or three times larger than those at the equilibrium minima. This correlation comes about because for the effective mass the change in the local density of single-particle states is very important, much more so than the change in the pairing correlation. The moments of inertia which enter in the theory of angular anisotropy of fission fragments, also fluctuate as a function of the deformation. At low temperatures, the fluctuation is large and shows a distinct but more complicated correlation with the shells. At high temperatures, the moments of inertia fluctuate with a smaller amplitude about the rigid-body value in correlation with the energy-shell corrections. For the first-and second barriers, the rigid-body values are essentially reached at a nuclear temperature of 0.8 to 1.0 MeV. (author)

FISPRO: a simplified computer program for general fission product formation and decay calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiacoletti, R.J.; Bailey, P.G.

1979-08-01

This report describes a computer program that solves a general form of the fission product formation and decay equations over given time steps for arbitrary decay chains composed of up to three nuclides. All fission product data and operational history data are input through user-defined input files. The program is very useful in the calculation of fission product activities of specific nuclides for various reactor operational histories and accident consequence calculations

Fission fragment distributions within dynamical approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mazurek, K. [Institute of Nuclear, Physics Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow (Poland); Nadtochy, P.N. [Omsk State Technical University, Omsk (Russian Federation); Ryabov, E.G.; Adeev, G.D. [Omsk State University, Physics Department, Omsk (Russian Federation)

2017-04-15

The review covers recent developments and achievements in the dynamical description of fission process at high excitation energy. It is shown that the dynamical approach based on multidimensional Langevin equations combined with the statistical description of nuclear decay by particles evaporation is capable of fairly well describing the formation of fission fragment mass-energy, charge, and angular distributions of fission fragments in coincidence with the pre- and post-scission particle emission. The final yields of fission and evaporation residues channels products could be obtained. The detailed description of fission dynamics allows studying different stages of fission process, indicating the most important ingredients governing fission process and studying in detail such fundamental nuclear properties as nuclear viscosity and fission timescale. The tasks and perspectives of multidimensional dynamical approach are also discussed. (orig.)

Theoretical nuclear fission: The evolution of the first fifty years

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Griffin, J.J.

1989-01-01

The evolution of the dynamical theory of nuclear fission is reviewed through four recognizable major phases. Its conceptual structure was from the outset shaped by the Bohr-Wheeler idea of the nucleus as a liquid drop. On the other hand, today's nuclear drop is a system which has under study repeatedly revealed remarkable and unexpected properties, especially with respect to the dependence of its energy upon its shape. Although some of these special properties arise from quantal effects, the theory of fission is still expressed largely in terms of classical dynamics. This situation leaves open the question whether our theoretical success flows entirely from physical truth or in part from the great phenomenological flexibility of the drop model. It leads one also to wonder whether in the next phase connections with the quantal many-body dynamics might finally find a firm place in the theory, and tie its predictions quantitatively to the deeper microscopic reality

Elise: a new facility for unprecedented experimental nuclear fission studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taieb, J.; Belier, G.; Chatillon, A.; Granier, T.; Kelic, A.; Ricciardi, V.; Schmidt, K.H.; Voss, B.; Coste-Delclaux, M.; Diop, C.; Jouanne, C.; Schmitt, C.; Aiche, M.; Czajkowski, S.; Jurado, B.; Audouin, L.; Peyre, J.; Rosier, P.; Tassan-Got, L.; Bertoumieux, E.; Dore, D.; Dupont, E.; Letourneau, A.; Panebianco, S.

2009-01-01

A novel experimental program aiming to study the properties of fragments and neutrons emitted in the fission process has been initiated. The experiment will be held at the ELISe electron-ion collider to be constructed at GSI, Darmstadt in the framework of the FAIR extension of the facility. The experiment will take advantage of the inverse kinematics allowing, in particular, a total mass and charge resolution for all fission fragments. (authors)

Effect of fission dynamics on the spectra and multiplicities of prompt fission neutrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nix, J.R.; Madland, D.G.; Sierk, A.J.

1985-01-01

With the goal of examining their effect on the spectra and multiplicities of the prompt neutrons emitted in fission, we discuss recent advances in a unified macroscopic-microscopic description of large-amplitude collective nuclear dynamics. The conversion of collective energy into single-particle excitation energy is calculated for a new surface-plus-window dissipation mechanism. By solving the Hamilton equations of motion for initial conditions appropriate to fission, we obtain the average fission-fragment translational kinetic energy and excitation energy. The spectra and multiplicities of the emitted neutrons, which depend critically upon the average excitation energy, are then calculated on the basis of standard nuclear evaporation theory, taking into account the average motion of the fission fragments, the distribution of fission-fragment residual nuclear temperature, the energy dependence of the cross section for the inverse process of compound-nucleus formation, and the possibility of multiple-chance fission. Some illustrative comparisons of our calculations with experimental data are shown

Japanese list of requests for neutron nuclear data for fission reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Igarasi, Sin-iti; Asami, Tetsuo

1977-05-01

Requests for neutron nuclear data for fission reactors are presented. These are screened by a WRENDA Working Group of Japanese Nuclear Data Committee and submitted to WRENDA 76/77. This report includes 163 requests of which 55 requests are newly registered in the WRENDA. Three requests of the previous list are withdrawn. This activity is a part of the international cooperation with CCDN, NEANDC and INDC. (auth.)

TMI-2 [Three Mile Island] fission product inventory program: FY-85 status report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Langer, S.; Croney, S.T.; Akers, D.W.; Russell, M.L.

1986-11-01

This report presents the status of the TMI-2 fission product inventory program through May 1985. The fission product inventory program is an assessment of the location of fission products distributed in the plant as a result of the TMI-2 accident. Included in this report are principal results of samples from the reactor building where most of the mobile fission products (i.e., radiocesium and iodine) are expected to be found. The data are now complete enough for most reactor components; therefore, it is possible to direct the balance of the examination and sampling program to areas and components where it is likely to be most productive. Those areas are the reactor core and the reactor building basement, with emphasis on the currently unsampled portions of the core

Congressional perspective on the prospects for tomorrow's nuclear engineers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lloyd, M.

1986-01-01

This paper reviews in some detail the nature of the directions in the federally supported nuclear energy research program and discusses the potential opportunities in nuclear engineering education to make contributions to the nation's nuclear power research efforts. The potential impacts of deficit reduction measures on the budgets for nuclear fission programs are also described and the subcommittee priorities for the DOE nuclear fission program within the budget framework are discussed

Fission neutron multiplicity calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maerten, H.; Ruben, A.; Seeliger, D.

1991-01-01

A model for calculating neutron multiplicities in nuclear fission is presented. It is based on the solution of the energy partition problem as function of mass asymmetry within a phenomenological approach including temperature-dependent microscopic energies. Nuclear structure effects on fragment de-excitation, which influence neutron multiplicities, are discussed. Temperature effects on microscopic energy play an important role in induced fission reactions. Calculated results are presented for various fission reactions induced by neutrons. Data cover the incident energy range 0-20 MeV, i.e. multiple chance fission is considered. (author). 28 refs, 13 figs

Euratom innovation in nuclear fission: Community research in reactor systems and fuel cycles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goethem, G. van; Hugon, M.; Bhatnagar, V.; Manolatos, P.; Deffrennes, M.

2007-01-01

The following questions are naturally at the heart of the current Euratom research and training framework programme:(1)What are the challenges facing the European Union nuclear fission research community in the short (today), medium (2010) and long term (2040)? (2)What kind of research and technological development (RTD) does Euratom offer to respond to these challenges, in particular in the area of reactor systems and fuel cycles? In the general debate about energy supply technologies there are challenges of both a scientific and technological (S/T) as well as an economic and political (E/P) nature. Though the Community research programme acts mainly on the former, there is nevertheless important links with Community policy. These not only exist in the specific area of nuclear policy, but also more generally as is depicted in the following figure. It is shown in the particular area of nuclear fission, to what extent Euratom research, education and innovation ('Knowledge Triangle' in above figure) respond to the following long-term criteria: (1) sustainability, (2) economics, (3) safety, and (4) proliferation resistance. Research and innovation in nuclear fission technology has broad and extended geographical, disciplinary and time horizons:- the community involved extends to all 25 EU Member States and beyond; - the research assembles a large variety of scientific disciplines; - three generations of nuclear power technologies (called II, III and IV) are involved, with the timescales extending from now to around the year 2040. To each of these three generations, a couple of challenges are associated (six in total):- Generation II (1970-2000, today): security of supply+environmental compatibility; - Generation III (around 2010): enhanced safety and competitiveness (economics); - Generation IV (around 2040): cogeneration of heat and power, and full recycling. At the European Commission (EC), the research related to nuclear reactor systems and fuel cycles is

Spread of fission products after a nuclear melt-down accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andriesse, C.D.; Tanke, R.H.J.

1987-01-01

In this article experimental investigation is described into the spread of fission products within a nuclear power plant, which after an accident involving melting of the nucleus, will be possible in spite of prohibiting constructions for the case of severe unbalancing of generated and carried-off energy. 6 refs.; 4 figs

The U.S. program for fusion nuclear technology development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clarke, J.F.; Haas, G.M.

1989-01-01

The Fusion Nuclear Technology (FNT) research and development program in the United States is shaped by a hierarchy of documents and by the environment for nuclear energy existing in the United States. The fission nuclear industry in the United States has suffered problems with public perception of safety, waste disposal issues, and economics as influenced by safety and environmental issues. For fusion to be a viable energy alternative, it must offer significant improvements in these areas. The hierarchy of documents defining objectives, plans, and strategy of the U.S. FNT program consists of the Magnetic Fusion Program Plan (MFPP) (February 1985), the Technical Planning Activity Final Report (January 1987), the Finesse Program Report (January 1987), and the Blanket Comparison and Selection Study Final Report (September 1984). In addition, two other documents are also significant in shaping FNT policy. These are the IEA report on Material for Fusion (December 1986) and the Summary of the Report of the Senior Committee on Environmental, Safety, and Economic Aspects of Magnetic Fusion Energy (September 1987). The U.S. Magnetic Fusion Program Plan defines four key technical issues (magnetic confinement systems, properties of burning plasmas, fusion nuclear technology, and fusion materials). (orig./KP)

Fission fragment charge and mass distributions in 239Pu(n ,f ) in the adiabatic nuclear energy density functional theory

Science.gov (United States)

Regnier, D.; Dubray, N.; Schunck, N.; Verrière, M.

2016-05-01

Background: Accurate knowledge of fission fragment yields is an essential ingredient of numerous applications ranging from the formation of elements in the r process to fuel cycle optimization for nuclear energy. The need for a predictive theory applicable where no data are available, together with the variety of potential applications, is an incentive to develop a fully microscopic approach to fission dynamics. Purpose: In this work, we calculate the pre-neutron emission charge and mass distributions of the fission fragments formed in the neutron-induced fission of 239Pu using a microscopic method based on nuclear density functional theory (DFT). Methods: Our theoretical framework is the nuclear energy density functional (EDF) method, where large-amplitude collective motion is treated adiabatically by using the time-dependent generator coordinate method (TDGCM) under the Gaussian overlap approximation (GOA). In practice, the TDGCM is implemented in two steps. First, a series of constrained EDF calculations map the configuration and potential-energy landscape of the fissioning system for a small set of collective variables (in this work, the axial quadrupole and octupole moments of the nucleus). Then, nuclear dynamics is modeled by propagating a collective wave packet on the potential-energy surface. Fission fragment distributions are extracted from the flux of the collective wave packet through the scission line. Results: We find that the main characteristics of the fission charge and mass distributions can be well reproduced by existing energy functionals even in two-dimensional collective spaces. Theory and experiment agree typically within two mass units for the position of the asymmetric peak. As expected, calculations are sensitive to the structure of the initial state and the prescription for the collective inertia. We emphasize that results are also sensitive to the continuity of the collective landscape near scission. Conclusions: Our analysis confirms

Environmental life cycle assessment of high temperature nuclear fission and fusion biomass gasification plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takeda, Shutaro; Sakurai, Shigeki; Kasada, Ryuta; Konishi, Satoshi

2017-01-01

The authors propose nuclear biomass gasification plant as an advancement of conventional gasification plants. Environmental impacts of both fission and fusion plants were assessed through life cycle assessment. The result suggested the reduction of green-house gas emissions would be as large as 85.9% from conventional plants, showing a potential for the sustainable future for both fission and fusion plants. (author)

A constrained approximation for nuclear barrier penetration and fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang, H.H.K.; Negele, J.W.; Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge; Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge

1983-01-01

An approximation to the time-dependent mean-field theory for barrier penetration by a nucleus is obtained in terms of constrained Hartree-Fock wave functions and a coherent velocity field. A discrete approximation to the continuum theory suitable for practical numerical calculations is presented and applied to three illustrative models. Potential application of the theory to the study of nuclear fission is discussed. (orig.)

On-line nuclear half life and spectroscopic measurements on mass-separated fission product nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDonald, J.; Fogelberg, B.; Baecklin, A.

1979-01-01

A description is given of the methods and equipment employed for nuclear spectroscopy studies of short lived fission product nuclei at the OSIRIS ISOL facility in Studsvik, Sweden. Furthermore a table of new nuclear half-lives measured with this equipment is presented. (author)

Ternary fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wagemans, C.

1991-01-01

Since its discovery in 1946, light (charged) particle accompanied fission (ternary fission) has been extensively studied, for spontaneous as well as for induced fission reactions. The reason for this interest was twofold: the ternary particles being emitted in space and time close to the scission point were expected to supply information on the scission point configuration and the ternary fission process was an important source of helium, tritium, and hydrogen production in nuclear reactors, for which data were requested by the nuclear industry. Significant experimental progress has been realized with the advent of high-resolution detectors, powerful multiparameter data acquisition systems, and intense neutron and photon beams. As far as theory is concerned, the trajectory calculations (in which scission point parameters are deduced from the experimental observations) have been very much improved. An attempt was made to explain ternary particle emission in terms of a Plateau-Rayleigh hydrodynamical instability of a relatively long cylindrical neck or cylindrical nucleus. New results have also been obtained on the so-called open-quotes trueclose quotes ternary fission (fission in three about-equal fragments). The spontaneous emission of charged particles has also clearly been demonstrated in recent years. This chapter discusses the main characteristics of ternary fission, theoretical models, light particle emission probabilities, the dependence of the emission probabilities on experimental variables, light particle energy distributions, light particle angular distributions, correlations between light particle accompanied fission observables, open-quotes trueclose quotes ternary fission, and spontaneous emission of heavy ions. 143 refs., 18 figs., 8 tabs

The Fukushima nuclear disaster and its effects on media framing of fission and fusion energy technologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schmidt, Luisa; Horta, Ana; Pereira, Sergio; Delicado, Ana [Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Av. Prof. Anibal de Bettencourt, 9 1600-189 Lisbon (Portugal)

2015-07-01

This paper presents results of a comparison of media coverage of fusion and fission energy technologies in three countries (Germany, Spain and Portugal) and in the English language international print media addressing transnational elite, from 2008 to 2012. The analysis showed that the accident in Fukushima in March 2010 did not have significant impact on media framing of nuclear fusion in the major part of print media under investigation. In fact, fusion is clearly dissociated from traditional nuclear (fission) energy and from nuclear accidents. It tends to be portrayed as a safe, clean and unlimited source of energy, although less credited when confronted with research costs, technological feasibility and the possibility to be achieved in a reasonable period of time. On the contrary, fission is portrayed as a hazardous source of energy, expensive when compared to research costs of renewables, hardly a long-term energy option, susceptible to contribute to the proliferation of nuclear weapons or rogue military use. Fukushima accident was consistently discussed in the context of safety problems of nuclear power plants and in many cases appeared not as an isolated event but rather as a reminder of previous nuclear disasters such as Three Miles Island and Chernobyl. (authors)

The Fukushima nuclear disaster and its effects on media framing of fission and fusion energy technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, Luisa; Horta, Ana; Pereira, Sergio; Delicado, Ana

2015-01-01

This paper presents results of a comparison of media coverage of fusion and fission energy technologies in three countries (Germany, Spain and Portugal) and in the English language international print media addressing transnational elite, from 2008 to 2012. The analysis showed that the accident in Fukushima in March 2010 did not have significant impact on media framing of nuclear fusion in the major part of print media under investigation. In fact, fusion is clearly dissociated from traditional nuclear (fission) energy and from nuclear accidents. It tends to be portrayed as a safe, clean and unlimited source of energy, although less credited when confronted with research costs, technological feasibility and the possibility to be achieved in a reasonable period of time. On the contrary, fission is portrayed as a hazardous source of energy, expensive when compared to research costs of renewables, hardly a long-term energy option, susceptible to contribute to the proliferation of nuclear weapons or rogue military use. Fukushima accident was consistently discussed in the context of safety problems of nuclear power plants and in many cases appeared not as an isolated event but rather as a reminder of previous nuclear disasters such as Three Miles Island and Chernobyl. (authors)

Fission yield measurements at IGISOL

Science.gov (United States)

Lantz, M.; Al-Adili, A.; Gorelov, D.; Jokinen, A.; Kolhinen, V. S.; Mattera, A.; Moore, I.; Penttilä, H.; Pomp, S.; Prokofiev, A. V.; Rakopoulos, V.; Rinta-Antila, S.; Simutkin, V.; Solders, A.

2016-06-01

The fission product yields are an important characteristic of the fission process. In fundamental physics, knowledge of the yield distributions is needed to better understand the fission process. For nuclear energy applications good knowledge of neutroninduced fission-product yields is important for the safe and efficient operation of nuclear power plants. With the Ion Guide Isotope Separator On-Line (IGISOL) technique, products of nuclear reactions are stopped in a buffer gas and then extracted and separated by mass. Thanks to the high resolving power of the JYFLTRAP Penning trap, at University of Jyväskylä, fission products can be isobarically separated, making it possible to measure relative independent fission yields. In some cases it is even possible to resolve isomeric states from the ground state, permitting measurements of isomeric yield ratios. So far the reactions U(p,f) and Th(p,f) have been studied using the IGISOL-JYFLTRAP facility. Recently, a neutron converter target has been developed utilizing the Be(p,xn) reaction. We here present the IGISOL-technique for fission yield measurements and some of the results from the measurements on proton induced fission. We also present the development of the neutron converter target, the characterization of the neutron field and the first tests with neutron-induced fission.

Fission yield measurements at IGISOL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lantz M.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The fission product yields are an important characteristic of the fission process. In fundamental physics, knowledge of the yield distributions is needed to better understand the fission process. For nuclear energy applications good knowledge of neutroninduced fission-product yields is important for the safe and efficient operation of nuclear power plants. With the Ion Guide Isotope Separator On-Line (IGISOL technique, products of nuclear reactions are stopped in a buffer gas and then extracted and separated by mass. Thanks to the high resolving power of the JYFLTRAP Penning trap, at University of Jyväskylä, fission products can be isobarically separated, making it possible to measure relative independent fission yields. In some cases it is even possible to resolve isomeric states from the ground state, permitting measurements of isomeric yield ratios. So far the reactions U(p,f and Th(p,f have been studied using the IGISOL-JYFLTRAP facility. Recently, a neutron converter target has been developed utilizing the Be(p,xn reaction. We here present the IGISOL-technique for fission yield measurements and some of the results from the measurements on proton induced fission. We also present the development of the neutron converter target, the characterization of the neutron field and the first tests with neutron-induced fission.

Transfer parameters of fission and activation products present in effluents of nuclear power reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cancio, D.; Menossi, C.A.; Ciallella, N.R.

1978-01-01

The paper presents results of research carried out in Argentina on transfer parameters of fission and activation products which may be present in the effluents of nuclear power reactors. For some nuclides, as Sr-90, Co-137 and I-131, the parameters were obtained by studies of the fallout, from measurements of integrated levels in the environment and in the food chains. Other values are concentration factors derived from laboratory and field experiments. They refer to fish, molluscs, crustaces and fresh water plants, for several fission and activation nuclides. Transfer parameters obtained have been of significant importance for environmental assessments, relating to nuclear installations in Argentina. (author)

Nuclear inertia for fission in a generalized cranking model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kunz, J.; Nix, J.R.

1984-01-01

A time dependent formalism which is appropriate for β vibrations and fission is developed for a generalized cranking model. The formalism leads to additional terms in the density matrix which affect the nuclear inertia. The case of a harmonic oscillator potential is used to demonstrate the contribution of the pairing gap term on the β vibrational inertia for Pu 240. The inertia remains finite and close to the limiting irrotational value

Energy production using fission fragment rockets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapline, G.; Matsuda, Y.

1991-08-01

Fission fragment rockets are nuclear reactors with a core consisting of thin fibers in a vacuum, and which use magnetic fields to extract the fission fragments from the reactor core. As an alternative to ordinary nuclear reactors, fission fragment rockets would have the following advantages: Approximately twice as efficient if one can directly convert the fission fragment energy into electricity; by reducing the buildup of a fission fragment inventory in the reactor one could avoid a Chernobyl type disaster; and collecting the fission fragments outside the reactor could simplify the waste disposal problem. 6 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs

Fission product release from nuclear fuel I. Physical modelling in the ASTEC code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brillant, G.; Marchetto, C.; Plumecocq, W.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Physical modeling of FP and SM release in ASTEC is presented. • The release is described as solid state diffusion within fuel for high volatile FP. • The release is described as FP vaporisation for semi volatile FP. • The release is described as fuel vaporisation for low volatile FP. • ASTEC validation is presented in the second paper. - Abstract: This article is the first of a series of two articles dedicated to the mechanisms of fission product release from a degraded core as they are modelled in the ASTEC code. The ASTEC code aims at simulating severe accidents in nuclear reactors from the initiating event up to the radiological consequences on the environment. This code is used for several applications such as nuclear plant safety evaluation including probabilistic studies and emergency preparedness. To cope with the requirements of robustness and low calculation time, the code is based on a semi-empirical approach and only the main limiting phenomena that govern the release from intact rods and from debris beds are considered. For solid fuel, fission products are classified into three groups, depending on their degree of volatility. The kinetics of volatile fission products release depend on the rate-limiting process of solid-state diffusion through fuel grains. For semi-volatile fission products, the release from the open fuel porosities is assumed to be governed by vaporisation and mass transfer processes. The key phenomenon for the release of low volatile fission products is supposed to be fuel volatilisation. A similar approach is used for the release of fission products from a rubble bed. An in-depth validation of the code including both analytical and integral experiments is the subject of the second article

Fission rates measured using high-energy gamma-rays from short half-life fission products in fresh and spent nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kroehnert, H.

2011-02-01

In recent years, higher discharge burn-ups and initial fuel enrichments have led to more and more heterogeneous core configurations in light water reactors (LWRs), especially at the beginning of cycle when fresh fuel assemblies are loaded next to highly burnt ones. As this trend is expected to continue in the future, the Paul Scherrer Institute has, in collaboration with the Swiss Association of Nuclear Utilities, swissnuclear, launched the experimental programme LIFE(at)PROTEUS. The LIFE(at)PROTEUS programme aims to better characterise interfaces between burnt and fresh UO 2 fuel assemblies in modern LWRs. Thereby, a novel experimental database is to be made available for enabling the validation of neutronics calculations of strongly heterogeneous LWR core configurations. During the programme, mixed fresh and highly burnt UO 2 fuel lattices will be investigated in the zero-power research reactor PROTEUS. One of the main types of investigations will be to irradiate the fuel in PROTEUS and measure the resulting fission rate distributions across the interface between fresh and burnt fuel zones. The measurement of fission rates in burnt fuel re-irradiated in a zero-power reactor requires, however, the development of new experimental techniques which are able to discriminate against the high intrinsic activity of the fuel. The principal goal of the present research work has been to develop such a new measurement technique. The selected approach is based on the detection of high-energy gamma-ray lines above the intrinsic background (i.e. above 2200 keV), which are emitted by short-lived fission products freshly created in the fuel. The fission products 88 Kr, 142 La, 138 Cs, 84 Br, 89 Rb, 95 Y, 90m Rb and 90 Rb, with half-lives between 2.6 min and 2.8 h, have been identified as potential candidates. During the present research work, the gamma-ray activity of short-lived fission products has, for the first time, been measured and quantitatively evaluated for re

Measurement of fission cross-section of actinides at n_TOF for advanced nuclear reactors

CERN Document Server

Calviani, Marco; Montagnoli, G; Mastinu, P

2009-01-01

The subject of this thesis is the determination of high accuracy neutron-induced fission cross-sections of various isotopes - all of which radioactive - of interest for emerging nuclear technologies. The measurements had been performed at the CERN neutron time-of-flight facility n TOF. In particular, in this work, fission cross-sections on 233U, the main fissile isotope of the Th/U fuel cycle, and on the minor actinides 241Am, 243Am and 245Cm have been analyzed. Data on these isotopes are requested for the feasibility study of innovative nuclear systems (ADS and Generation IV reactors) currently being considered for energy production and radioactive waste transmutation. The measurements have been performed with a high performance Fast Ionization Chamber (FIC), in conjunction with an innovative data acquisition system based on Flash-ADCs. The first step in the analysis has been the reconstruction of the digitized signals, in order to extract the information required for the discrimination between fission fragm...

Measurements of fission yields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Denschlag, H.O.

2000-01-01

After some historical introductory remarks on the discovery of nuclear fission and early fission yield determinations, the present status of knowledge on fission yields is briefly reviewed. Practical and fundamental reasons motivating the pursuit of fission yield measurements in the coming century are pointed out. Recent results and novel techniques are described that promise to provide new interesting insights into the fission process during the next century. (author)

Nuclear structure effects in multi-nucleon transfer and sequential fission reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biswas, D.C.

2001-01-01

The role of the nuclear structure in multi-nucleon transfer and sequential fission reactions has been discussed. The recent results on multi-nucleon transfer and transfer induced fission reaction, have brought out many interesting features in understanding the reaction mechanism and collective dynamics of heavy ion reactions. The structure of the projectile nucleus has strong influence on the transfer of multi-nucleons and/or clusters from the projectile to the target. The mechanism of multi-nucleon transfer between two heavy nuclei is a complex process which has a strong dependence on the ground state Q-value of the reaction as well as on the number of transferred nucleons

Introducing Knowledge Management in Study Program of Nuclear Engineering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pleslic, S.

2012-01-01

Nuclear engineering is the branch of engineering concerning application of the fission as well as the fusion of atomic nuclei, and the application of other sub-atomic physics, based on the principles of nuclear physics. In the sub-field of nuclear fission there are many investigations of interactions and maintaining of systems and components like nuclear reactors and nuclear power plants. The field also includes the study of different applications of ionizing radiation (medicine, agriculture...), nuclear safety, the problems of thermodynamics transport, nuclear materials and nuclear fuels, and other related technologies like radioactive waste management. In the area of nuclear science and engineering a big amount of knowledge has been accumulated over the last decades. Different levels of nuclear knowledge were considered in different ways and they were taught to different parts of population as a general human culture and as a general scientific-technical-technological culture (high schools, nuclear information centres, training centres, universities...). An advanced level of nuclear knowledge has been accumulated by many experienced workers, specialists and experts in all nuclear and nuclear-related fields and applications. In the last 20 years knowledge management has established itself as a discipline of enabling individuals, teams and whole organizations to create, share and apply knowledge collectively and systematically, with goal to better achieve their objectives. Also, knowledge management became key strategic approach for management of intellectual assets and knowledge that can improve safety, efficiency and innovation, and lead to preserve and enhance current knowledge. Knowledge management could be applied in education, training, networking, human resource development and capacity building, sharing, pooling and transferring knowledge form centres of knowledge to centres of growth. Considering the critical importance of nuclear knowledge it is important

Energy partition in nuclear fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruben, A.; Maerten, H.; Seeliger, D.

1990-01-01

A scission point model (two spheroid model TSM) including semi-empirical temperature-dependent shell correction energies for deformed fragments at scission is presented. It has been used to describe the mass-asymmetry-dependent partition of the total energy release on both fragments from spontaneous and induced fission. Characteristic trends of experimental fragment energy and neutron multiplicity data as function of incidence energy in the Th-Cf region of fissioning nuclei are well reproduced. Based on model applications, information on the energy dissipated during the descent from second saddle of fission barrier to scission point have been deduced. (author). 39 refs, 13 figs

Geochemical properties and nuclear chemical characteristics of Oklo natural fission reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hidaka, Hiroshi [Hiroshima Univ., Higashi-Hiroshima (Japan). Faculty of Science

1997-07-01

There are six uranium deposits in the Gabonese Republic in the cnetral Africa. `Fission reactor zone`, the fission chain reactions generated about 200 billion years ago, was existed in a part of them. CEA begun geochemical researches of Oklo deposits etc. in 1991. The geochemical and nuclear chemical properties of Oklo were reviewed from the results of researches. Oklo deposits is consisted of main five sedimentary faces such as sandstone (FA), Black Shale formation (FB), mudstone (FC), tuff (FD) and volcaniclastic sandstone (FE) from the bottom on the base rock of granite in the Precambrian era. Uranium is enriched in the upper part of FA layer and the under part of FB layer. {sup 235}U/{sup 238}U, U content, fission proportion, duration time, neutron fluence, temperature, restitution factor of {sup 235}U and epithermal index ({gamma}) were investigated and compared. The geochemical properties of Oklo are as followed: large enrich of uranium, the abundance ratio of {sup 235}U as same as that of enriched uranium, interaction of natural water and small rear earth elements. These factors made casually Oklo fission reactor. (S.Y.)

Report of fission study meeting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-03-01

This book is the report of fission Study Meeting held from September 19 to 21, 1985 in the Research Center for Nuclear Physics, Osaka University. The objective of this study meeting was to stimulate the research on nuclear physics in Japan, which began to show new development accompanying the advance of the research on heavy ion nuclear reaction, and to make this a new starting point. More than 50 participants from physical, chemical and engineering fields, who have interest in the theory and experiment related to nuclear fission, gathered, and the meeting was a success beyond expectation. The contents covered a wide range including nuclear smashing reaction as well as nuclear fission in a narrow sense. In this book, the gists of 28 papers are collected. (Kako, I.)

Detection of fission fragments using thick samples in contact with solid state nuclear track detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lima, D.A. de; Martins, J.B.; Tavares, O.A.P.

1987-01-01

Whenever use is made of thick samples in contact with solid state nuclear track detectors for determining fission yields, one of the fundamental problems is the evaluation of the effective number of target nuclei which contributes to the fraction of the number of fission events that will be recorded. The evaluation of the effective number of target nuclei which contributes to recorded events is based on the effective thickness of the sample. A method for evaluating effective thickness of thick samples for binary fission modes, is presented. A cross section equation which takes into account all the necessary corrections due to fragment attenuation effects by a thick target for calculation induced fission yields, was obtained. (Author) [pt

Role of deformed shell effects on the mass asymmetry in nuclear fission of mercury isotopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panebianco, Stefano; Sida, Jean-Luc; Goutte, Heloise; Lemaitre, Jean-Francois; Dubray, Noel; Hilaire, Stephane

2012-01-01

Until now, the mass asymmetry in the nuclear fission process has been understood in terms of the strong influence of the nuclear structure of the nascent fragments. Recently, a surprising asymmetric fission has been discovered in the light mercury region and has been interpreted as the result of the influence of the nuclear structure of the parent nucleus, totally discarding the influence of the fragments' structure. To assess the role of the fragment shell effects in the mass asymmetry in this particular region, a scission-point model, based on a full energy balance between the two nascent fragments, has been developed using one of the best theoretical descriptions of microscopic nuclear structure. As for actinides, this approach shows that the asymmetric splitting of the Hg-180 nucleus and the symmetric one of Hg-198 can be understood on the basis of only the microscopic nuclear structure of the fragments at scission. (authors)

Nuclear Data Activities in Support of the DOE Nuclear Criticality Safety Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Westfall, R.M.; McKnight, R.D.

2005-01-01

The DOE Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP) provides the technical infrastructure maintenance for those technologies applied in the evaluation and performance of safe fissionable-material operations in the DOE complex. These technologies include an Analytical Methods element for neutron transport as well as the development of sensitivity/uncertainty methods, the performance of Critical Experiments, evaluation and qualification of experiments as Benchmarks, and a comprehensive Nuclear Data program coordinated by the NCSP Nuclear Data Advisory Group (NDAG).The NDAG gathers and evaluates differential and integral nuclear data, identifies deficiencies, and recommends priorities on meeting DOE criticality safety needs to the NCSP Criticality Safety Support Group (CSSG). Then the NDAG identifies the required resources and unique capabilities for meeting these needs, not only for performing measurements but also for data evaluation with nuclear model codes as well as for data processing for criticality safety applications. The NDAG coordinates effort with the leadership of the National Nuclear Data Center, the Cross Section Evaluation Working Group (CSEWG), and the Working Party on International Evaluation Cooperation (WPEC) of the OECD/NEA Nuclear Science Committee. The overall objective is to expedite the issuance of new data and methods to the DOE criticality safety user. This paper describes these activities in detail, with examples based upon special studies being performed in support of criticality safety for a variety of DOE operations

Properties of neutron-rich nuclei studied by fission product nuclear chemistry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyer, R.A.; Henry, E.A.; Griffin, H.C.; Lien, O.G. III; Lane, S.M.; Stevenson, P.C.; Yaffe, R.P.; Skarnemark, G.

1979-09-01

A review is given of the properties of neutron-rich nuclei studied by fission product nuclear chemistry and includes the techniques used in elemental isolation and current research on the structure of nuclei near 132 Sn, particle emission, and coexisting structure in both neutron-poor and neutron-rich nuclei. 35 references

United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission research program on core debris/concrete interactions and ex-vessel fission-product release

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burson, S.B.

1987-01-01

The study of core debris/concrete interaction phenomena has been a significant element of the NRC's Severe Accident Research Program for a number of years. The CORCON and VANESA codes used to predict the consequences of high-temperature debris attack on concrete and fission-product aerosol release are state-of-the-art computational tools. The major thrust of current NRC sponsored research focuses on the refinement, verification, and validation of these codes. An overview of the analytical and experimental aspects of the NRC research program is presented

Energy distribution of antineutrinos originating from the decay of fission products in a nuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rudstam, G.; Aleklett, K.

1979-01-01

The energy spectrum of antineutrinos around a nuclear reactor has been derived by summing contributions from individual fission products. The resulting spectrum is weaker at energies above approx. 8 MeV than earlier published antineutrino spectra. The reason may be connected to the strong feeding of high-lying daughter states in the beta decay of fission products with high disintegration energies

Fission gas measuring technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Hyung Kwon; Kim, Eun Ka; Hwang, Yong Hwa; Lee, Eun Pyo; Chun, Yong Bum; Seo, Ki Seog; Park, Dea Gyu; Chu, Yong Sun; Ahn, Sang Bok.

1998-02-01

Safety and economy of nuclear plant are greatly affected by the integrity of nuclear fuels during irradiation reactor core. A series of post-irradiation examination (PIE) including non-destructive and destructive test is to be conducted to evaluate and characterize the nuclear performance. In this report, a principle of the examination equipment to measure and analyse fission gases existing nuclear fuels were described and features of the component and device consisting the fission gas measuring equipment are investigated. (author). 4 refs., 2 tabs., 6 figs

Fission gas measuring technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Hyung Kwon; Kim, Eun Ka; Hwang, Yong Hwa; Lee, Eun Pyo; Chun, Yong Bum; Seo, Ki Seog; Park, Dea Gyu; Chu, Yong Sun; Ahn, Sang Bok

1998-02-01

Safety and economy of nuclear plant are greatly affected by the integrity of nuclear fuels during irradiation reactor core. A series of post-irradiation examination (PIE) including non-destructive and destructive test is to be conducted to evaluate and characterize the nuclear performance. In this report, a principle of the examination equipment to measure and analyse fission gases existing nuclear fuels were described and features of the component and device consisting the fission gas measuring equipment are investigated. (author). 4 refs., 2 tabs., 6 figs.

The Oklo natural nuclear reactors: neutron parameters, age and duration of the reactions, uranium and fission products migrations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruffenach, J.-C.

1979-09-01

Mass spectrometry and isotopic dilution technique are used in order to carry out, on various samples from the fossil nuclear reactors at Oklo, Gabon, isotopic and chemical analyses of some particular elements involved in the nuclear reactions: uranium, lead, bismuth, thorium, rare gases (krypton, xenon), rare earths (neodymium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, dysprosium), ruthenium and palladium. Interpretations of these analyses lead to the determination of many neutron parameters such as the neutron fluence received by the samples, the spectrum index, the conversion coefficient, and also the percentages of fissions due to uranium-238 and plutonium-239 and the total number of fissions relative to uranium. All these results make it possible to determine the age of the nuclear reactions by measuring the amounts of fission rare earths formed, i.e. 1.97 billion years. This study brings some informations to the general problem of radioactive wastes storage in deep geological formations, the storage of uranium, plutonium and many fission products having been carried out naturally, and for about two billion years [fr

Table of superdeformed nuclear bands and fission isomers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Firestone, R.B.; Singh, B.

1994-06-01

A minimum in the second potential well of deformed nuclei was predicted and the associated shell gaps are illustrated in the harmonic oscillator potential shell energy surface calculations shown in this report. A strong superdeformed minimum in 152 Dy was predicted for β 2 -0.65. Subsequently, a discrete set of γ-ray transitions in 152 DY was observed and, assigned to the predicted superdeformed band. Extensive research at several laboratories has since focused on searching for other mass regions of large deformation. A new generation of γ-ray detector arrays is already producing a wealth of information about the mechanisms for feeding and deexciting superdeformed bands. These bands have been found in three distinct regions near A=l30, 150, and 190. This research extends upon previous work in the actinide region near A=240 where fission isomers were identified and also associated with the second potential well. Quadrupole moment measurements for selected cases in each mass region are consistent with assigning the bands to excitations in the second local minimum. As part of our committment to maintain nuclear structure data as current as possible in the Evaluated Nuclear Structure Reference File (ENSDF) and the Table of Isotopes, we have updated the information on superdeformed nuclear bands. As of April 1994, we have complied data from 86 superdeformed bands and 46 fission isomers identified in 73 nuclides for this report. For each nuclide there is a complete level table listing both normal and superdeformed band assignments; level energy, spin, parity, half-life, magneto moments, decay branchings; and the energies, final levels, relative intensities, multipolarities, and mixing ratios for transitions deexciting each level. Mass excess, decay energies, and proton and neutron separation energies are also provided from the evaluation of Audi and Wapstra

Table of superdeformed nuclear bands and fission isomers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Firestone, R.B. [Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States); Singh, B. [McMaster Univ., Hamilton, ON (Canada)

1994-06-01

A minimum in the second potential well of deformed nuclei was predicted and the associated shell gaps are illustrated in the harmonic oscillator potential shell energy surface calculations shown in this report. A strong superdeformed minimum in {sup 152}Dy was predicted for {beta}{sub 2}-0.65. Subsequently, a discrete set of {gamma}-ray transitions in {sup 152}DY was observed and, assigned to the predicted superdeformed band. Extensive research at several laboratories has since focused on searching for other mass regions of large deformation. A new generation of {gamma}-ray detector arrays is already producing a wealth of information about the mechanisms for feeding and deexciting superdeformed bands. These bands have been found in three distinct regions near A=l30, 150, and 190. This research extends upon previous work in the actinide region near A=240 where fission isomers were identified and also associated with the second potential well. Quadrupole moment measurements for selected cases in each mass region are consistent with assigning the bands to excitations in the second local minimum. As part of our committment to maintain nuclear structure data as current as possible in the Evaluated Nuclear Structure Reference File (ENSDF) and the Table of Isotopes, we have updated the information on superdeformed nuclear bands. As of April 1994, we have complied data from 86 superdeformed bands and 46 fission isomers identified in 73 nuclides for this report. For each nuclide there is a complete level table listing both normal and superdeformed band assignments; level energy, spin, parity, half-life, magneto moments, decay branchings; and the energies, final levels, relative intensities, multipolarities, and mixing ratios for transitions deexciting each level. Mass excess, decay energies, and proton and neutron separation energies are also provided from the evaluation of Audi and Wapstra.

Space Fission System Test Effectiveness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Houts, Mike; Schmidt, Glen L.; Van Dyke, Melissa; Godfroy, Tom; Martin, James; Bragg-Sitton, Shannon; Dickens, Ricky; Salvail, Pat; Harper, Roger

2004-01-01

Space fission technology has the potential to enable rapid access to any point in the solar system. If fission propulsion systems are to be developed to their full potential, however, near-term customers need to be identified and initial fission systems successfully developed, launched, and utilized. One key to successful utilization is to develop reactor designs that are highly testable. Testable reactor designs have a much higher probability of being successfully converted from paper concepts to working space hardware than do designs which are difficult or impossible to realistically test. ''Test Effectiveness'' is one measure of the ability to realistically test a space reactor system. The objective of this paper is to discuss test effectiveness as applied to the design, development, flight qualification, and acceptance testing of space fission systems. The ability to perform highly effective testing would be particularly important to the success of any near-term mission, such as NASA's Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter, the first mission under study within NASA's Project Prometheus, the Nuclear Systems Program

Nuclear dissipation effects on fission and evaporation in systems of intermediate fissility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gelli N.

2010-03-01

Full Text Available The systems of intermediate fissility 132Ce and 158Er have been studied experimentally and theoretically in order to investigate the dissipation properties of nuclear matter. Cross sections of fusion-fission and evaporation residues channels together with charged particles multiplicities in both channels, their spectra, angular correlations and mass-energy distribution of fission fragments have been measured. Theoretical analysis has been performed using multi-dimensional stochastic approach with realistic treatment of particle evaporation. The results of analysis show that full one-body or unusually strong two-body dissipation allows to reproduce experimental data. No temperature dependent dissipation was needed.

Low energy nuclear fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nifenecker, H.

1980-08-01

In these lectures the liquid drop model of fission is presented and some of its predictions compared with experiment. The liquid drop analogy allows to define in a rather simple and intuitive way a number of useful concepts and possible observables. It is shown how a synthesis of the liquid drop model and of the shell model can be made using the Strutinsky shell averaging procedure. Some experimental data related to the existence of shape isomers are presented and discussed. We conclude by discussing some aspects, both experimental and theoretical, of fission dynamics

Proceedings of the 12. International Symposium on Nuclear Physics - Heavy-Ion Collisions and Nuclear Fission - organized by the Technical University of Dresden, November 22-26, 1982 in Gaussig (GDR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reif, R.; Teichert, J.

1982-12-01

The following problems in experimental and theoretical investigations of heavy-ion reactions and the dynamics of nuclear fission processes are discussed: (1) emission of fast light particles in heavy-ion collisions, preequilibrium effects; (2) dynamics of deep inelastic heavy-ion reactions; (3) selected topics in quasi-elastic heavy-ion collisions; and (4) collective transport theory for fission, cross sections and neutron spectra of fission. Problems of neutron induced reactions and nuclear data evaluation are also covered. (author)

Correlated prompt fission data in transport simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Talou, P.; Vogt, R.; Randrup, J.; Rising, M. E.; Pozzi, S. A.; Verbeke, J.; Andrews, M. T.; Clarke, S. D.; Jaffke, P.; Jandel, M.; Kawano, T.; Marcath, M. J.; Meierbachtol, K.; Nakae, L.; Rusev, G.; Sood, A.; Stetcu, I.; Walker, C.

2018-01-01

nonproliferation, safeguards, nuclear energy, and defense programs. This review provides an overview of the topic, starting from theoretical considerations of the fission process, with a focus on correlated signatures. It then explores the status of experimental correlated fission data and current efforts to address some of the known shortcomings. Numerical simulations employing the FREYA and CGMF codes are compared to experimental data for a wide range of correlated fission quantities. The inclusion of those codes into the MCNP6.2 and MCNPX - PoliMi transport codes is described and discussed in the context of relevant applications. The accuracy of the model predictions and their sensitivity to model assumptions and input parameters are discussed. Finally, a series of important experimental and theoretical questions that remain unanswered are presented, suggesting a renewed effort to address these shortcomings.

Correlated prompt fission data in transport simulations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Talou, P.; Jaffke, P.; Kawano, T.; Stetcu, I. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Nuclear Physics Group, Theoretical Division, Los Alamos, NM (United States); Vogt, R. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Nuclear and Chemical Sciences Division, Livermore, CA (United States); University of California, Physics Department, Davis, CA (United States); Randrup, J. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Nuclear Science Division, Berkeley, CA (United States); Rising, M.E.; Andrews, M.T.; Sood, A. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Monte Carlo Methods, Codes, and Applications Group, Los Alamos, NM (United States); Pozzi, S.A.; Clarke, S.D.; Marcath, M.J. [University of Michigan, Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Verbeke, J.; Nakae, L. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Nuclear and Chemical Sciences Division, Livermore, CA (United States); Jandel, M. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Nuclear and Radiochemistry Group, Los Alamos, NM (United States); University of Massachusetts, Department of Physics and Applied Physics, Lowell, MA (United States); Meierbachtol, K. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Nuclear Engineering and Nonproliferation, Los Alamos, NM (United States); Rusev, G.; Walker, C. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Nuclear and Radiochemistry Group, Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2018-01-15

, safeguards, nuclear energy, and defense programs. This review provides an overview of the topic, starting from theoretical considerations of the fission process, with a focus on correlated signatures. It then explores the status of experimental correlated fission data and current efforts to address some of the known shortcomings. Numerical simulations employing the FREYA and CGMF codes are compared to experimental data for a wide range of correlated fission quantities. The inclusion of those codes into the MCNP6.2 and MCNPX-PoliMi transport codes is described and discussed in the context of relevant applications. The accuracy of the model predictions and their sensitivity to model assumptions and input parameters are discussed. Finally, a series of important experimental and theoretical questions that remain unanswered are presented, suggesting a renewed effort to address these shortcomings. (orig.)

Fabrication and Testing of a Modular Micro-Pocket Fission Detector Instrumentation System for Test Nuclear Reactors

Science.gov (United States)

Reichenberger, Michael A.; Nichols, Daniel M.; Stevenson, Sarah R.; Swope, Tanner M.; Hilger, Caden W.; Roberts, Jeremy A.; Unruh, Troy C.; McGregor, Douglas S.

2018-01-01

Advancements in nuclear reactor core modeling and computational capability have encouraged further development of in-core neutron sensors. Measurement of the neutron-flux distribution within the reactor core provides a more complete understanding of the operating conditions in the reactor than typical ex-core sensors. Micro-Pocket Fission Detectors have been developed and tested previously but have been limited to single-node operation and have utilized highly specialized designs. The development of a widely deployable, multi-node Micro-Pocket Fission Detector assembly will enhance nuclear research capabilities. A modular, four-node Micro-Pocket Fission Detector array was designed, fabricated, and tested at Kansas State University. The array was constructed from materials that do not significantly perturb the neutron flux in the reactor core. All four sensor nodes were equally spaced axially in the array to span the fuel-region of the reactor core. The array was filled with neon gas, serving as an ionization medium in the small cavities of the Micro-Pocket Fission Detectors. The modular design of the instrument facilitates the testing and deployment of numerous sensor arrays. The unified design drastically improved device ruggedness and simplified construction from previous designs. Five 8-mm penetrations in the upper grid plate of the Kansas State University TRIGA Mk. II research nuclear reactor were utilized to deploy the array between fuel elements in the core. The Micro-Pocket Fission Detector array was coupled to an electronic support system which has been specially developed to support pulse-mode operation. The Micro-Pocket Fission Detector array composed of four sensors was used to monitor local neutron flux at a constant reactor power of 100 kWth at different axial locations simultaneously. The array was positioned at five different radial locations within the core to emulate the deployment of multiple arrays and develop a 2-dimensional measurement of

Fission yield covariance generation and uncertainty propagation through fission pulse decay heat calculation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fiorito, L.; Diez, C.J.; Cabellos, O.; Stankovskiy, A.; Van den Eynde, G.; Labeau, P.E.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Fission yield data and uncertainty comparison between major nuclear data libraries. • Fission yield covariance generation through Bayesian technique. • Study of the effect of fission yield correlations on decay heat calculations. • Covariance information contribute to reduce fission pulse decay heat uncertainty. - Abstract: Fission product yields are fundamental parameters in burnup/activation calculations and the impact of their uncertainties was widely studied in the past. Evaluations of these uncertainties were released, still without covariance data. Therefore, the nuclear community expressed the need of full fission yield covariance matrices to be able to produce inventory calculation results that take into account the complete uncertainty data. State-of-the-art fission yield data and methodologies for fission yield covariance generation were researched in this work. Covariance matrices were generated and compared to the original data stored in the library. Then, we focused on the effect of fission yield covariance information on fission pulse decay heat results for thermal fission of 235 U. Calculations were carried out using different libraries and codes (ACAB and ALEPH-2) after introducing the new covariance values. Results were compared with those obtained with the uncertainty data currently provided by the libraries. The uncertainty quantification was performed first with Monte Carlo sampling and then compared with linear perturbation. Indeed, correlations between fission yields strongly affect the uncertainty of decay heat. Eventually, a sensitivity analysis of fission product yields to fission pulse decay heat was performed in order to provide a full set of the most sensitive nuclides for such a calculation

Nuclear data project in Korea and resonance parameter evaluation of fission products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Jonghwa; Oh, Soo-Youl

2000-01-01

Nuclear data activities in the fields of evaluation, processing, measurement, and service in Korea are presented in this paper. As one of the current activities, the neutron resonance parameters for stable or long-lived nineteen fission products have been evaluated and the results are presented here. (author)

Research and Development on nuclear fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

Research and development activities on advanced and innovative reactors are performed within a domestic programme and international initiatives. The ongoing New Nuclear Fission National Programme is synergic and complementary to the International Nuclear Energy Initiative (INERI) and EURATOM framework programmes and is managed by ENEA through a specific agreement signed in June 2007 by the Italian Ministry for Economic Development (MSE). The activities concern an integral advanced pressurised light-water-cooled reactor (IRIS nuclear power plant [NPP]) and several Generation-4. fast reactors: lead-cooled, very high temperature and sodium-cooled. A summary of the main results achieved in 2007 follows. In the framework of the INERI programme ENEA and other Italian organisations are involved in the design of the International Reactor Innovative and Secure (IRIS NPP), particularly in the design certification. An appropriate integral testing programme will be performed in the SPES-3 facility to be built at the SIET laboratories in Piacenza. The facility will be located inside the building of the decommissioned Emilia oil-fired power plant. Once erected, the facility will simulate IRIS at full height, full pressure and temperature, and with volumes and power scaled by factors of 1:100 and 1:150, respectively. The activity will be carried out in a collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), USA under an international initiative concerning cooperation in the field of nuclear-related technologies of mutual interest. In 2007 activities were mainly devoted to the conceptual design of the SPES-3 facility, the development of SPES-3 nodalization and the seismic isolation analysis of the IRIS auxiliary building

Fission Product Release from Spent Nuclear Fuel During Melting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Howell, J.P.; Zino, J.F.

1998-09-01

The Melt-Dilute process consolidates aluminum-clad spent nuclear fuel by melting the fuel assemblies and diluting the 235U content with depleted uranium to lower the enrichment. During the process, radioactive fission products whose boiling points are near the proposed 850 degrees C melting temperature can be released. This paper presents a review of fission product release data from uranium-aluminum alloy fuel developed from Severe Accident studies. In addition, scoping calculations using the ORIGEN-S computer code were made to estimate the radioactive inventories in typical research reactor fuel as a function of burnup, initial enrichment, and reactor operating history and shutdown time.Ten elements were identified from the inventory with boiling points below or near the 850 degrees C reference melting temperature. The isotopes 137Cs and 85Kr were considered most important. This review serves as basic data to the design and development of a furnace off-gas system for containment of the volatile species

Fission rates measured using high-energy gamma-rays from short half-life fission products in fresh and spent nuclear fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kroehnert, H.

2011-02-15

In recent years, higher discharge burn-ups and initial fuel enrichments have led to more and more heterogeneous core configurations in light water reactors (LWRs), especially at the beginning of cycle when fresh fuel assemblies are loaded next to highly burnt ones. As this trend is expected to continue in the future, the Paul Scherrer Institute has, in collaboration with the Swiss Association of Nuclear Utilities, swissnuclear, launched the experimental programme LIFE(at)PROTEUS. The LIFE(at)PROTEUS programme aims to better characterise interfaces between burnt and fresh UO{sub 2} fuel assemblies in modern LWRs. Thereby, a novel experimental database is to be made available for enabling the validation of neutronics calculations of strongly heterogeneous LWR core configurations. During the programme, mixed fresh and highly burnt UO{sub 2} fuel lattices will be investigated in the zero-power research reactor PROTEUS. One of the main types of investigations will be to irradiate the fuel in PROTEUS and measure the resulting fission rate distributions across the interface between fresh and burnt fuel zones. The measurement of fission rates in burnt fuel re-irradiated in a zero-power reactor requires, however, the development of new experimental techniques which are able to discriminate against the high intrinsic activity of the fuel. The principal goal of the present research work has been to develop such a new measurement technique. The selected approach is based on the detection of high-energy gamma-ray lines above the intrinsic background (i.e. above 2200 keV), which are emitted by short-lived fission products freshly created in the fuel. The fission products {sup 88}Kr, {sup 142}La, {sup 138}Cs, {sup 84}Br, {sup 89}Rb, {sup 95}Y, {sup 90m}Rb and {sup 90}Rb, with half-lives between 2.6 min and 2.8 h, have been identified as potential candidates. During the present research work, the gamma-ray activity of short-lived fission products has, for the first time, been

Nuclear-charge polarization at scission in fission from moderately excited light-actinide nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishinaka, Ichiro

2009-01-01

Fragment mass yields and the average neutron multiplicity in the proton-induced fission of 232 Th and 238 U were measured by a double time-of-flight method. The most probable charges of secondary fragments were evaluated from the fragment mass yields measured by the double time-of-flight method and the fractional cumulative and independent yields reported in literature. The nuclear-charge polarization of primary fragments at scission was obtained by correcting the most probable charge of secondary fragments for neutron evaporation. The results show that the nuclear-charge polarization at scission is associated with the liquid-drop properties of nuclei and the proton shell effect with Z = 50 of heavy fragments and that it is practically insensitive to mass and excitation energy of the fissioning nucleus in the region of light-actinide nuclei. (author)

Nuclear fission - the unexpected discovery seventy years ago

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weis, Michael

2008-01-01

Seventy years ago, on December 17, 1938, Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner, and Fritz Strassmann discovered nuclear fission. It was a serendipitous discovery resulting from the consistent pursuit, for many years, of occasionally unexpected radiochemical experimental findings. Hardly any other scientific discovery has had such direct bearing on our life, changing our view of the world. It over-threw the tenet of physics, believed to be incontestable, that the atom was indivisible. The use of nuclear power it has made possible has given rise to immense benefits, but it has also allowed mankind's most dreadful weapon so far to be developed. All this is ample reason seventy years later to recall the discovery, the discoverers and their times. It will also be shown what later generations have made of this discovery, and what economic and ecological prospects it continues to hold. (orig.)

Nuclear Technology Programs semiannual progress report, April-- September 1990

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harmon, J.E. [ed.

1992-06-01

This document reports on the work done by the Nuclear Technology Programs of the Chemical Technology Division, Argonne National Laboratory, in the period April--September 1990. These programs involve R&D in three areas: applied physical chemistry, separation science and technology, and nuclear waste management. The work in applied physical chemistry includes investigations into the processes that control the release and transport of fission products under accident-like conditions in a light water reactor, the thermophysical properties of the metal fuel in the Integral Fast Reactor, and the properties of selected materials in environments simulating those of fusion energy systems. In the area of separation science and technology, the bulk of the effort is concerned with developing and implementing processes for the removal and concentration of actinides from waste streams contaminated by transuranic elements. In the area of waste management, investigations are underway on the performance of materials in projected nuclear repository conditions to provide input to the licensing of the nation`s high-level waste repositories.

Nuclear Technology Programs semiannual progress report, April-- September 1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harmon, J.E.

1992-06-01

This document reports on the work done by the Nuclear Technology Programs of the Chemical Technology Division, Argonne National Laboratory, in the period April--September 1990. These programs involve R ampersand D in three areas: applied physical chemistry, separation science and technology, and nuclear waste management. The work in applied physical chemistry includes investigations into the processes that control the release and transport of fission products under accident-like conditions in a light water reactor, the thermophysical properties of the metal fuel in the Integral Fast Reactor, and the properties of selected materials in environments simulating those of fusion energy systems. In the area of separation science and technology, the bulk of the effort is concerned with developing and implementing processes for the removal and concentration of actinides from waste streams contaminated by transuranic elements. In the area of waste management, investigations are underway on the performance of materials in projected nuclear repository conditions to provide input to the licensing of the nation's high-level waste repositories

1: the atom. 2: radioactivity. 3: man and radiations. 4: the energy. 5: nuclear energy: fusion and fission. 6: the operation of a nuclear reactor. 7: the nuclear fuel cycle; 1: l'atome. 2: la radioactivite. 3: l'homme et les rayonnements. 4: l'energie. 5: l'energie nucleaire: fusion et fission. 6: le fonctionnement d'un reacteur nucleaire. 7: le cycle du combustible nucleaire

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2002-07-01

This series of 7 digest booklets present the bases of the nuclear physics and of the nuclear energy: 1 - the atom (structure of matter, chemical elements and isotopes, the four fundamental interactions, nuclear physics); 2 - radioactivity (definition, origins of radioelements, applications of radioactivity); 3 - man and radiations (radiations diversity, biological effects, radioprotection, examples of radiation applications); 4 - energy (energy states, different forms of energy, characteristics); 5 - nuclear energy: fusion and fission (nuclear energy release, thermonuclear fusion, nuclear fission and chain reaction); 6 - operation of a nuclear reactor (nuclear fission, reactor components, reactor types); 7 - nuclear fuel cycle (nuclear fuel preparation, fuel consumption, reprocessing, wastes management). (J.S.)

Extraction chromatography of fission products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonnevie-Svendsen, M.; Goon, K.

1978-01-01

Various cases of using extraction chromatography during analysis of fission products are reviewed. The use of the extraction chromatography method is considered while analysing reprocessed products of nuclear fuel for quantitative radiochemical analysis and control of fission product and actinoide separation during extraction and their chemical state in production solutions. The method is used to obtain pure fractions of typical burnup monitors (neodymium, molybdenum, cerium, cesium, europium, lanthanides) during determination of nuclear fuel burnup degree. While studying the nature of nuclear reactions the method is used to separate quickly short-life isotopes, to purify β-radiator fractions before measuring their half-life periods, to enrich isotopes forming with low output during fission. Examples of using extraction chromatography are given to separate long half-life or stable fission products from spent solutions, to control environment object contamination

On the fissionable materials management system in the process of nuclear disarmament

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vikharev, S.S.; Mikijchuk, N.B.; Pinaev, V.S.; Sudarushkin, I.S.; Yuferev, V.I.

1994-01-01

Various scenarios of nuclear weapons proliferation and goals of fissionable material accounting and control system (FMACS) are considered. Ways of improving FMACS in Russia under a complicated social situation are discussed. This improvement should follow two directions: introduction of non-destructive control methods and accounting and control process automation

Accidental behaviour of nuclear fuel in a warehousing site under air: investigation of the nuclear ceramic oxidation and of fission gas release

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Desgranges, L.

2006-12-01

After a brief presentation of the context of his works, i.e. the nuclear fuel, its behaviour in a nuclear reactor, and studies performed in high activity laboratory, the author more precisely presents its research topic: the behaviour of defective nuclear fuel in air. Then, he describes the researches performed in three main directions: firstly, the characterization and understanding of fission gas localisation (experimental localisation, understanding of the bubble forming mechanisms), secondly, the determination of mechanisms related to oxidation (atomic mechanisms related to UO 2 oxidation, oxidation of fragments of irradiated fuel, the CROCODILE installation). He finally presents his scientific project which notably deals with fission gas release (from UO 2 to U 3 O 7 , and from U 3 O 7 to U 3 O 8 ), and with further high activity laboratory experiments

Sommerfeld-Watson transformation for nuclear fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexandru, G.

1978-01-01

It is proved that the fission matrix element can be written like a Sommerfeld-Watson relation. This leads to a dispersion relation for the fission process in which the substraction term is uniquely determined. (author)

Fission Product Experimental Program: Validation and Computational Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leclaire, N.; Ivanova, T.; Letang, E. [Inst Radioprotect and Surete Nucl, F-92262 Fontenay Aux Roses (France); Girault, E. [CEA Valduc, Serv Rech Neutron and Critcite, 21 - Is-sur-Tille (France); Thro, J. F. [AREVA NC, F-78000 Versailles (France)

2009-02-15

From 1998 to 2004, a series of critical experiments referred to as the fission product (FP) experimental program was performed at the Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique Valduc research facility. The experiments were designed by Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire (IRSN) and funded by AREVA NC and IRSN within the French program supporting development of a technical basis for burnup credit validation. The experiments were performed with the following six key fission products encountered in solution either individually or as mixtures: {sup 103}Rh, {sup 133}Cs, {sup nat}Nd, {sup 149}Sm, {sup 152}Sm, and {sup 155}Gd. The program aimed at compensating for the lack of information on critical experiments involving FPs and at establishing a basis for FPs credit validation. One hundred forty-five critical experiments were performed, evaluated, and analyzed with the French CRISTAL criticality safety package and the American SCALE5. 1 code system employing different cross-section libraries. The aim of the paper is to show the experimental data potential to improve the ability to perform validation of full burnup credit calculation. The paper describes three Phases of the experimental program; the results of preliminary evaluation, the calculation, and the sensitivity/uncertainty study of the FP experiments used to validate the APOLLO2-MORET 4 route in the CRISTAL criticality package for burnup credit applications. (authors)

Nuclear fission: reaction to the discovery in 1939

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Badash, L.; Hodes, E.; Tiddens, A.

1985-01-01

Historical aspects of the behavior of scientists in the aftermath of the discovery of nuclear fission are presented. An extensive background section is given which documents the worldwide discussion of atomic energy over the preceding four decades. A second section briefly surveys the research highlights of 1939. The third section examines the reactions of scientists, primarily in the United States, and includes coverage by newspapers, magazines and radio. The final section includes a number of themes to explain why there was little acknowledgment of the potential of the bomb to affect personal morality, the scientific community and international relations

Low energy nuclear fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nifenecker, H.

1982-02-01

In these lectures we present the liquid drop model of fission and compare some of its prediction with experiment. The liquid drop analogy allows to define in a rather simple and intuitive way a number of useful concepts and possible observables. We then discuss, using the example of the oscillator model, the generality of shell effects. We show how a synthesis of the liquid drop model and of the shell model can be made using the Strutinsky shell averaging procedure. Some experimental data related to the existence of shape isomers are presented and discussed. We conclude by discussing some aspects, both experimental and theoretical, of fission dynamics

Disposition of plutonium from dismantled nuclear weapons: Fission options and comparisons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Omberg, R.P.; Walter, C.E.

1993-01-01

Over the next decade, the United States expects to recover about 50 Mg of excess weapon plutonium and the Republic of Russia expects to recover a similar amount. Ensuring that these large quantities of high-grade material are not reused in nuclear weapons has drawn considerable attention. In response to this problem, the US Department of Energy (DOE) chartered the Plutonium Disposition Task Force (PDTF), in the summer of 1992, to assess a range of practical means for disposition of excess US plutonium. This report summarizes and compares the ''Fission Options'' provided to the Fission Working Group Review Committee (the committee) of the PDTF. The review by the committee was based on preliminary information received as of December 4, 1992, and as such the results summarized in this report should also be considered preliminary. The committee concluded that irradiation of excess weapon plutonium in fission reactors in conjunction with the generation of electricity and storing the spent fuel is a fast, cost-effective, and environmentally acceptable method of addressing the safeguards (diversion) issue. When applied appropriately, this method is consistent with current nonproliferation policy. The principal effect of implementing the fission options is at most a moderate addition of plutonium to that existing in commercial spent fuel. The amount of plutonium in commercial spent fuel by the year 2000 is estimated to be 300 Mg. The addition of 50 Mg of excess weapon plutonium, in this context, is not a determining factor, moreover, several of the fission options achieve substantial annihilation of plutonium

MACK/MACKLIB system for nuclear response functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdou, M.A.; Gohar, Y.M.

1978-01-01

The MACK computer program calculates energy pointwise and multigroup nuclear response functions from basic nuclear data in ENDF/B format. The new version of the program MACK-IV, incorporates major developments and improvements aimed at maximizing the utilization of available nuclear data and ensuring energy conservation in nuclear heating calculations. A new library, MACKLIB-IV, of nuclear response functions was generated in the CTR energy group structure of 171 neutron groups and 36 gamma groups. The library was prepared using MACK-IV and ENDF/B-IV and is suitable for fusion, fusion-fission hydrids, and fission applications

MACK/MACKLIB system for nuclear response functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdou, M.A.; Gohar, Y.

1978-01-01

The MACK computer program calculates energy pointwise and multigroup nuclear response functions from basic nuclear data in ENDF/B format. The new version of the program, MACK-IV, incorporates major developments and improvements aimed at maximizing the utilization of available nuclear data and ensuring energy conservation in nuclear heating calculations. A new library, MACKLIB-IV, of nuclear response functions was generated in the CTR energy group structure of 171 neutron groups and 36 gamma groups. The library was prepared using MACK-IV, and ENDF/B-IV, and is suitable for fusion, fusion--fission hybrids, and fission applications. 3 figures, 4 tables

MACK/MACKLIB system for nuclear response functions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abdou, M.A.; Gohar, Y.M.

1978-03-15

The MACK computer program calculates energy pointwise and multigroup nuclear response functions from basic nuclear data in ENDF/B format. The new version of the program MACK-IV, incorporates major developments and improvements aimed at maximizing the utilization of available nuclear data and ensuring energy conservation in nuclear heating calculations. A new library, MACKLIB-IV, of nuclear response functions was generated in the CTR energy group structure of 171 neutron groups and 36 gamma groups. The library was prepared using MACK-IV and ENDF/B-IV and is suitable for fusion, fusion-fission hydrids, and fission applications.

FPFPspace2: A code for following airborne fission products in generic nuclear plant flow paths

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Owcarski, P.C.; Burk, K.W.; Ramsdell, J.V.; Yasuda, D.D.

1991-03-01

In order to assure that a nuclear power plant control room remains habitable during certain types of postulated accidents, Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) has undertaken a special study for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This purpose of this study is to develop software that can aid in the analyses of control room habitability during accidents in which airborne fission products could challenge internal air pathways to the control room. PNL has completed an initial version (FPFP) and final version (FPFP 2) of a software package that can estimate the unsteady-state invasion of quantities of fission products into the control room or any other destination within the nuclear plant via generic internal flow paths. This report consists of three parts: Section 2.0, Technical Bases, describes the flow path components and mechanisms of natural fission product deposition; Section 3.0, FPFP 2 Code Description, describes code organization and the functions of the subroutines; and Section 4.0, Code Operation, discusses details of input requirements, code output, and a sample case demonstration. The appendices consist of an FPFP 2 Fortran code listing, a listing of a code for building input files, forms for building input files, and the sample case input and output files. 7 refs., 3 figs

Fission products in National Atmospheric Deposition Program—Wet deposition samples prior to and following the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant incident, March 8?April 5, 2011

Science.gov (United States)

Wetherbee, Gregory A.; Debey, Timothy M.; Nilles, Mark A.; Lehmann, Christopher M.B.; Gay, David A.

2012-01-01

Radioactive isotopes I-131, Cs-134, or Cs-137, products of uranium fission, were measured at approximately 20 percent of 167 sampled National Atmospheric Deposition Program monitoring sites in North America (primarily in the contiguous United States and Alaska) after the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant incident on March 12, 2011. Samples from the National Atmospheric Deposition Program were analyzed for the period of March 8-April 5, 2011. Calculated 1- or 2-week radionuclide deposition fluxes at 35 sites from Alaska to Vermont ranged from 0.47 to 5,100 Becquerels per square meter during the sampling period of March 15-April 5, 2011. No fission-product isotopes were measured in National Atmospheric Deposition Program samples obtained during March 8-15, 2011, prior to the arrival of contaminated air in North America.

Calculation of fission gases internal pressure in nuclear fuel rods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasconcelos Santana, M. de.

1981-12-01

Models concerning the principal phenomena, particularly thermal expansion, fuel swelling, densification, reestructuring, relocation, mechanical strain, fission gas production and release, direct or indirectly important to calculate the internal pressure in nuclear fuel rods were analysed and selected. Through these analyses a computer code was developed to calculate fuel pin internal pressure evolution. Three different models were utilized to calculate the internal pressure in order to select the best and the most conservative estimate. (Author) [pt

General Description of Fission Observables - JEFF Report 24. GEF Model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, Karl-Heinz; Jurado, Beatriz; Amouroux, Charlotte

2014-06-01

The Joint Evaluated Fission and Fusion (JEFF) Project is a collaborative effort among the member countries of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) Data Bank to develop a reference nuclear data library. The JEFF library contains sets of evaluated nuclear data, mainly for fission and fusion applications; it contains a number of different data types, including neutron and proton interaction data, radioactive decay data, fission yield data and thermal scattering law data. The General fission (GEF) model is based on novel theoretical concepts and ideas developed to model low energy nuclear fission. The GEF code calculates fission-fragment yields and associated quantities (e.g. prompt neutron and gamma) for a large range of nuclei and excitation energy. This opens up the possibility of a qualitative step forward to improve further the JEFF fission yields sub-library. This report describes the GEF model which explains the complex appearance of fission observables by universal principles of theoretical models and considerations on the basis of fundamental laws of physics and mathematics. The approach reveals a high degree of regularity and provides a considerable insight into the physics of the fission process. Fission observables can be calculated with a precision that comply with the needs for applications in nuclear technology. The relevance of the approach for examining the consistency of experimental results and for evaluating nuclear data is demonstrated. (authors)

Sustainable, Full-Scope Nuclear Fission Energy at Planetary Scale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert Petroski

2012-11-01

Full Text Available A nuclear fission-based energy system is described that is capable of supplying the energy needs of all of human civilization for a full range of human energy use scenarios, including both very high rates of energy use and strikingly-large amounts of total energy-utilized. To achieve such “planetary scale sustainability”, this nuclear energy system integrates three nascent technologies: uranium extraction from seawater, manifestly safe breeder reactors, and deep borehole disposal of nuclear waste. In addition to these technological components, it also possesses the sociopolitical quality of manifest safety, which involves engineering to a very high degree of safety in a straightforward manner, while concurrently making the safety characteristics of the resulting nuclear systems continually manifest to society as a whole. Near-term aspects of this nuclear system are outlined, and representative parameters given for a system of global scale capable of supplying energy to a planetary population of 10 billion people at a per capita level enjoyed by contemporary Americans, i.e., of a type which might be seen a half-century hence. In addition to being sustainable from a resource standpoint, the described nuclear system is also sustainable with respect to environmental and human health impacts, including those resulting from severe accidents.

Nuclear Technology Programs semiannual progress report, October 1987--March 1988

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harmon, J.E.

1990-08-01

This document reports on the work done by the Nuclear Technology Programs of the Chemical Technology Division, Argonne National Laboratory, in the period October 1987--March 1988. Work in applied physical chemistry included investigations into the processes that control the release and transport of fission products under accident-like conditions, the thermophysical properties of metal fuel and blanket materials of the Integral Fast Reactor, and the properties of selected materials in environments simulating those of fusion energy systems. In the area of separation science and technology, the bulk of the effort is concerned with developing and implementing processes for the removal and concentration of actinides from waste streams contaminated by transuranic elements. Another effort is concerned with examining the feasibility of substituting low-enriched for high-enriched uranium in the production of fission product 99 Mo. In the area of waste management, investigations are underway on the performance of materials in projected nuclear repository conditions to provide input to the licensing of the nation's high-level waste repositories

The Sustainable Nuclear Future: Fission and Fusion E.M. Campbell Logos Technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, E. Michael

2010-02-01

Global industrialization, the concern over rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere and other negative environmental effects due to the burning of hydrocarbon fuels and the need to insulate the cost of energy from fuel price volatility have led to a renewed interest in nuclear power. Many of the plants under construction are similar to the existing light water reactors but incorporate modern engineering and enhanced safety features. These reactors, while mature, safe and reliable sources of electrical power have limited efficiency in converting fission power to useful work, require significant amounts of water, and must deal with the issues of nuclear waste (spent fuel), safety, and weapons proliferation. If nuclear power is to sustain its present share of the world's growing energy needs let alone displace carbon based fuels, more than 1000 reactors will be needed by mid century. For this to occur new reactors that are more efficient, versatile in their energy markets, require minimal or no water, produce less waste and more robust waste forms, are inherently safe and minimize proliferation concerns will be necessary. Graphite moderated, ceramic coated fuel, and He cooled designs are reactors that can satisfy these requirements. Along with other generation IV fast reactors that can further reduce the amounts of spent fuel and extend fuel resources, such a nuclear expansion is possible. Furthermore, facilities either in early operations or under construction should demonstrate the next step in fusion energy development in which energy gain is produced. This demonstration will catalyze fusion energy development and lead to the ultimate development of the next generation of nuclear reactors. In this presentation the role of advanced fission reactors and future fusion reactors in the expansion of nuclear power will be discussed including synergies with the existing worldwide nuclear fleet. )

Computations of nuclear response functions with MACK-IV

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdou, M.A.; Gohar, Y.

1978-01-01

The MACK computer program calculates energy pointwise and multigroup nuclear response functions from basic nuclear data in ENDF/B format. The new version of the program, MACK-IV, incorporates major developments and improvements aimed at maximizing the utilization of available nuclear data and ensuring energy conservation in nuclear heating calculations. A new library, MACKLIB-IV, of nuclear response functions was generated in the CTR energy group structure of 171 neutron groups and 36 gamma groups. The library was prepared using MACK-IV and ENDF/B-IV and is suitable for fusion, fusion-fission hybrids, and fission applications

Computations of nuclear response functions with MACK-IV

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abdou, M A; Gohar, Y

1978-01-01

The MACK computer program calculates energy pointwise and multigroup nuclear response functions from basic nuclear data in ENDF/B format. The new version of the program, MACK-IV, incorporates major developments and improvements aimed at maximizing the utilization of available nuclear data and ensuring energy conservation in nuclear heating calculations. A new library, MACKLIB-IV, of nuclear response functions was generated in the CTR energy group structure of 171 neutron groups and 36 gamma groups. The library was prepared using MACK-IV and ENDF/B-IV and is suitable for fusion, fusion-fission hybrids, and fission applications.

Fission decay properties of nuclear giant multipole resonances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dias, H.; Arruda Neto, J.D.T.; Hussein, M.S.; Carlson, B.V.

1986-05-01

The statistical fission decay properties of the giant dipole, quadrupole and monopole resonances in 236 U are investigated with the aid of the Hauser-Feshbach model. It is found, contrary to several recent claims, that the GQR fission decay probability is as large as that of the GDR, at energies higher than the fission barrier. At energies close to the f.b., the GQR fission probability is found to be appreciably larger than that of the GDR. The GMR fission probability follows closely that of the GQR. (Author) [pt

The programme 'fission product deposition' at the IRB of Juelich nuclear research centre

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gottaut, H.; Iniotakis, N.; Malinowski, J.; Muenchow, K.H.; Sackmann, B.

1976-01-01

The transport and deposition behaviour of the non-gaseous fission and activation products in the primary circuit of HTR-type reactors determines the possibility of inspection and maintenance of single components of the primary circuit as well as the safety of the reactor in normal operation and during accidents. For the investigation of these problems, the programme 'fission product deposition' was started at Juelich nuclear research centre in 1969 in cooperation with a number of industrial firms. The programme covers in-pile and out-of-pile experiments, in which the HTR conditions are simulated as realistically as possible, as well as various laboratory experiments and extensive theoretical studies. It is the objective of this work to establish a realistic physical model and computer programme with which the transport and deposition of nuclides in the primary circuit of HTR reactors can be calculated in advance. A report is given on the experimental and theoretical studies carried out at the IRB of Juelich nuclear research centre. (orig./AK) [de

Mitochondrial fission proteins regulate programmed cell death in yeast

OpenAIRE

Fannjiang, Yihru; Cheng, Wen-Chih; Lee, Sarah J.; Qi, Bing; Pevsner, Jonathan; McCaffery, J. Michael; Hill, R. Blake; Basañez, Gorka; Hardwick, J. Marie

2004-01-01

The possibility that single-cell organisms undergo programmed cell death has been questioned in part because they lack several key components of the mammalian cell death machinery. However, yeast encode a homolog of human Drp1, a mitochondrial fission protein that was shown previously to promote mammalian cell death and the excessive mitochondrial fragmentation characteristic of apoptotic mammalian cells. In support of a primordial origin of programmed cell death involving mitochondria, we fo...

Nuclear safeguards research and development. Program status report, October 1980-January 1981

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henry, C.N.

1981-11-01

This report presents the status of the Nuclear Safeguards Research and Development Program pursued by the Energy, Chemistry-Materials Science, and Operational Security/Safeguards Divisions of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Topics include nondestructive assay technology development and applications, international safeguards systems. Also discussed are training courses, technology transfer, analytical chemistry methods for fissionable materials safeguards, the Department of Energy Computer Security Technical Center, and operational security

Nuclear safeguards research and development. Program status report, October 1980-January 1981

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Henry, C.N. (comp.)

1981-11-01

This report presents the status of the Nuclear Safeguards Research and Development Program pursued by the Energy, Chemistry-Materials Science, and Operational Security/Safeguards Divisions of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Topics include nondestructive assay technology development and applications, international safeguards systems. Also discussed are training courses, technology transfer, analytical chemistry methods for fissionable materials safeguards, the Department of Energy Computer Security Technical Center, and operational security.

Needs and accuracy requirements for fission product nuclear data in the physics design of power reactor cores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rowlands, J.L.

1978-01-01

The fission product nuclear data accuracy requirements for fast and thermal reactor core performance predictions were reviewed by Tyror at the Bologna FPND Meeting. The status of the data was assessed at the Meeting and it was concluded that the requirements of thermal reactors were largely met, and the yield data requirements of fast reactors, but not the cross section requirements, were met. However, the World Request List for Nuclear Data (WRENDA) contains a number of requests for fission product capture cross sections in the energy range of interest for thermal reactors. Recent reports indicate that the fast reactor reactivity requirements might have been met by integral measurements made in zero power critical assemblies. However, there are requests for the differential cross sections of the individual isotopes to be determined in addition to the integral data requirements. The fast reactor requirements are reviewed, taking into account some more recent studies of the effects of fission products. The sodium void reactivity effect depends on the fission product cross sections in a different way to the fission product reactivity effect in a normal core. This requirement might call for different types of measurement. There is currently an interest in high burnup fuel cycles and alternative fuel cycles. These might require more accurate fission product data, data for individual isotopes and data for capture products. Recent calculations of the time dependence of fission product reactivity effects show that this is dependent upon the data set used and there are significant uncertainties. Some recent thermal reactor studies on approximations in the treatment of decay chains and the importance of xenon and samarium poisoning are also summarized. (author)

Nuclear fission: a review of experimental advances and phenomenology

Science.gov (United States)

Andreyev, A. N.; Nishio, K.; Schmidt, K.-H.

2018-01-01

In the last two decades, through technological, experimental and theoretical advances, the situation in experimental fission studies has changed dramatically. With the use of advanced production and detection techniques both much more detailed and precise information can now be obtained for the traditional regions of fission research and, crucially, new regions of nuclei have become routinely accessible for fission studies. This work first of all reviews the recent developments in experimental fission techniques, in particular the resurgence of transfer-induced fission reactions with light and heavy ions, the emerging use of inverse-kinematic approaches, both at Coulomb and relativistic energies, and of fission studies with radioactive beams. The emphasis on the fission-fragment mass and charge distributions will be made in this work, though some of the other fission observables, such as prompt neutron and γ-ray emission will also be reviewed. A particular attention will be given to the low-energy fission in the so far scarcely explored nuclei in the very neutron-deficient lead region. They recently became the focus for several complementary experimental studies, such as β-delayed fission with radioactive beams at ISOLDE(CERN), Coulex-induced fission of relativistic secondary beams at FRS(GSI), and several prompt fusion–fission studies. The synergy of these approaches allows a unique insight in the new region of asymmetric fission around {\\hspace{0pt}}180 Hg, recently discovered at ISOLDE. Recent extensive theoretical efforts in this region will also be outlined. The unprecedented high-quality data for fission fragments, completely identified in Z and A, by means of reactions in inverse kinematics at FRS(GSI) and VAMOS(GANIL) will be also reviewed. These experiments explored an extended range of mercury-to-californium elements, spanning from the neutron-deficient to neutron-rich nuclides, and covering both asymmetric, symmetric and transitional fission regions

International conference on fifty years research in nuclear fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-02-01

These proceedings contain extended abstracts of the papers presented at the named conference. They deal with static properties of fission, instrumentation for fission studies, fission in compound-nucleus reactions, fission dynamics, fission-like heavy ion reactions, and fusion reactions. See hints under the relevant topics. (HSI)

Specialists' meeting on role of fission products in whole core accidents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1977-07-01

Safety of nuclear reactors has been a central concern of the nuclear energy industry from the very beginning. This concern, and the resultant excellence of design, fabrication, and operation, aided by extensive engineered safety features, has given nuclear energy its superior record of protection of the environment and of the public health and safety. With respect to the fast reactor, it was recognized early in the program that there exists a theoretical possibility of a core compaction leading to significant energy release. The considerations of fission product effects are primarily on of the main concerns in evaluation of safety issues. Since fission products have the potential for dispersing fuel from the core region and thereby producing reactor shutdown, knowledge of their effects can contribute to demonstrating that there is a low probability producing whole-core involvement. Similarly, knowledge of fission product effects can contribute to demonstrating that there is a low probability of a whole-core disruptive accident leading to sufficient energy release to challenge the containment capability.

Specialists' meeting on role of fission products in whole core accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-01-01

Safety of nuclear reactors has been a central concern of the nuclear energy industry from the very beginning. This concern, and the resultant excellence of design, fabrication, and operation, aided by extensive engineered safety features, has given nuclear energy its superior record of protection of the environment and of the public health and safety. With respect to the fast reactor, it was recognized early in the program that there exists a theoretical possibility of a core compaction leading to significant energy release. The considerations of fission product effects are primarily on of the main concerns in evaluation of safety issues. Since fission products have the potential for dispersing fuel from the core region and thereby producing reactor shutdown, knowledge of their effects can contribute to demonstrating that there is a low probability producing whole-core involvement. Similarly, knowledge of fission product effects can contribute to demonstrating that there is a low probability of a whole-core disruptive accident leading to sufficient energy release to challenge the containment capability

Status of fission power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levenson, M.

1977-01-01

Fission energy is reviewed from the viewpoints of technology, economics, politics, manufacturers, consumers, and foreign countries. Technically, the reactor program is operating and the light water reactor industry shows signs of maturing, although recent business has been disappointing. Marketing of gas-cooled reactors depends, not on technical, but economic and political issues. Liquid metal fast breeder reactors have been demonstrated worldwide, while the gas-cooled fast breeder remains an undemonstrated option. Nuclear plants, currently costing the same as coal plants with scrubbers, are the cheapest option for utilities because most of the cost is imbedded. The defeat of nuclear initiatives in seven states indicates that public feeling is not as anti-nuclear as opponents to nuclear power claim. The harshness of last winter demonstrated the advantages of a power source that is not so sensitive to the weather for reliable operation and transport, as well as low cost energy. Other nations are proceeding to build a nuclear capability, which the U.S. may jeopardize because of concerns about the fuel cycle, nuclear waste disposal, uranium reserves, and nuclear proliferation

ENDF/B-5. Fission Product Yields File

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwerer, O.

1985-10-01

The ENDF/B-5 Fission Product Yields File contains a complete set of independent and cumulative fission product yields, representing the final data from ENDF/B-5 as received at the IAEA Nuclear Data Section in June 1985. Yields for 11 fissioning nuclides at one or more neutron incident energies are included. The data are available costfree on magnetic tape from the IAEA Nuclear Data Section. (author). 4 refs

Nuclear Technology Programs semiannual progress report, April-- September 1990

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harmon, J.E. (ed.)

1992-06-01

This document reports on the work done by the Nuclear Technology Programs of the Chemical Technology Division, Argonne National Laboratory, in the period April--September 1990. These programs involve R D in three areas: applied physical chemistry, separation science and technology, and nuclear waste management. The work in applied physical chemistry includes investigations into the processes that control the release and transport of fission products under accident-like conditions in a light water reactor, the thermophysical properties of the metal fuel in the Integral Fast Reactor, and the properties of selected materials in environments simulating those of fusion energy systems. In the area of separation science and technology, the bulk of the effort is concerned with developing and implementing processes for the removal and concentration of actinides from waste streams contaminated by transuranic elements. In the area of waste management, investigations are underway on the performance of materials in projected nuclear repository conditions to provide input to the licensing of the nation's high-level waste repositories.

Nuclear technology programs. Semiannual progress report, April--September 1991

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-07-01

This document reports on the work done by the Nuclear Technology Programs of the Chemical Technology Division, Argonne National Laboratory, in the period April through September 1991. These programs involve R ampersand D in three areas: applied physical chemistry, separation science and technology, and nuclear waste management. The work in applied physical chemistry includes investigations into the processes that control the release and transport of fission products under accident-like conditions in a light water reactor, the thermophysical properties of the metal fuel in the Integral Fast Reactor, and the properties of selected materials in environments simulating those of fusion energy systems. In the area of separation science and technology, the bulk of the effort is concerned with developing and implementing processes for the removal and concentration of actinides from waste streams contaminated by transuranic elements. In the area of waste management, investigations are underway on the performance of materials in projected nuclear repository conditions to provide input to the licensing of the nation's high-level waste repositories

International handling of fissionable material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1975-01-01

The opinion of the ministry for foreign affairs on international handling of fissionable materials is given. As an introduction a survey is given of the possibilities to produce nuclear weapons from materials used in or produced by power reactors. Principles for international control of fissionable materials are given. International agreements against proliferation of nuclear weapons are surveyed and methods to improve them are proposed. (K.K.)

Biological effects induced by low amounts of nuclear fission products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasilenko, I.Ya.; Shishkin, V.F.; Khudyakova, N.V.

1991-01-01

The review deals with the problem of biological hazard of low radiation doses for animals and human beings taking into the danger of internal and external irradiation by nuclear fission products under conditions of enhancing anthropogenic radiation contamination of biosphere. An attention is paid to the estimation of life span carcinogenesis, genetic and delayed effects. A conclusion is made on a necessity of multiaspect investigation of biological importance of low radiation doses taking into account modifying effects of other environmental factors

Potentials of fissioning plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karlheinz, Thom.

1979-01-01

Successful experiments with the nuclear pumping of lasers have demonstrated that in gaseous medium the kinetic energy of fission fragments can be converted directly into non-equilibrium optical radiation. This confirms the concept that the fissioning medium in a gas-phase nuclear reactor shows an internal structure such as a plasma in nearly thermal equilibrium varying up to a state of extreme-non-equilibrium. The accompanying variations of temperatures, pressure and radiative spectrum suggest wide ranges of applications. For example, in the gas-phase fission reactor concept enriched uranium hexafluoride or an uranium plasma replaces conventional fuel elements and permits operation above the melting point of solid materials. This potential has been motivation for the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to conduct relevant research for high specific impulse propulsion in space. The need to separate the high temperature gaseous fuel from the surfaces of a containing vessel and to protect them against thermal radiation has led to the concept of an externally moderated reactor in which the fissioning gaseous material is suspended by fluid dynamic means and the flow of opaque buffer gas removes the power. The gaseous nuclear fuel can slowly be circulated through the reactor for continuous on-site reprocessing including the annihilation of transuranium actinides at fission when being fed back into the reactor. An equilibrium of the generation and destruction of such actinides at fission when being fed back into the reactor. An equilibrium of the generation and destruction of such actinides can thus be achieved. These characteristics and the unique radiative properties led to the expectation that the gas-phase fission reactor could feature improved safety, safeguarding and economy, in addition to new technologies such as processing, photochemistry and the transmission of power over large distances in space

Determination of fission gas release of spent nuclear fuel in puncturing test and in leaching experiments under anoxic conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

González-Robles, E., E-mail: ernesto.gonzalez-robles@kit.edu [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal (KIT-INE), P.O. Box 3640, D-76021, Karlsruhe (Germany); Metz, V. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal (KIT-INE), P.O. Box 3640, D-76021, Karlsruhe (Germany); Wegen, D.H. [European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Transuranium Elements (JRC-ITU), P.O. Box 2340, 76125, Karlsruhe (Germany); Herm, M. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal (KIT-INE), P.O. Box 3640, D-76021, Karlsruhe (Germany); Papaioannou, D. [European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Transuranium Elements (JRC-ITU), P.O. Box 2340, 76125, Karlsruhe (Germany); Bohnert, E. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal (KIT-INE), P.O. Box 3640, D-76021, Karlsruhe (Germany); Gretter, R. [European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Transuranium Elements (JRC-ITU), P.O. Box 2340, 76125, Karlsruhe (Germany); Müller, N. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal (KIT-INE), P.O. Box 3640, D-76021, Karlsruhe (Germany); Nasyrow, R.; Weerd, W. de; Wiss, T. [European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Transuranium Elements (JRC-ITU), P.O. Box 2340, 76125, Karlsruhe (Germany); Kienzler, B. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal (KIT-INE), P.O. Box 3640, D-76021, Karlsruhe (Germany)

2016-10-15

During reactor operation the fission gases Kr and Xe are formed within the UO{sub 2} matrix of nuclear fuel. Their quantification is important to evaluate their impact on critical parameters regarding the fuel behaviour during irradiation and (long-term) interim storage, such as internal pressure of the fuel rod and fuel swelling. Moreover the content of Kr and Xe in the plenum of a fuel rod and their content in the UO{sub 2} fuel itself are widely used as indicators for the release properties of {sup 129}I, {sup 137}Cs, and other safety relevant radionuclides with respect to final disposal of spent nuclear fuel. The present study deals with the fission gas release from spent nuclear fuel exposed to simulated groundwater in comparison with the fission gas previously released to the fuel rod plenum during irradiation in reactor. In a unique approach we determined both the Kr and Xe inventories in the plenum by means of a puncturing test and in leaching experiments with a cladded fuel pellet and fuel fragments in bicarbonate water under 3.2 bar H{sub 2} overpressure. The fractional inventory of the fission gases released during irradiation into the plenum was (8.3 ± 0.9) %. The fraction of inventory of fission gases released during the leaching experiments was (17 ± 2) % after 333 days of leaching of the cladded pellet and (25 ± 2) % after 447 days of leaching of the fuel fragments, respectively. The relatively high release of fission gases in the experiment with fuel fragments was caused by the increased accessibility of water to the Kr and Xe occluded in the fuel.

Contribution to the study on and evaluation of radioactive waste generation in connection with the Brazilian Nuclear Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melo, J.M.D. de.

1978-12-01

A general description is given of the causes of pollution in the nuclear industry. Emphasis was given to the radioactive pollution, especially radioactivity of fission products (FP). Physical mathematical models were established to calculate the FP activities 'in' and 'out' of the reactor and the yearly accumulated activities. To calculate FP activities 'in' reactor, all physical process of formation and destruction of nuclides were considered: nuclear fission; neutron absorption and radioactivity decay. The necessary input data were analysed and criticised. The specific activities of the discharged fuel were calculated and also their evolution outside reactor. The annual accumulation of FP activities were also calculated for the reference case: the Brazilian Nuclear Program for a 50 year horizon. The results were commented and specific discussions and comparison with other similar studies were made. (Author) [pt

Asymmetry in ternary fission induced by polarized neutrons and fission mechanism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bunakov, V.E.; Gennenvajn, F.; Dzhessinger, P.; Mutterer, M.; Petrov, G.A.

2003-01-01

The results of measuring the P-odd, P-even (right-left) and T-odd asymmetries of the charged particles emission in the double and ternary fission, induced by the polarized neutrons, are considered. It is shown, what kind of information on the mechanism of the ternary nuclear fission may be obtained from the theoretical analysis of these data [ru

Metrology for New Generation Nuclear Power Plants - MetroFission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johansson, Lena; Dinsdale, Alan; Keightley, John; Filtz, Jean-Remy; Hay, Bruno; DeFelice, Pierino; Sadli, Mohamed; Plompen, Arjan; Heyse, Jan; Pomme, Stefaan; Cassette, Philippe

2013-06-01

MetroFission project has been looking at solving metrological problems related to a new generation of NPPs. The proposed Gen. IV NPPs are designed to run safely, make efficient use of natural resources, minimize the waste and maintain proliferation resistance. In order to reach these goals, the reactor operation involves higher temperatures, high-energy neutron fluence, different types of fuel where the minor actinides are included etc. The work has focused on improved temperature measurements, investigation of thermal properties of advanced materials, determination of new and relevant nuclear data and development of measurement techniques for radionuclides suitable for Gen. IV NPPs. The improved temperature measurement for nuclear power plant applications includes the development of a new Fe-C fixed point. Robust, repeatable and versatile cells have been constructed and compared with success among the project participants and their melting temperatures have been determined. Methodology of self-validating thermocouples has proven efficient at several fixed point temperatures using different designs. A practical acoustic thermometer has been tested at 1000 deg. C with success thanks to the use of innovative signal processing methods. Mo/Nb thermocouples have been obtained with different sheath materials and tested with the aim to achieve for the first time a reference function determined with the best possible uncertainties. Following reviews of designs and technology proposed for fourth generation nuclear plants effort within this project, with regards to thermal properties of advanced materials for nuclear design, has concentrated on provision of thermodynamic data to support the development of the sodium cooled fast reactor. Data has been critically assessed to represent the potential interaction between the Na coolant and the nuclear fuel taken to be based on (U, Pu)O 2 but incorporating minor actinides such as Np and Am. Data for the fission products and

BTC the UK focus for nuclear fission R and D in the post NDA era

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rice, T.G.; Carpenter, J.C.; Williamson, R.

2005-01-01

The BNFL Technology Centre at Sellafield, UK, will provide the focal point for nuclear fission R and D in the UK for the 21th Century. The facility provides a range of non-active, trace active, plutonium active and high active facilities enabling NSTS to support the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's remit to manage the UK's nuclear legacy and other requirements The facilities also provide an environment for academic research and foster the development of University Research Alliances. (Author)

Neutron-induced fission cross sections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weigmann, H.

1991-01-01

In the history of fission research, neutron-induced fission has always played the most important role. The practical importance of neutron-induced fission rests upon the fact that additional neutrons are produced in the fission process, and thus a chain reaction becomes possible. The practical applications of neutron-induced fission will not be discussed in this chapter, but only the physical properties of one of its characteristics, namely (n,f) cross sections. The most important early summaries on the subject are the monograph edited by Michaudon which also deals with the practical applications, the earlier review article on fission by Michaudon, and the review by Bjornholm and Lynn, in which neutron-induced fission receives major attention. This chapter will attempt to go an intermediate way between the very detailed theoretical treatment in the latter review and the cited monograph which emphasizes the applied aspects and the techniques of fission cross-section measurements. The more recent investigations in the field will be included. Section II will survey the properties of cross sections for neutron-induced fission and also address some special aspects of the experimental methods applied in their measurement. Section Ill will deal with the formal theory of neutron-induced nuclear reactions for the resolved resonance region and the region of statistical nuclear reactions. In Section IV, the fission width, or fission transmission coefficient, will be discussed in detail. Section V will deal with the broader structures due to incompletely damped vibrational resonances, and in particular will address the special case of thorium and neighboring isotopes. Finally, Section VI will briefly discuss parity violation effects in neutron-induced fission. 74 refs., 14 figs., 3 tabs

Fission dynamics in the proton induced fission of heavy nuclei

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rubchenya, V.A. E-mail: rubchen@phys.jyu.fi; Trzaska, W.H.; Itkis, I.M.; Itkis, M.G.; Kliman, J.; Kniajeva, G.N.; Kondratiev, N.A.; Kozulin, E.M.; Krupa, L.; Pokrovski, I.V.; Voskressenski, V.M.; Hanappe, F.; Materna, T.; Dorvaux, O.; Stuttge, L.; Chubarian, G.; Khlebnikov, S.V.; Vakhtin, D.N.; Lyapin, V.G

2004-04-05

Multi-parameter correlation study of the reaction {sup 242}Pu(p, f) at E{sub p} 13, 20 and 55 MeV has been carried out. Fission fragment mass and kinetic energy distributions and the double differential neutron spectra have been measured. It was observed that the two-humped shape of mass distributions prevailed up to highest proton energy. Manifestation of the nuclear shell Z 28 near fragment mass A{sub fr} = 70 has been detected. The experimental results were analyzed in the framework of a time-dependent statistical model with inclusion of nuclear friction effects in the fission process. The multi-parameter correlation study of the reaction.

fissioncore: A desktop-computer simulation of a fission-bomb core

Science.gov (United States)

Cameron Reed, B.; Rohe, Klaus

2014-10-01

A computer program, fissioncore, has been developed to deterministically simulate the growth of the number of neutrons within an exploding fission-bomb core. The program allows users to explore the dependence of criticality conditions on parameters such as nuclear cross-sections, core radius, number of secondary neutrons liberated per fission, and the distance between nuclei. Simulations clearly illustrate the existence of a critical radius given a particular set of parameter values, as well as how the exponential growth of the neutron population (the condition that characterizes criticality) depends on these parameters. No understanding of neutron diffusion theory is necessary to appreciate the logic of the program or the results. The code is freely available in FORTRAN, C, and Java and is configured so that modifications to accommodate more refined physical conditions are possible.

Fission dynamics with systems of intermediate fissility

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

results concerning nuclear dissipation and fission time-scale obtained from several of these studies. In particular ... alent to the assumption that fission is delayed, namely, that the fission probability is not .... parameters to be adjusted on the experimental data. ..... (b) Time distribution of all fission events for the 132Ce nucleus.

Relativistic Coulomb Fission

Science.gov (United States)

Norbury, John W.

1992-01-01

Nuclear fission reactions induced by the electromagnetic field of relativistic nuclei are studied for energies relevant to present and future relativistic heavy ion accelerators. Cross sections are calculated for U-238 and Pu-239 fission induced by C-12, Si-28, Au-197, and U-238 projectiles. It is found that some of the cross sections can exceed 10 b.

DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION (DEC) FISSION REACTORS - A U.S. NERI PROJECT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beller, D.; Polansky, G.

2000-01-01

The direct conversion of the electrical energy of charged fission fragments was examined early in the nuclear reactor era, and the first theoretical treatment appeared in the literature in 1957. Most of the experiments conducted during the next ten years to investigate fission fragment direct energy conversion (DEC) were for understanding the nature and control of the charged particles. These experiments verified fundamental physics and identified a number of specific problem areas, but also demonstrated a number of technical challenges that limited DEC performance. Because DEC was insufficient for practical applications, by the late 1960s most R and D ceased in the US. Sporadic interest in the concept appears in the literature until this day, but there have been no recent programs to develop the technology. This has changed with the Nuclear Energy Research Initiative that was funded by the U.S. Congress in 1999. Most of the previous concepts were based on a fission electric cell known as a triode, where a central cathode is coated with a thin layer of nuclear fuel. A fission fragment that leaves the cathode with high kinetic energy and a large positive charge is decelerated as it approaches the anode by a charge differential of several million volts, it then deposits its charge in the anode after its kinetic energy is exhausted. Large numbers of low energy electrons leave the cathode with each fission fragment; they are suppressed by negatively biased on grid wires or by magnetic fields. Other concepts include magnetic collimators and quasi-direct magnetohydrodynamic generation (steady flow or pulsed). We present the basic principles of DEC fission reactors, review the previous research, discuss problem areas in detail and identify technological developments of the last 30 years relevant to overcoming these obstacles. A prognosis for future development of direct energy conversion fission reactors will be presented

Initiation of a Nuclear Research Program at Fisk University in Cooperation with the Nuclear Physics Group at Vanderbilt University, August 15, 1997 - January 14, 2000

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Collins, W.E.; Hamilton, J.H.

2002-10-01

Carrying a spirit of a long history of cooperation in physics education and research between Fisk University and Vanderbilt University, the Nuclear Research Program in the Department of Physics at Fisk University was proposed in 1996 in cooperation with the Nuclear Physics Group at Vanderbilt University. An initial NRP program was commissioned in 1997 with the financial support from DOE. The program offers a great opportunity for students and faculty at Fisk University to directly access experimental nuclear data and analyzing facilities within the Nuclear Physics Group at Vanderbilt University for a quick start. During the program Fisk Faculty and students (along with the colleagues at Vanderbilt University) have achieved progress in a few areas. We have (a) established an in-house nuclear data processing and analysis program at Fisk University, (b) conducted hands-on nuclear physics experiments for a Fisk undergraduate student at Vanderbilt University, (c) participated in the UNIRIB research with radioactive ion beam and Recoil Mass Spectrometer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and (d) studied {sup 252}Cf spontaneous fission and in-beam nuclear reactions for exotic nuclei. Additionally, this work has produced publication in conference proceedings as well as referred journals. [2-7].

Laser Intertial Fusion Energy: Neutronic Design Aspects of a Hybrid Fusion-Fission Nuclear Energy System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kramer, Kevin James [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

2010-04-08

having a packing fraction of 20% in 2 cm diameter fuel pebbles. The fission blanket is cooled by the same radial flibe flow that travels through perforated ODS walls to the reflector blanket. This reflector blanket is 75 cm thick comprised of 2 cm diameter graphite pebbles cooled by flibe. The flibe extraction plenum surrounds the reflector bed. Detailed neutronics designs studies are performed to arrive at the described design. The LFFH engine thermal power is controlled using a technique of adjusting the ⁶Li/⁷Li enrichment in the primary and secondary coolants. The enrichment adjusts system thermal power in the design by increasing tritium production while reducing fission. To perform the simulations and design of the LFFH engine, a new software program named LFFH Nuclear Control (LNC) was developed in C++ to extend the functionality of existing neutron transport and depletion software programs. Neutron transport calculations are performed with MCNP5. Depletion calculations are performed using Monteburns 2.0, which utilizes ORIGEN 2.0 and MCNP5 to perform a burnup calculation. LNC supports many design parameters and is capable of performing a full 3D system simulation from initial startup to full burnup. It is able to iteratively search for coolant 6Li enrichments and resulting material compositions that meet user defined performance criteria. LNC is utilized throughout this study for time dependent simulation of the LFFH engine. Two additional methods were developed to improve the computation efficiency of LNC calculations. These methods, termed adaptive time stepping and adaptive mesh refinement were incorporated into a separate stand alone C++ library name the Adaptive Burnup Library (ABL). The ABL allows for other client codes to call and utilize its functionality. Adaptive time stepping is useful for automatically maximizing the size of the depletion time step while maintaining a desired level of accuracy. Adaptive meshing allows for analysis

Fission gas behaviour in water reactor fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

During irradiation, nuclear fuel changes volume, primarily through swelling. This swelling is caused by the fission products and in particular by the volatile ones such as krypton and xenon, called fission gas. Fission gas behaviour needs to be reliably predicted in order to make better use of nuclear fuel, a factor which can help to achieve the economic competitiveness required by today's markets. These proceedings communicate the results of an international seminar which reviewed recent progress in the field of fission gas behaviour in light water reactor fuel and sought to improve the models used in computer codes predicting fission gas release. State-of-the-art knowledge is presented for both uranium-oxide and mixed-oxide fuels loaded in water reactors. (author)

Review of ENDF/B-VI Fission-Product Cross Section

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wright, R.Q.

1999-01-01

In response to concerns raised in the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) Recommendation 93-2, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) developed a comprehensive program to help assure that the DOE maintain and enhance its capability to predict the criticality of systems throughout the complex. Tasks developed to implement the response to DNFSB recommendation 93-2 included Critical Experiments, Criticality Benchmarks, Training, Analytical Methods, and Nuclear Data. The Nuclear Data Task consists of a program of differential measurements at the Oak Ridge Electron Linear Accelerator (ORELA), precise fitting of the differential data with the generalized least-squares fitting code SAMMY to represent the data with resonance parameters using the Reich-Moore formalism along with covariance (uncertainty) information, and the development of complete evaluations for selected nuclides for inclusion in the Evaluated Nuclear Data File (ENDFB). The current ENDF/B library was developed for fast and thermal fission reactors and fusion reactors. Criticality safety practitioners recognize that many situations around the DOE complex are characterized by neutron spectra in the intermediate-energy region, as opposed to the high-energy region for fast reactors and fusion systems and the low-energy region for thermal reactors. Consequently, the Nuclear Data Task focuses primarily on the intermediate-energy region so that upgrades to existing evaluated data will remove deficiencies in the current ENDF/B evaluations. The ORELA allows high-resolution measurements in the intermediate-energy region and the SAMMY fitting code provides high quality resonance parameters in the resolved and unresolved energy range using the sophisticated Reich-Moore (RM) formalism for superior representation of the data in the intermediate energy region. In addition, the SAMMY fitting procedure provides covariance information for the resonance parameters that can be used in subsequent analyses to assess

On the combination of delayed neutron and delayed gamma techniques for fission rate measurement in nuclear fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Perret, G.; Jordan, K. A. [Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, 5232 (Switzerland)

2011-07-01

Novel techniques to measure newly induced fissions in spent fuel after re-irradiation at low power have been developed and tested at the Proteus zero-power research reactor. The two techniques are based on the detection of high energy gamma-rays emitted by short-lived fission products and delayed neutrons. The two techniques relate the measured signals to the total fission rate, the isotopic composition of the fuel, and nuclear data. They can be combined to derive better estimates on each of these parameters. This has potential for improvement in many areas. Spent fuel characterisation and safeguard applications can benefit from these techniques for non-destructive assay of plutonium content. Another application of choice is the reduction of uncertainties on nuclear data. As a first application of the combination of the delayed neutron and gamma measurement techniques, this paper shows how to reduce the uncertainties on the relative abundances of the longest delayed neutron group for thermal fissions in {sup 235}U, {sup 239}Pu and fast fissions in {sup 238}U. The proposed experiments are easily achievable in zero-power research reactors using fresh UO{sub 2} and MOX fuel and do not require fast extraction systems. The relative uncertainties (1{sigma}) on the relative abundances are expected to be reduced from 13% to 4%, 16% to 5%, and 38% to 12% for {sup 235}U, {sup 238}U and {sup 239}Pu, respectively. (authors)

Impact of fusion-fission hybrids on world nuclear future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdel-Khalick, S.; Jansen, P.; Kessler, G.; Klumpp, P.

1980-08-01

An investigation has been conducted to examine the impact of fusion-fission hybrids on world nuclear future. The primary objectives of this investigation have been: (1) to determine whether hybrids can allow us to meet the projected nuclear component of the world energy demand within current estimates of uranium resources without fast breeders, and (2) to identify the preferred hybrid concept from a resource standpoint. The results indicate that hybrids have the potential to lower the world uranium demand to values well below the resource base. However, the time window for hybrid introduction is quite near and narrow (2000-2020). If historical market penetration rates are assumed, the demand will not be met within the resource base unless hybrids are coupled to the breeders. The results also indicate that from a resource standpoint hybrids which breed their own tritium and have a low blanket energy multiplication are preferable. (orig.) [de

Role and use of nuclear theories and models in practical evaluation of neutron nuclear data needed for fission and fusion reactor design and other nuclear applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prince, A.

1975-01-01

A review of the various nuclear models used in the evaluation of neutron nuclear data for fission and fusion reactors is presented. Computer codes embodying the principles of the relevant nuclear models are compared with each other and with experimental data. The regions of validity and limitations of the conceptual formalisms are also included, along with the effects of the numerical procedures used in the codes themselves. Conclusions and recommendations for future demands are outlined.15 tables, 15 figures, 90 references

Study of the stability of the stationary wave of nuclear fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khotyanintsev, V.N.; Aksenov, A.V.; Khotyanintseva, E.N.; Pavlovich, V.N.

2014-01-01

Stability of the stationary wave of nuclear burning in fast reactor with uranium-plutonium fuel chain is investigated. The reactor model including 1-D diffusion equation in one-group approximation for neutron flux density and kinetic equations for nuclear densities describes slow evolution of nuclear densities followed by neutron flux. New analytical approach was proposed, which is based on the approximation of small wave velocity of the stationary wave. We obtain so-called wave velocity characteristic of the reactor which is the dependence of wave velocity to the effective absorber concentration. We show that due to instability of long-living 241 Pu a turning point and lower branch of stationary solutions appear. Numerical solution of the time dependent problem proves that the solutions of the lower branch are unstable. Thus, the turning point of the velocity characteristic corresponds to the lower margin of possible wave velocities of nuclear fission waves of the steady shape. At the same time the solutions of the upper branch are stable with respect to slow evolution of nuclear densities

Development of nuclear microfilters using the fission tracks registration technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamasaki, I.M.; Geraldo, L.P.

1990-10-01

Nuclear microfilters with mean pores diameter in the range from 1.9 to 10.6 μm have been produced using the fission tracks registration technique in Makrofol KG (8 μm thickness). Fluctuations around 11% and 10% were obtained respectively for the pores size and pores uniformity in the analysis of a typical sample of microfilter. The essential features of the microfilters were similar to those ones, commercially known as Nuclepore and thus they may be routinely employed in the several applications areas of the Industry and Biology. (author)

Nuclear technology programs; Semiannual progress report, October 1989--March 1990

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harmon, J.E. [ed.

1992-01-01

This document reports on the work done by the Nuclear Technology Programs of the Chemical Technology Division, Argonne National Laboratory, in the period October 1989--March 1990. These programs involve R&D in three areas: applied physical chemistry, separation science and technology, and nuclear waste management. The work in applied physical chemistry includes investigations into the processes that control the release and transport of fission products under accident-like conditions, the thermophysical properties of metal fuel and blanket materials of the Integral Fast Reactor, and the properties of selected materials in environments simulating those of fusion energy systems. In the area of separation science and technology, the bulk of the effort is concerned with developing and implementing processes for the removal and concentration of actinides from waste streams contaminated by transuranic elements. Another effort is concerned water waste stream generated in production of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene. In the area of waste management, investigations are underway on the performance of materials in projected nuclear repository conditions to provide input to the licensing of the nation`s high-level waste repositories.

Development of fission micro-chambers for nuclear waste incineration studies

CERN Document Server

Fadil, M; Christophe, S; Deruelle, O; Fioni, G; Marie, F; Mounier, C; Ridikas, D; Trapp, J P

2002-01-01

The Incineration by Accelerator (INCA) project of the Directorate for Science of Matter of the French Atomic Energy Authority (CEA/DSM) aims to outline the ideal physical conditions to transmute minor actinides in a high intensity neutron flux obtained either by hybrid systems or innovative critical reactors. To measure on-line the incineration rates of minor actinides, we are developing an innovative Double Deposit Fission Chamber (DDFC) working in current mode. Our method is based on a comparison between the isotope under study and a reference material whose nuclear parameters are well known, as sup 2 sup 3 sup 5 U and sup 2 sup 3 sup 9 Pu. This new fission chamber will be used in the High Flux Reactor in Grenoble/France in a neutron flux of 1.2x10 sup 1 sup 5 n cm sup - sup 2 s sup - sup 1 for 50 days, the operating cycle of the reactor. These specific experimental conditions require substantial modifications of the existing chambers. The first experiment will be carried out in fall 2000.

The role and use of nuclear theories and models in practical evaluation of neutron nuclear data needed for fission and fusion reactor design and other nuclear applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prince, A.

1976-01-01

A review of the various nuclear models used in the evaluation of neutron nuclear data for fission and fusion reactors is presented. Computer codes embodying the principles of the relevant nuclear models are compared with each other and with experimental data. The regions of validity and limitations of the conceptual formalisms are also included, along with the effects of the numerical procedures used in the codes themselves. Conclusions and recommendations for future demands are outlined. (author)

Behavior of Nb fission product during nuclear fuel reprocessing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gue, J.P.

1977-02-01

Investigations on niobium fission product behavior in nitric acid and tributyl phosphate media have been carried out in order to explain the difficulties encountered in separating this element from fissile materials during spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. The studies have shown that in nitric acid solution, pentavalent niobium has a colloidal hydroxide form. The so-obtained sols were characterized by light scattering, electronic microscopy, electrophoresis and ultracentrifugation methods. In heterogeneous extracting media containing tributyl phosphate and dibutyl phosphoric acid the niobium hydroxide sols could be flocculated by low dibutyl phosphoric acid concentration or extracted into the organic phase containing an excess of dibutyl phosphoric acid [fr

Program management plan for the conduct of a research, development, and demonstration program for improving the safety of nuclear powerplants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-12-01

Congress passed Public Law 96-567, Nuclear Safety Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1980, (hereafter referred to as the Act) to provide for an accelerated and coordinated program of light water reactor safety research, development, and demonstration to be carried out by the Department of Energy. In order to assure that this program would be compatible with the needs of Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and industry, the Department of Energy (DOE) initiated its response to Section 4 of the Act by conducting individual information gathering meetings with NRC and a wide cross section of the nuclear industry. The Department received recommendations on needs of what type of activities would and would not be appropriate for the Department to assist in satisfying these needs. Based on the evaluation of these inputs, it is concluded that the Department's ongoing Light Water Reactor (LWR) safety program is responsive to the Act. Specifically, the Department's ongoing program includes tasks in the areas of regulatory assessment, risk assessment, fission product source term, and emergency preparedness as well as providing technical assistance to the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) to improve training of nuclear power personnel. These were among the very high priority efforts that were identified as necessary and appropriate for support by the Department

Nuclear technology programs semiannual progress report, April--September 1989

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harmon, J.E.

1991-08-01

This document reports on the work done by the Nuclear Technology Program of the Chemical Technology Division, Argonne National Laboratory, in the period April--September 1989. These programs involve R ampersand D in three areas: applied physical chemistry, separation science and technology, and nuclear waste management. The work in applied physical chemistry includes investigations into the processes that control the release and transport of fission products under accident-like conditions, the thermophysical properties of metal fuel and blanket materials of the Integral Fast Reactor, and the properties of selected materials in environments simulating those of fusion energy systems. In the area of separation science and technology, the bulk of the effort is concerned with developing and implementing processes for the removal and concentration of actinides from waste streams contaminated by transuranic elements. Another effort is concerned with developing a process for separating the organic and inorganic constitutents of the red-water waste stream generated in production of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene. In the area of waste management, investigations are underway on the performance of materials in projected nuclear repository conditions to provide input to the licensing of the nation's high-level waste repositories. 154 refs., 154 figs., 100 tabs

The study of two, three and four dimensional nonlinear dynamics of nuclear fission reactors and effective parameters on its behaviour

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tajik, M.; Ghasemizad, A.

2008-01-01

In this research, new physical fission reactor parameters which have very sensitive effects on the qualitative behavior of a reactor, are introduced. Therefore, the two, the nonlinear dynamics of two, three and four dimensional, considering almost the effective parameters are formulated for describing nuclear fission reactor systems. Using both analytical and numerical methods, the stability and instability of the given dynamical equations and the conditions of stability are studied in these systems. We have shown that the two parameters of the mean energy residence time in fuel and coolant and also their ratios have the most qualitative effects on the dynamical behaviour of a typical nuclear fission reactor. Increasing or decreasing of these parameters from a captain limit can lead to stability or un stability in a given system

Impact of fusion-fission hybrids on world nuclear future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdel-Khalik, S.I.; Jansen, P.; Kessler, G.; Klumpp, P.

1981-01-01

An investigation has been conducted to examine the impact of fusion-fission hybrids on world nuclear future. The primary objectives of this investigation have been: (1) to determine whether hybrids can allow us to meet the projected nuclear component of the world energy demand within current estimates of uranium resources with or without fast breeders, and (2) to identify the preferred hybrid concept from a resource standpoint. The results indicate that hybrids have the potential to lower the world uranium demand to values well below the resource base. However, the time window for hybrid introduction is quite near and narrow (2000-2020). If historical market penetration rates are assumed, the demand will not be met within the resource base unless hybrids are coupled to the breeders. The results also indicate that from a resource standpoint hybrids which breed their own tritium and have a low blanket energy multiplication are preferable. (orig.) [de

Impact of fusion-fission hybrids on world nuclear future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdel-Khalik, S.I.

1980-01-01

An investigation has been conducted to examine the impact of fusion-fission hybrids on world nuclear future. The primary objectives of this investigation have been (1) to determine whether hybrids can allow us to meet the projected nuclear component of the world energy demand within current estimates of uranium resources with or without fast breeders, and (2) to identify the preferred hybrid concept from a resource standpoint. The results indicate that hybrids have the potential to lower the world uranium demand to values well below the resource base. However, the time window for hybrid introduction is quite near and narrow (2000-2020). If historical market penetration rates are assumed, the demand will not be met within the resource base unless hybrides are coupled to the breeders. The results also indicate that from a resource standpaint hybrids which breed their own tritium and have a low blanket energy multiplication are preferable. (orig.) [de

Nuclear fission fragment excitation of electronic transition laser media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lorents, D.C.; McCusker, M.V.; Rhodes, C.K.

1976-01-01

The properties of high energy electronic transition lasers excited by fission fragments are expanded. Specific characteristics of the media including density, excitation rates, wavelength, kinetics, fissile material, scale size, and medium uniformity are assessed. The use of epithermal neutrons, homogeneously mixed fissile material, and special high cross section nuclear isotopes to optimize coupling of the energy to the medium are shown to be important considerations maximizing the scale size, energy deposition, and medium uniformity. A performance limit point of approximately 1000 J/l in approximately 100 μs pulses is established for a large class of systems operating in the near ultraviolet and visible spectral regions. It is demonstrated that e-beam excitation can be used to simulate nuclear pumping conditions to facilitate the search for candidate media. Experimental data for the kinetics of a XeF* laser operating in Ar/Xe/F 2 /UF 6 mixtures are given. These reactor-pumped systems are suitable for scaling to volumes on the order of (meters) 3

Improving the safety of future nuclear fission power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frisch, W.; Gros, G.

2001-01-01

The main objectives and principles in nuclear fission reactor safety are presented, e.g. the defence in depth strategy and technical principles such as redundancy, diversity and physical separation. After a brief historical review of the continuous development of safety improvement, the most recent international discussion is presented. This includes mainly the international activities within IAEA and its International Nuclear Safety Advisory Group (INSAG). The safety improvement, presented in recommendations of IAEA and INSAG is expressed as an improvement of all elements and all levels of the defence in depth concept. Special emphasis is put on improvement of the highest level, which requires the implementation of means to mitigate consequences of accidents with severe core damage. The different future concepts are briefly characterised. Some examples from the French-German safety approach are taken to demonstrate how requirements for safety improvement by means of an enhancement of the defence in depth principle are developed

Nuclear irradiation parameters of beryllium under fusion, fission and IFMIF irradiation conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fischer, U.; Chen, Y.; Leichtle, D.; Simakov, S.; Moeslang, A.; Vladimirov, P.

2004-01-01

A computational analysis is presented of the nuclear irradiation parameters for Beryllium under irradiation in typical neutron environments of fission and fusion reactors, and of the presently designed intense fusion neutron source IFMIF. The analysis shows that dpa and Tritium production rates at fusion relevant levels can be achieved with existing high flux fission reactors while the achievable Helium production is too low. The resulting He-Tritium and He/dpa ratios do not meet typical fusion irradiation conditions. Irradiation simulations in the medium flux test modules of the IFMIF neutron source facility were shown to be more suitable to match fusion typical irradiation conditions. To achieve sufficiently high production rates it is suggested to remove the creep-fatigue testing machine together with the W spectra shifter plate and move the tritium release module upstream towards the high flux test module. (author)

Measurement of delayed neutron-emitting fission products in nuclear reactor coolant water during reactor operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1981-01-01

The method covers the detection and measurement of delayed neutron-emitting fission products contained in nuclear reactor coolant water while the reactor is operating. The method is limited to the measurement of the delayed neutron-emitting bromine isotope of mass 87 and the delayed neutron-emitting iodine isotope of mass 137. The other delayed neutron-emitting fission products cannot be accurately distinguished from nitrogen 17, which is formed under some reactor conditions by neutron irradiation of the coolant water molecules. The method includes a description of significance, measurement variables, interferences, apparatus, sampling, calibration, standardization, sample measurement procedures, system efficiency determination, calculations, and precision

Towards a microscopic description of the fission process

CERN Document Server

Goutte, H; Berger, J F

2010-01-01

One major issue in nuclear physics is to develop a consistent model able to describe on the same footing the different aspects of the fission process, i.e. properties of the fissioning system, fission dynamics and fragment distributions. Microscopic fission studies based on the mean-field approximation are here presented.

Nuclear molecules in low energy fission of actinides?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pyatkov, Yu.V.; Pashkevich, V.V.; Tishchenko, V.G.; Unzhakova, A.V.; )

2000-01-01

A comparison is presented of the fine structure (FS) of the both energy-mass and energy-charge distributions of the fission fragments of thermal neutron induced fission of uranium in the data obtained at different spectrometers. Some peculiarities of the FS observed can be treated as a manifestation of two different types of collective vibrations of the fissioning system on its way to scission [ru

Method to separate fission noble gases from gaseous wastes of a reprocessing plant for nuclear fuel material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schnez, H.

1977-01-01

In order to avoid the high cost expenditure in the separation of fission noble gases from waste gas of the head end, the following economical method is suggested: The fission noble gases released in the solvent - after grinding and burn-up of the nuclear fuel elements and dissolving in HNO 3 - are purified in a known method and collected in an equalizing tank. From here, the fission noble gas quantity necessary as washing gas is recycled into the solvent, so that a part of the fission noble gas quantity flows in a circuit. The quantity of fission noble gas not required for the above is separated from the circuit, compressed and put into a storage container from where it can be put into gas flashs or be recycled in the gas circuit where necessary. Furthermore, the method involves that to separate krypton, the filtered fission noble gas is compressed, cooled and rectified, whereby the krypton mixture taken from the rectification column is stored under high pressure and the gas part containing xenon, occuring as liquid, is at least partly fed back to the solvent. (HPH) [de

Monthly highlights for Office of Nuclear Regulatory research programs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fee, G.G.

1975-04-01

Summaries are given of the following programs: heavy section steel technology, fission product beta and gamma energy release, LOCA release from LWR fuel, multirod burst tests, Nuclear Safety Information Center, PWR blowdown heat transfer--separate effects, Zircaloy fuel cladding collapse studies, Zr metal--water oxidation kinetics, transient vaporization of LMFBR fuel, and HTGR safety analysis and research. Technical highlights and cost/budget reports are included. (U.S.)

Monthly highlights for Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research Programs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fee, G.G.

1976-02-01

Brief highlights are presented for the following activities: heavy section steel technology program, fission product β and γ energy release, LOCA release from LWR fuel, multirod burst tests, Nuclear Safety Information Center, PWR blowdown heat transfer-separate effects, zircaloy fuel cladding collapse studies, zirconium metal-water oxidation kinetics, aerosol release and transport from LMFBR fuel, HTGR safety analysis and research, and design criteria for piping and nozzles

ICENES '91:Sixth international conference on emerging nuclear energy systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-01-01

This document contains the program and abstracts of the sessions at the Sixth International Conference on Emerging Nuclear Energy Systems held June 16--21, 1991 at Monterey, California. These sessions included: The plenary session, fission session, fission and nonelectric session, poster session 1P; (space propulsion, space nuclear power, electrostatic confined fusion, fusion miscellaneous, inertial confinement fusion, μ-catalyzed fusion, and cold fusion); Advanced fusion session, space nuclear session, poster session 2P, (nuclear reactions/data, isotope separation, direct energy conversion and exotic concepts, fusion-fission hybrids, nuclear desalting, accelerator waste-transmutation, and fusion-based chemical recycling); energy policy session, poster session 3P (energy policy, magnetic fusion reactors, fission reactors, magnetically insulated inertial fusion, and nuclear explosives for power generation); exotic energy storage and conversion session; and exotic energy storage and conversion; review and closing session

Interim report on research between Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute on neutron-capture cross sections by long-lived fission product nuclides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Furutaka, Kazuyoshi; Nakamura, Shoji; Harada, Hideo

2004-03-01

Neutron capture cross sections of long-lived fission products (LLFP) are important quantities as fundamental data for the study of nuclear transmutation of radioactive wastes. Previously obtained thermal-neutron capture gamma-ray data were analyzed to deduce the partial neutron-capture cross sections of LLFPs including 99 Tc, 93 Zr, and 107 Pd for thermal neutrons. By comparing the decay gamma-ray data and prompt gamma-ray data for 99 Tc, the relation between the neutron-capture cross section deduced by the two different methods was studied. For the isotopes 93 Zr and 107 Pd, thermal neutron-capture gamma-ray production cross sections were deduced for the first time. The level schemes of 99 Tc, 93 Zr, and 107 Pd have also been constructed form the analyzed data and compared with previously reported levels. This work has been done under the cooperative program 'Neutron Capture Cross Sections of Long-Lived Fission products (LLFPs)' by Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). (author)

4π-spectrometer technique for measurements of secondary neutron average number in nuclear fission by 252Cf neutrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasil'ev, Yu.A.; Barashkov, Yu.A.; Golovanov, O.A.; Sidorov, L.V.

1977-01-01

A method for determining the average number of secondary neutrons anti ν produced in nuclear fission by the neutrons of the 252 Cf fission spectra by means of a 4π time-of-flight spectrometer is described. Layers of 252 Cf and an isotope studied are placed close to each other; if the isotope layer density is 1 mg/cm 2 probability of its fission is about 10 -5 per one spontaneous fission of californium. Fission fragments of 252 Cf and the isotope investigated have been detected by two surface-barrier counters with an efficiency close to 100%. The layers and the counters are situated in a measuring chamber placed in the center of the 4π time-of-flight spectrometer. The latter is utilized as a neutron counter because of its fast response. The method has been verified by carrying out measurements for 235 U and 239 Pu. A comparison of the experimental and calculated results shows that the method suggested can apply to determine the number of secondary neutrons in fission of isotopes that have not been investigated yet

The official website of the U.S. department of energy's nuclear criticality safety program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koponen, B.; Heinrichs, D.; Lee, C. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, CA (United States); Scott, L. [SAIC, Solana Beach, CA (United States)

2014-07-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP) mission is to provide sustainable expert leadership, direction, and the technical infrastructure necessary to develop, maintain, and disseminate the essential technical tools, training, and data to support safe, efficient fissionable material operations within the DOE. The NCSP Website site makes a variety of information available to the criticality safety practitioner, including reference materials, training modules and links to related sites. It assists criticality safety personnel to keep abreast of NCSP activities or current developments in criticality safety via a 'What's New' section within the Website. Convenient access to the many useful features of the Website is available via drop-down menus. The Website is also available to non-DOE and international professionals tasked with ensuring safe operations involving fissionable nuclear materials. (author)

ENDF/B-VII.1 Nuclear Data for Science and Technology: Cross Sections, Covariances, Fission Product Yields and Decay Data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chadwick, M.B.; Herman, M.; Author(s): Chadwick,M.B.; Herman,M.; Oblozinsky,P.; Dunn,M.E.; Danon,Y.; Kahler,A.C.; Smith,D.L.; Pritychenko,B.; Arbanas,G.; Arcilla,R.; Brewer,R.; Brown,D.A.; Capote,R.; Carlson,A.D.; Cho,Y.S.; Derrien,H.; Guber,K.; Hale,G.M.; Hoblit,S.; Holloway,S.: Johnson,T.D.; Kawano,T.; Kiedrowski,B.C.; Kim,H.; Kunieda,S.; Larson,N.M.; Leal,L.; Lestone,J.P.; Little,R.C.; McCutchan,E.A.; MacFarlane,R.E.; MacInnes,M.; Mattoon,C.M.; McKnight,R.D.; Mughabghab,S.F.; Nobre,G.P.A.; Palmiotti,G.; Palumbo,A.; Pigni,M.T.; Pronyaev,V.G.; Sayer,R.O.; Sonzogni,A.A.; Summers,N.C.; Talou,P.; Thompson,I.J.; Trkov,A.; Vogt,R.L.; van der Marck,S.C.; Wallner,A.; White,M.C.; Wiarda,D.; Young,P.G.

2011-12-01

The ENDF/B-VII.1 library is our latest recommended evaluated nuclear data file for use in nuclear science and technology applications, and incorporates advances made in the five years since the release of ENDF/B-VII.0. These advances focus on neutron cross sections, covariances, fission product yields and decay data, and represent work by the US Cross Section Evaluation Working Group (CSEWG) in nuclear data evaluation that utilizes developments in nuclear theory, modeling, simulation, and experiment. The principal advances in the new library are: (1) An increase in the breadth of neutron reaction cross section coverage, extending from 393 nuclides to 423 nuclides; (2) Covariance uncertainty data for 190 of the most important nuclides, as documented in companion papers in this edition; (3) R-matrix analyses of neutron reactions on light nuclei, including isotopes of He, Li, and Be; (4) Resonance parameter analyses at lower energies and statistical high energy reactions for isotopes of Cl, K, Ti, V, Mn, Cr, Ni, Zr and W; (5) Modifications to thermal neutron reactions on fission products (isotopes of Mo, Tc, Rh, Ag, Cs, Nd, Sm, Eu) and neutron absorber materials (Cd, Gd); (6) Improved minor actinide evaluations for isotopes of U, Np, Pu, and Am (we are not making changes to the major actinides {sup 235,238}U and {sup 239}Pu at this point, except for delayed neutron data and covariances, and instead we intend to update them after a further period of research in experiment and theory), and our adoption of JENDL-4.0 evaluations for isotopes of Cm, Bk, Cf, Es, Fm, and some other minor actinides; (7) Fission energy release evaluations; (8) Fission product yield advances for fission-spectrum neutrons and 14 MeV neutrons incident on {sup 239}Pu; and (9) A new decay data sublibrary. Integral validation testing of the ENDF/B-VII.1 library is provided for a variety of quantities: For nuclear criticality, the VII.1 library maintains the generally-good performance seen for VII.0

Least squares analysis of fission neutron standard fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Griffin, P.J.; Williams, J.G.

1997-01-01

A least squares analysis of fission neutron standard fields has been performed using the latest dosimetry cross sections. Discrepant nuclear data are identified and adjusted spectra for 252 Cf spontaneous fission and 235 U thermal fission fields are presented

High-power proton linac for transmuting the long-lived fission products in nuclear waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lawrence, G.P.

1991-01-01

High power proton linacs are being considered at Los Alamos as drivers for high-flux spallation neutron sources that can be used to transmute the troublesome long-lived fission products in defense nuclear waste. The transmutation scheme being studied provides a high flux (> 10{sup 16}/cm{sup 2}{minus}s) of thermal neutrons, which efficiently converts fission products to stable or short-lived isotopes. A medium-energy proton linac with an average beam power of about 110 MW can burn the accumulated Tc99 and I129 inventory at the DOE's Hanford Site within 30 years. Preliminary concepts for this machine are described. 3 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs.

Behavior of solid fission products in irradiated fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Ung Sup; Jung, Yang Hong; Kim, Hee Moon; Yoo, Byun Gok; Kim, Do Sik; Choo, Yong Sun; Hong, Kwon Pyo

2004-01-01

Many fission products are generated by fission events in UO 2 fuel under irradiation in nuclear reactor. Concentration of each fission product is changed by conditions of neutron energy spectrum, fissile material, critical thermal power, irradiation period and cooling time. Volatile materials such as Cs and I, the fission products, degrade nuclear fuel rod by the decrease of thermal conductivity in pellet and the stress corrosion cracking in cladding. Metal fission products (white inclusion) make pellet be swelled and decrease volume of pellet by densification. It seems that metal fission products are filled in the pore in pellet and placed between UO 2 lattices as interstitial. In addition, metal oxide state may change structural lattice volume. Considering behavior of fission products mentioned above, concentration of them is important. Fission products could be classified as bellows; solid solution in matrix : Sr, Zr, Nb, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm - metal precipitates : Mo, Tc, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Cd, In, Sb, Te - oxide precipitates : Ba, Zr, Nb, Mo, (Rb, Cs, Te) - volatile and gases : Kr, Xe, Br, I, (Rb, Cs, Te)

Prompt fission neutron spectra and average prompt neutron multiplicities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Madland, D.G.; Nix, J.R.

1983-01-01

We present a new method for calculating the prompt fission neutron spectrum N(E) and average prompt neutron multiplicity anti nu/sub p/ as functions of the fissioning nucleus and its excitation energy. The method is based on standard nuclear evaporation theory and takes into account (1) the motion of the fission fragments, (2) the distribution of fission-fragment residual nuclear temperature, (3) the energy dependence of the cross section sigma/sub c/ for the inverse process of compound-nucleus formation, and (4) the possibility of multiple-chance fission. We use a triangular distribution in residual nuclear temperature based on the Fermi-gas model. This leads to closed expressions for N(E) and anti nu/sub p/ when sigma/sub c/ is assumed constant and readily computed quadratures when the energy dependence of sigma/sub c/ is determined from an optical model. Neutron spectra and average multiplicities calculated with an energy-dependent cross section agree well with experimental data for the neutron-induced fission of 235 U and the spontaneous fission of 252 Cf. For the latter case, there are some significant inconsistencies between the experimental spectra that need to be resolved. 29 references

Determination of relative krypton fission product yields from 14 MeV neutron induced fission of 238U at the National Ignition Facility.

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, E R; Cassata, W S; Velsko, C A; Yeamans, C B; Shaughnessy, D A

2016-11-01

Precisely-known fission yield distributions are needed to determine a fissioning isotope and the incident neutron energy in nuclear security applications. 14 MeV neutrons from DT fusion at the National Ignition Facility induce fission in depleted uranium contained in the target assembly hohlraum. The fission yields of Kr isotopes (85m, 87, 88, and 89) are measured relative to the cumulative yield of 88 Kr and compared to previously tabulated values. The results from this experiment and England and Rider are in agreement, except for the 85m Kr/ 88 Kr ratio, which may be the result of incorrect nuclear data.

Fission Surface Power Technology Development Update

Science.gov (United States)

Palac, Donald T.; Mason, Lee S.; Houts, Michael G.; Harlow, Scott

2011-01-01

Power is a critical consideration in planning exploration of the surfaces of the Moon, Mars, and places beyond. Nuclear power is an important option, especially for locations in the solar system where sunlight is limited or environmental conditions are challenging (e.g., extreme cold, dust storms). NASA and the Department of Energy are maintaining the option for fission surface power for the Moon and Mars by developing and demonstrating technology for a fission surface power system. The Fission Surface Power Systems project has focused on subscale component and subsystem demonstrations to address the feasibility of a low-risk, low-cost approach to space nuclear power for surface missions. Laboratory demonstrations of the liquid metal pump, reactor control drum drive, power conversion, heat rejection, and power management and distribution technologies have validated that the fundamental characteristics and performance of these components and subsystems are consistent with a Fission Surface Power preliminary reference concept. In addition, subscale versions of a non-nuclear reactor simulator, using electric resistance heating in place of the reactor fuel, have been built and operated with liquid metal sodium-potassium and helium/xenon gas heat transfer loops, demonstrating the viability of establishing system-level performance and characteristics of fission surface power technologies without requiring a nuclear reactor. While some component and subsystem testing will continue through 2011 and beyond, the results to date provide sufficient confidence to proceed with system level technology readiness demonstration. To demonstrate the system level readiness of fission surface power in an operationally relevant environment (the primary goal of the Fission Surface Power Systems project), a full scale, 1/4 power Technology Demonstration Unit (TDU) is under development. The TDU will consist of a non-nuclear reactor simulator, a sodium-potassium heat transfer loop, a power

Measurement of the fission cross-section of $^{240}$Pu and $^{242}$Pu at CERN's n_TOF Facility

CERN Multimedia

Pavlik, A F; Gonzalez romero, E M

The n_TOF Collaboration proposes to continue the fission program, already started in 2002-2004, taking advantage of the newly constructed Work Sector Type A, with the measurement of the two isotopes : $^{240}$ Pu and $^{242}$ Pu. They are both of major importance for reactor physics applications and are included in the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) High Priority List [1], in the NEA WPEC Subgroup 26 Report on the accuracy of nuclear data for advanced reactor designe [2] and in the EU 6$^{th}$ Framework Programme IP-EUROTRANS/NUDATRA reports [3]. Based on those requests, the measurement of the fission cross-section of the two Pu isotopes is one of the objectives of the project ANDES of the FP7 EURATOM program [4].

Unified description of neutron-, proton- and photon-induced fission cross sections in intermediate energy region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fukahori, Tokio; Iwamoto, Osamu; Chiba, Satoshi

2003-01-01

For an accelerator-driven nuclear waste transmutation system, it is very important to estimate sub-criticality of core system for feasibility and design study of the system. The fission cross section in the intermediate energy range has an important role. A program FISCAL has been developed to calculate neutron-, proton- and photon-induced fission cross sections in the energy region from several tens of MeV to 3 GeV. FISCAL adopts the systematics considering experimental data for Ag- 243 Am. It is found that unified description of neutron-, proton- and photon-induced fission cross sections is available. (author)

Fission cross section calculations for 209Bi target nucleus based on fission reaction models in high energy regions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kaplan Abdullah

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Implementation of projects of new generation nuclear power plants requires the solving of material science and technological issues in developing of reactor materials. Melts of heavy metals (Pb, Bi and Pb-Bi due to their nuclear and thermophysical properties, are the candidate coolants for fast reactors and accelerator-driven systems (ADS. In this study, α, γ, p, n and 3He induced fission cross section calculations for 209Bi target nucleus at high-energy regions for (α,f, (γ,f, (p,f, (n,f and (3He,f reactions have been investigated using different fission reaction models. Mamdouh Table, Sierk, Rotating Liquid Drop and Fission Path models of theoretical fission barriers of TALYS 1.6 code have been used for the fission cross section calculations. The calculated results have been compared with the experimental data taken from the EXFOR database. TALYS 1.6 Sierk model calculations exhibit generally good agreement with the experimental measurements for all reactions used in this study.

Fission of nuclei far from stability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, K.H.; Benlliure, J.; Junghans, A.R.

2000-11-01

The secondary-beam facility of GSI provided the technical equipment for a new kind of fission experiment. Fission properties of short-lived neutron-deficient nuclei have been investigated in inverse kinematics. The measured element distributions reveal new kinds of systematics on shell structure and even-odd effects and lead to an improved understanding of structure effects in nuclear fission. Prospects for further experimental studies are discussed. (orig.)

Compound Nucleus Reactions in LENR, Analogy to Uranium Fission

Science.gov (United States)

Hora, Heinrich; Miley, George; Philberth, Karl

2008-03-01

The discovery of nuclear fission by Hahn and Strassmann was based on a very rare microanalytical result that could not initially indicate the very complicated details of this most important process. A similarity is discussed for the low energy nuclear reactions (LENRs) with analogies to the yield structure found in measurements of uranium fission. The LENR product distribution measured earlier in a reproducible way in experiments with thin film electrodes and a high density deuteron concentration in palladium has several striking similarities with the uranium fission fragment yield curve.ootnotetextG.H. Miley and J.A. Patterson, J. New Energy 1, 11 (1996); G.H. Miley et al, Proc ICCF6, p. 629 (1997).This comparison is specifically focussed to the Maruhn-Greiner local maximum of the distribution within the large-scale minimum when the fission nuclei are excited. Implications for uranium fission are discussed in comparison with LENR relative to the identification of fission a hypothetical compound nuclear reaction via a element ^306X126 with double magic numbers.

The Soviet program for peaceful uses of nuclear explosions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nordyke, M.D.

1996-01-01

The concept of utilizing the weapons of war to serve the peaceful pursuits of mankind is as old as civilization itself. Perhaps the most famous reference to this basic desire is recorded in the Book of Micah where the great prophet Isiah called upon his people 'to turn your spears into pitchforks and your swords into plowshares.' As the scientists at Los Alamos worked on developing the world's first atomic bomb, thoughts of how this tremendous new source of energy could be used for peaceful purposes generally focused on using the thermal energy generated by the slow fission of uranium in a reactor, such as those being used to produce Plutonium to drive electric power stations. However, being scientists in a new, exciting field, it was impossible to avoid letting their minds wander from the task at hand to other scientific or non-military uses for the bombs themselves. During the Manhattan Project, Otto Frisch, one of the pioneers in the development of nuclear fission process in the 1930s, first suggested using an atomic explosion as a source for a large quantities of neutrons which could used in scientific experiments designed to expand their understanding of nuclear physics. After the war was over, many grandiose ideas appeared in the popular press on how this new source of energy should be to serve mankind. Not to be left out of the growing enthusiasm for peaceful uses of atomic energy, the Soviet Union added their visions to the public record. This document details the Soviet program for using nuclear explosions in peacetime pursuits

The Soviet program for peaceful uses of nuclear explosions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nordyke, M.D.

1996-07-24

The concept of utilizing the weapons of war to serve the peaceful pursuits of mankind is as old as civilization itself. Perhaps the most famous reference to this basic desire is recorded in the Book of Micah where the great prophet Isiah called upon his people `to turn your spears into pitchforks and your swords into plowshares.` As the scientists at Los Alamos worked on developing the world`s first atomic bomb, thoughts of how this tremendous new source of energy could be used for peaceful purposes generally focused on using the thermal energy generated by the slow fission of uranium in a reactor, such as those being used to produce Plutonium to drive electric power stations. However, being scientists in a new, exciting field, it was impossible to avoid letting their minds wander from the task at hand to other scientific or non-military uses for the bombs themselves. During the Manhattan Project, Otto Frisch, one of the pioneers in the development of nuclear fission process in the 1930s, first suggested using an atomic explosion as a source for a large quantities of neutrons which could used in scientific experiments designed to expand their understanding of nuclear physics. After the war was over, many grandiose ideas appeared in the popular press on how this new source of energy should be to serve mankind. Not to be left out of the growing enthusiasm for peaceful uses of atomic energy, the Soviet Union added their visions to the public record. This document details the Soviet program for using nuclear explosions in peacetime pursuits.

Monthly highlights for Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research Programs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fee, G.G.

1976-08-01

Brief highlights are presented for the following programs: heavy section steel technology, fission product beta and gamma energy release, LOCA release from LWR fuel, multirod burst tests, Nuclear Safety Information Center, PWR blowdown heat transfer-separate effects, zircaloy fuel cladding collapse studies, zirconium metal-water oxidation kinetics, aerosol release and transport from LMFBR fuel, HTGR safety analysis, design criteria for piping and nozzles, and dose conversion factors for inhalation of radionuclides

Nuclear structure and shapes from prompt gamma ray spectroscopy of fission products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmad, I.; Morss, L.R.; Durell, J.L.

1996-01-01

Many nuclear shape phenomena are predicted to occur in neutron-rich nuclei. The best source for the production of these nuclides is the spontaneous fission which produces practically hundreds of nuclides with yields of greater than 0.1 % per decay. Measurements of coincident gamma rays with large Ge arrays have recently been made to obtain information on nuclear structures and shapes of these neutron- rich nuclei. Among the important results that have been obtained from such measurements are octupole correlations in Ba isotopes, triaxial shapes in Ru nuclei, two-phonon vibrations in 106 Mo and level lifetimes and quadrupole moments in Nd isotopes and A=100 nuclei. These data have been used to test theoretical models

Reference and standard benchmark field consensus fission yields for U.S. reactor dosimetry programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gilliam, D.M.; Helmer, R.G.; Greenwood, R.C.; Rogers, J.W.; Heinrich, R.R.; Popek, R.J.; Kellogg, L.S.; Lippincott, E.P.; Hansen, G.E.; Zimmer, W.H.

1977-01-01

Measured fission product yields are reported for three benchmark neutron fields--the BIG-10 fast critical assembly at Los Alamos, the CFRMF fast neutron cavity at INEL, and the thermal column of the NBS Research Reactor. These measurements were carried out by participants in the Interlaboratory LMFBR Reaction Rates (ILRR) program. Fission product generation rates were determined by post-irradiation analysis of gamma-ray emission from fission activation foils. The gamma counting was performed by Ge(Li) spectrometry at INEL, ANL, and HEDL; the sample sent to INEL was also analyzed by NaI(Tl) spectrometry for Ba-140 content. The fission rates were determined by means of the NBS Double Fission Ionization Chamber using thin deposits of each of the fissionable isotopes. Four fissionable isotopes were included in the fast neutron field measurements; these were U-235, U-238, Pu-239, and Np-237. Only U-235 was included in the thermal neutron yield measurements. For the fast neutron fields, consensus yields were determined for three fission product isotopes--Zr-95, Ru-103, and Ba-140. For these fission product isotopes, a separately activated foil was analyzed by each of the three gamma counting laboratories. The experimental standard deviation of the three independent results was typically +- 1.5%. For the thermal neutron field, a consensus value for the Cs-137 yield was also obtained. Subsidiary fission yields are also reported for other isotopes which were studied less intensively (usually by only one of the participating laboratories). Comparisons with EBR-II fast reactor yields from destructive analysis and with ENDF/B recommended values are given

ENDF/B-VII.1 Nuclear Data for Science and Technology: Cross Sections, Covariances, Fission Product Yields and Decay Data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palmiotti, G.

2011-01-01

The ENDF/B-VII.1 library is our latest recommended evaluated nuclear data file for use in nuclear science and technology applications, and incorporates advances made in the five years since the release of ENDF/B-VII.0. These advances focus on neutron cross sections, covariances, fission product yields and decay data, and represent work by the US Cross Section Evaluation Working Group (CSEWG) in nuclear data evaluation that utilizes developments in nuclear theory, modeling, simulation, and experiment. The principal advances in the new library are: (1) An increase in the breadth of neutron reaction cross section coverage, extending from 393 nuclides to 418 nuclides; (2) Covariance uncertainty data for 185 of the most important nuclides, as documented in companion papers in this edition; (3) R-matrix analyses of neutron reactions on light nuclei, including isotopes of He, Li, and Be; (4) Resonance parameter analyses at lower energies and statistical high energy reactions at higher energies for isotopes of F, Cl, K, Ti, V, Mn, Cr, Ni, Zr and W; (5) Modifications to thermal neutron reactions on fission products (isotopes of Mo, Tc, Rh, Ag, Cs, Nd, Sm, Eu) and neutron absorber materials (Cd, Gd); (6) Improved minor actinide evaluations for isotopes of U, Np, Pu, and Am (we are not making changes to the major actinides 235,238U and 239Pu at this point, except for delayed neutron data, and instead we intend to update them after a further period of research in experiment and theory), and our adoption of JENDL-4.0 evaluations for isotopes of Cm, Bk, Cf, Es, Fm, and some other minor actinides; (7) Fission energy release evaluations; (8) Fission product yield advances for fission-spectrum neutrons and 14 MeV neutrons incident on 239Pu; and (9) A new Decay Data sublibrary. Integral validation testing of the ENDF/B-VII.1 library is provided for a variety of quantities: For nuclear criticality, the VII.1 library maintains the generally-good performance seen for VII.0 for a wide

Specific fission J-window and angular momentum dependence of the fission barrier

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baba, Hiroshi; Saito, Tadashi; Takahashi, Naruto; Yokoyama, Akihiko [Osaka Univ., Suita (Japan); Shinohara, Atsushi

1997-04-01

A method to determine a unique J-window in the fission process was devised and the fissioning nuclide associated with thus extracted J-window was identified for each of the heavy-ion reaction systems. Obtained fission barriers at the resulting J-window were compared with the calculated values by the rotating finite range model (RFRM). The deduced barriers for individual nuclides were compared with the RFRM barriers to reproduce more or less the angular momentum dependence the RFRM prediction. The deduced systematic behavior of the fission barrier indicates no even-odd and shell corrections are necessary. The nuclear dissipation effect based on Kramer`s model revealed substantial reduction of the statistically deduced barrier heights and brought a fairly large scattering from the RFRM J-dependence. However, introduction of the temperature-dependent friction coefficient ({gamma} = 2 for T {>=} 1.0 MeV and 0.5 for T < 1.0 MeV) was found to bring about satisfactory agreement with both RFRM fission barriers and the pre-fission neutron multiplicity systematics. (author). 81 refs.

Mechanisms of fission neutron emission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maerten, H.

1991-01-01

The time evolution in fission is the starting point for discussing not only the main mechanism of fission neutron emission, the evaporation from fully accelerated fragments, but also possible secondary ones connected with dynamical features of nuclear fission. ''Asymptotic'' conditions as relevant for describing the particle release from highly excited, rapidly moving fragments are defined. Corresponding statistical model approaches to fission neutron emission, based on the adequate consideration of the intricate fragment occurrence probability, reproduce most of the experimental data. The remarkable influence of fission modes on neutron observables is analyzed in the framework of a macroscopic-microscopic scission point model consistent with energy conservation. Finally, chances and deficiencies for solving the mechanism puzzle are summarized. (author). 87 refs, 21 figs

Fission in a Plasma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Younes, W. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2016-10-26

A three-year theory project was undertaken to study the fission process in extreme astrophysical environments, such as the crust of neutron stars. In the first part of the project, the effect of electron screening on the fission process was explored using a microscopic approach. For the first time, these calculations were carried out to the breaking point of the nucleus. In the second part of the project, the population of the fissioning nucleus was calculated within the same microscopic framework. These types of calculations are extremely computer-intensive and have seldom been applied to heavy deformed nuclei, such as fissioning actinides. The results, tools and methodologies produced in this work will be of interest to both the basic-science and nuclear-data communities.

Heavy ion induced fission between 10 and 100 MeV/u

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steckmeyer, J.C.; Tamain, B.

1986-05-01

Heavy ion induced fission between 10 and 100 MeV/u is discussed. It is shown that one can obtain information on fusion limits and on typical times characterizing nuclear matter. Intermediate energy heavy ions can be used to build very excited fusion nuclei. Section I shows that fission can then be used as a tool to test the fusion mechanism and to discover what are the extreme limits concerning fusion and hot nuclei formation. In section II, it is shown that when very hot nuclei are built, fission evaporation competition cannot any longer be fully described in the usual way by the statistical model. New features as dynamical aspects or cluster evaporation modify dramatically the landscape. Concerning the detailed fission properties of very hot nuclei (for instance fragments properties), no strong deviations from the already know systematics has been obtained. However, very few detailed studies are yet available and a clear experimental program has to be developed in order to progress. From a theoretical point of view, it is rather necessary to described fission and evaporation is an unified way

Capture and fission with DANCE and NEUANCE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jandel, M.; Baramsai, B.; Bond, E.; Rusev, G.; Walker, C.; Bredeweg, T.A.; Chadwick, M.B.; Couture, A.; Fowler, M.M.; Hayes, A.; Kawano, T.; Mosby, S.; Stetcu, I.; Taddeucci, T.N.; Talou, P.; Ullmann, J.L.; Vieira, D.J.; Wilhelmy, J.B. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico (United States)

2015-12-15

A summary of the current and future experimental program at DANCE is presented. Measurements of neutron capture cross sections are planned for many actinide isotopes with the goal to reduce the present uncertainties in nuclear data libraries. Detailed studies of capture gamma rays in the neutron resonance region will be performed in order to derive correlated data on the de-excitation of the compound nucleus. New approaches on how to remove the DANCE detector response from experimental data and retain the correlations between the cascade gamma rays are presented. Studies on {sup 235}U are focused on quantifying the population of short-lived isomeric states in {sup 236}U after neutron capture. For this purpose, a new neutron detector array NEUANCE is under construction. It will be installed in the central cavity of the DANCE array and enable the highly efficient tagging of fission and capture events. In addition, developments of fission fragment detectors are also underway to expand DANCE capabilities to measurements of fully correlated data on fission observables. (orig.)

ENDF/B-5 Fission Products Library. Rev. 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwerer, O.; Pronyaev, V.G.; Lemmel, H.D.

1984-07-01

This document summarizes contents and documentation of the 1984 version of the Fission Products Nuclear Data File of the ENDF/B-5 Library (Rev. 2) maintained by the National Nuclear Data Center (NNDC) at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, USA. This file contains numerical neutron reaction data and decay data for 877 fission product nuclides. The entire file or selective retrievals from it can be obtained on magnetic tape from the IAEA Nuclear Data Section. (author)

Nuclear structure via isomer tagging of fission fragments

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, C. Y.; Cline, D.; Simon, M. W.; Stoyer, M. A.

1997-10-01

The high efficiency for detecting high-fold γ rays by large Ge arrays makes it possible to study the detailed spectroscopy of many neutron-rich nuclei produced by fission. Major progress has been made using sealed spontaneous fission sources. Considerable improvement in selectivity is provided, with an open source, both by gating on isomers and by detection of both fission fragments in coincidence with the deexcitation γ rays (see the preceding contribution). The reconstructed kinematics allows a measure of fragment mass and the Doppler shift correction of γ rays. In a recent experiment, fission fragments were detected using half of the CHICO array and an annular PPAC in coincidence with deexcitation γ rays detected by the Rochester array of eight Compton-suppressed Ge detectors. The annular PPAC was located only 1.0" from a 3.7 μCi ^252Cf source for efficient isomer tagging. The correlation was studied between delayed, within a time window between 150 ns and 10 μs after a fission occurring, and prompt γ rays. Several prominent feeding patterns to isomers in the mass region around 100 and 130 are identified by such correlation study. Experimental details and results will be presented.

50 years with nuclear fission, April 25-28, 1989. A prelude to fission: France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Savic, P.

1989-01-01

A personal account of the events leading to the 1938 discovery, by Irene Joliot-Curie and the author, of the unidentified element R 3.5h will be presented, as well as the experimental methods proving the R 3.5h had chemical properties similar to lanthanum which in turn led Hahn and Strassmann to the discovery of fission in 1939. The author points out that Irene Curie's intuition indicated the path towards the solution of the problem of uranium irradiated by neutrons, which made possible the discovery of fission by Hahn and Strassmann. Further applications of fission became possible by tremendous efforts and excellent contributions of scientists in the USA

Determination of the fission barrier height in fission of heavy radioactive beams induced by the (d,p)-transfer

CERN Multimedia

A theoretical framework is described, allowing to determine the fission barrier height using the observed cross sections of fission induced by the (d,p)-transfer with accuracy, which is not achievable in another type of low-energy fission of neutron-deficient nuclei, the $\\beta$-delayed fission. The primary goal is to directly determine the fission barrier height of proton-rich fissile nuclei, preferably using the radio-active beams of isotopes of odd elements, and thus confirm or exclude the low values of fission barrier heights, typically extracted using statistical calculations in the compound nucleus reactions at higher excitation energies. Calculated fission cross sections in transfer reactions of the radioactive beams show sufficient sensitivity to fission barrier height. In the probable case that fission rates will be high enough, mass asymmetry of fission fragments can be determined. Results will be relevant for nuclear astrophysics and for production of super-heavy nuclei. Transfer induced fission of...

Fission product chemistry in severe nuclear reactor accidents, specialists' meeting at JRC-Ispra, 15-17 January 1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nichols, A.L.

1990-05-01

A specialists' meeting was held at JRC-Ispra from 15 to 17 January 1990 to review the current understanding of fission-product chemistry during severe accidents in light water reactors. Discussions focussed on the important chemical phenomena that could occur across the wide range of conditions of a damaged nuclear plant. Recommendations for future chemistry work were made covering the following areas: (a) fuel degradation and fission-product release, (b) transport and attenuation processes in the reactor coolant system, (c) containment chemistry (iodine behaviour and core-concrete interactions). (author)

A Covariance Generation Methodology for Fission Product Yields

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Terranova N.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Recent safety and economical concerns for modern nuclear reactor applications have fed an outstanding interest in basic nuclear data evaluation improvement and completion. It has been immediately clear that the accuracy of our predictive simulation models was strongly affected by our knowledge on input data. Therefore strong efforts have been made to improve nuclear data and to generate complete and reliable uncertainty information able to yield proper uncertainty propagation on integral reactor parameters. Since in modern nuclear data banks (such as JEFF-3.1.1 and ENDF/BVII.1 no correlations for fission yields are given, in the present work we propose a covariance generation methodology for fission product yields. The main goal is to reproduce the existing European library and to add covariance information to allow proper uncertainty propagation in depletion and decay heat calculations. To do so, we adopted the Generalized Least Square Method (GLSM implemented in CONRAD (COde for Nuclear Reaction Analysis and Data assimilation, developed at CEA-Cadarache. Theoretical values employed in the Bayesian parameter adjustment are delivered thanks to a convolution of different models, representing several quantities in fission yield calculations: the Brosa fission modes for pre-neutron mass distribution, a simplified Gaussian model for prompt neutron emission probability, theWahl systematics for charge distribution and the Madland-England model for the isomeric ratio. Some results will be presented for the thermal fission of U-235, Pu-239 and Pu-241.

Human survival depends on nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gilbertson, J.

1977-01-01

Both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times published feature articles Dec. 1 advertising a report by the U.S. government's General Accounting Office as evidence that the breeder reactor component of this nation's nuclear energy program was properly on its way to the scrap heap. According to the author, these and similar press accounts are intended to further legitimize the widely believed (and totally false) notion that increased plutonium use and nuclear fission generally represent a danger to humanity. Purposefully ignored in such accounts, he says, is the evidence that the elimination of plutonium as a nuclear fuel will mean the demise of the entire U.S. nuclear power industry and ultimately the human race itself. At stake in the short term, in addition to the breeder reactor program, is the well-established use of light water reactors for generating electricity, since these must, within a matter of years, be fueled with plutonium. The attack is also directed at the more advanced, more capital-intensive nuclear fusion technology, since the elimination of fission programs will wipe out the trained cadre force of engineers, scientists, technicians, and skilled workers needed to develop fusion power. The growth of fission power over the next two decades is absolutely necessary for the transition to a full fusion-based economy, according to Mr. Gilbertson. Only nuclear fusion has the inherent capability of transforming industry to the necessary higher mode of production and output, as well as providing a limitless source of usable power in several forms, thus insuring the survival of the human race beyond this century. Fission power and conventional fossil power must be expanded and possibly even exhausted during this transition in order to guarantee the achievement of this goal, he says

ENDF/B-5 Fission Products Library 1979

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwerer, O.; Lemmel, H.D.

1981-10-01

This document summarizes contents and documentation of the 1979 version of the Fission Products File of the ENDF/B Library maintained by the National Nuclear Data Center (NNDC) at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, USA. This file contains numerical neutron reaction data and decay data for 877 fission product nuclides. The entire file or selective retrievals from it can be obtained on magnetic tape from the IAEA Nuclear Data Section. (author)

Nuclear criticality safety basics for personnel working with nuclear fissionable materials. Phase I

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vausher, A.L.

1984-10-01

DOE order 5480.1A, Chapter V, ''Safety of Nuclear Facilities,'' establishes safety procedures and requirements for DOE nuclear facilities. The ''Nuclear Criticality Safety Basic Program - Phase I'' is documented in this report. The revised program has been developed to clearly illustrate the concept of nuclear safety and to help the individual employee incorporate safe behavior in his daily work performance. Because of this, the subject of safety has been approached through its three fundamentals: scientific basis, engineering criteria, and administrative controls. Only basics of these three elements were presented. 5 refs

Exploratory study of fission product yield determination from photofission of 239Pu at 11 MeV with monoenergetic photons

Science.gov (United States)

Bhike, Megha; Tornow, W.; Krishichayan, Tonchev, A. P.

2017-02-01

Measurements of fission product yields play an important role for the understanding of fundamental aspects of the fission process. Recently, neutron-induced fission product-yield data of 239Pu at energies below 4 MeV revealed an unexpected energy dependence of certain fission fragments. In order to investigate whether this observation is prerogative to neutron-induced fission, a program has been initiated to measure fission product yields in photoinduced fission. Here we report on the first ever photofission product yield measurement with monoenergetic photons produced by Compton back-scattering of FEL photons. The experiment was performed at the High-Intensity Gamma-ray Source at Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory on 239Pu at Eγ=11 MeV. In this exploratory study the yield of eight fission products ranging from 91Sr to 143Ce has been obtained.

The Space Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Program: Propulsion for the twenty first century

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bleeker, G.; Moody, J.; Kesaree, M.

1993-01-01

As mission requirements approach the limits of the chemical propulsion systems, new engines must be investigated that can meet the advanced mission requirements of higher payload fractions, higher velocities, and consequently higher specific Impulses (Isp). The propulsion system that can meet these high demands is a nuclear thermal rocket engine. This engine generates the thrust by expanding/existing the hydrogen, heated from the energy derived from the fission process in a reactor, through a nozzle. The Department of Defense (DoD), however, initiated a new nuclear rocket development program in 1987 for ballistic missile defense application. The Space Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (SNTP) Program that seeks to improve on the technology of ROVER/NERVA grew out of this beginning and has been managed by the Air Force, with the involvement of DoE and NASA. The goal of the SNTP Program is to develop an engine to meet potential Air Force requirements for upper stage engine, bimodal propulsion/power applications, and orbital transfer vehicles, as well as the NASA requirements for possible missions to the Moon and Mars. During the entire life of the program, the DoD has considered safety to be of paramount importance, and is following all national environmental policies

Correlated Production and Analog Transport of Fission Neutrons and Photons using Fission Models FREYA, FIFRELIN and the Monte Carlo Code TRIPOLI-4® .

Science.gov (United States)

Verbeke, Jérôme M.; Petit, Odile; Chebboubi, Abdelhazize; Litaize, Olivier

2018-01-01

Fission modeling in general-purpose Monte Carlo transport codes often relies on average nuclear data provided by international evaluation libraries. As such, only average fission multiplicities are available and correlations between fission neutrons and photons are missing. Whereas uncorrelated fission physics is usually sufficient for standard reactor core and radiation shielding calculations, correlated fission secondaries are required for specialized nuclear instrumentation and detector modeling. For coincidence counting detector optimization for instance, precise simulation of fission neutrons and photons that remain correlated in time from birth to detection is essential. New developments were recently integrated into the Monte Carlo transport code TRIPOLI-4 to model fission physics more precisely, the purpose being to access event-by-event fission events from two different fission models: FREYA and FIFRELIN. TRIPOLI-4 simulations can now be performed, either by connecting via an API to the LLNL fission library including FREYA, or by reading external fission event data files produced by FIFRELIN beforehand. These new capabilities enable us to easily compare results from Monte Carlo transport calculations using the two fission models in a nuclear instrumentation application. In the first part of this paper, broad underlying principles of the two fission models are recalled. We then present experimental measurements of neutron angular correlations for 252Cf(sf) and 240Pu(sf). The correlations were measured for several neutron kinetic energy thresholds. In the latter part of the paper, simulation results are compared to experimental data. Spontaneous fissions in 252Cf and 240Pu are modeled by FREYA or FIFRELIN. Emitted neutrons and photons are subsequently transported to an array of scintillators by TRIPOLI-4 in analog mode to preserve their correlations. Angular correlations between fission neutrons obtained independently from these TRIPOLI-4 simulations, using

Mirror fusion--fission hybrids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, J.D.

1978-01-01

The fusion-fission concept and the mirror fusion-fission hybrid program are outlined. Magnetic mirror fusion drivers and blankets for hybrid reactors are discussed. Results of system analyses are presented and a reference design is described

Nuclear measurements and reference materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-01-01

This report summarizes the progress of the JRC programs on nuclear data, nuclear metrology, nuclear reference materials and non-nuclear reference materials. Budget restrictions and personnel difficulties were encountered during 1987. Fission properties of 235 U as a function of neutron energy and of the resonances can be successfully described on the basis of a three exit channel fission model. Double differential neutron emission cross-sections were accomplished on 7 Li and were started for the tritium production cross-section of 9 Be. Reference materials of uranium minerals and ores were prepared. Special nuclear targets were prepared. A batch of 250 g of Pu0 2 was characterized in view of certification as reference material for the elemental assay of plutonium

A Review of Previous Research in Direct Energy Conversion Fission Reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DUONG, HENRY; POLANSKY, GARY F.; SANDERS, THOMAS L.; SIEGEL, MALCOLM D.

1999-01-01

From the earliest days of power reactor development, direct energy conversion was an obvious choice to produce high efficiency electric power generation. Directly capturing the energy of the fission fragments produced during nuclear fission avoids the intermediate conversion to thermal energy and the efficiency limitations of classical thermodynamics. Efficiencies of more than 80% are possible, independent of operational temperature. Direct energy conversion fission reactors would possess a number of unique characteristics that would make them very attractive for commercial power generation. These reactors would be modular in design with integral power conversion and operate at low pressures and temperatures. They would operate at high efficiency and produce power well suited for long distance transmission. They would feature large safety margins and passively safe design. Ideally suited to production by advanced manufacturing techniques, direct energy conversion fission reactors could be produced more economically than conventional reactor designs. The history of direct energy conversion can be considered as dating back to 1913 when Moseleyl demonstrated that charged particle emission could be used to buildup a voltage. Soon after the successful operation of a nuclear reactor, E.P. Wigner suggested the use of fission fragments for direct energy conversion. Over a decade after Wigner's suggestion, the first theoretical treatment of the conversion of fission fragment kinetic energy into electrical potential appeared in the literature. Over the ten years that followed, a number of researchers investigated various aspects of fission fragment direct energy conversion. Experiments were performed that validated the basic physics of the concept, but a variety of technical challenges limited the efficiencies that were achieved. Most research in direct energy conversion ceased in the US by the late 1960s. Sporadic interest in the concept appears in the literature until this

Effects of nuclear structure on quasi-fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simenel, Cedric; Wakhle, Aditya; Hinde, D.J.; Rietz, R. du; Dasgupta, M.; Evers, M.; Lin, C.J.; Luong, D.H.; Avez, B.

2012-01-01

The quasi-fission mechanism hinders fusion of heavy systems because of a mass flow between the reactants, leading to a re-separation of more symmetric fragments in the exit channel. A good understanding of the competition between fusion and quasi-fission mechanisms is expected to be of great help to optimize the formation and study of heavy and superheavy nuclei. Quantum microscopic models, such as the time-dependent Hartree-Fock approach, allow for a treatment of all degrees of freedom associated to the dynamics of each nucleon. This provides a description of the complex reaction mechanisms, such as quasi-fission, with no parameter adjusted on reaction mechanisms. In particular, the role of the deformation and orientation of a heavy target, as well as the entrance channel magicity and isospin are investigated with theoretical and experimental approaches. (authors)

Research problems of fission product behaviour in fuels of nuclear power plants and ways of their solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sulaberidze, V.Sh.

1988-01-01

The most important problems of studying behaviour of fission products in fuel elements of maneouvrable nuclear power plants units are formulated. In-pile and out-of-pile investigation methods solving these problems are characterized in brief. 12 refs.; 2 figs

Directions for nuclear research in the transplutonium elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilhelmy, J.B.; Chasman, R.R.; Friedman, A.M.; Ahmad, I.

1983-01-01

The study of the heavy nuclides has played a vital role in our understanding of the alpha decay process, nuclear fission, nuclear binding energies and the limits of nuclear stability. This study has led to the understanding of novel shape degrees of freedom, such as the very large quadrupole deformations associated with the fission isomer process, and the very recently discovered octupole deformation. The existence of these unique phenomena in the heavy element region is not accidental. Fission isomerism is due to the delicate balance between nuclear forces holding the nucleus together and Coulomb forces causing nuclear fission. Octupole deformation arises from the increasing strength of matrix elements with increasing oscillator shell. Both illustrate the unique features of the heavy element region. Fission studies have given us information about large collective aspects in nuclei and the importance that nuclear structural effects can play in altering these macro properties. A new class of atomic studies has become possible with the availability of heavy elements. With these isotopes, we are now able to produce electric fields of such magnitude that it becomes possible to spontaneously create positron-electron pairs in the vacuum. We have organized this presentation into three major sections: nuclear structure, fission studies and atomic studies of supercritical systems. In each we will try to emphasize the new directions which can benefit from the continued availability of isotopes supplied by the Trans-plutonium Production Program. 117 references

NEET Micro-Pocket Fission Detector. Final Project report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Unruh, T. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Rempe, Joy [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); McGregor, Douglas [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Ugorowski, Philip [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Reichenberger, Michael [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Ito, Takashi [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Villard, J. -F. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2014-09-01

A collaboration between the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), the Kansas State University (KSU), and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, (CEA), is funded by the Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies (NEET) program to develop and test Micro-Pocket Fission Detectors (MPFDs), which are compact fission chambers capable of simultaneously measuring thermal neutron flux, fast neutron flux and temperature within a single package. When deployed, these sensors will significantly advance flux detection capabilities for irradiation tests in US Material Test Reactors (MTRs). Ultimately, evaluations may lead to a more compact, more accurate, and longer lifetime flux sensor for critical mock-ups, and high performance reactors, allowing several Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) programs to obtain higher accuracy/higher resolution data from irradiation tests of candidate new fuels and materials. Specifically, deployment of MPFDs will address several challenges faced in irradiations performed at MTRs: Current fission chamber technologies do not offer the ability to measure fast flux, thermal flux and temperature within a single compact probe; MPFDs offer this option. MPFD construction is very different than current fission chamber construction; the use of high temperature materials allow MPFDs to be specifically tailored to survive harsh conditions encountered in-core of high performance MTRs. The higher accuracy, high fidelity data available from the compact MPFD will significantly enhance efforts to validate new high-fidelity reactor physics codes and new multi-scale, multi-physics codes. MPFDs can be built with variable sensitivities to survive the lifetime of an experiment or fuel assembly in some MTRs, allowing for more efficient and cost effective power monitoring. The small size of the MPFDs allows multiple sensors to be deployed, offering the potential to

From nuclear fission to nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pocock, R.F.

1988-01-01

Otto Hahn, a German chemist, demonstrated the fission of the uranium nucleus in December 1938. Ten months later, basic physical theory had been modified to account for this phenomenon. It is suggested here that this great advance in radio-chemistry and physics was influenced considerably by political considerations. By the outbreak of the European War in September 1939, all the major scientific principles involved in the production of atomic weapons were well-known and were available in all industrial countries. (author)

Release of fission products during controlled loss-of-coolant accidents and hypothetical core meltdown accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albrecht, H.; Malinauskas, A.P.

1978-01-01

A few years ago the Projekt Nukleare Sicherheit joined the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the development of a research program which was designed to investigate fission product release from light water reactor fuel under conditions ranging from spent fuel shipping cask accidents to core meltdown accidents. Three laboratories have been involved in this cooperative effort. At Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), the research effort has focused on noble gas fission product release, whereas at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and at Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe (KfK), the studies have emphasized the release of species other than the noble gases. In addition, the ORNL program has been directed toward the development of fission product source terms applicable to analyses of spent fuel shipping cask accidents and controlled loss-of-coolant accidents, and the KfK program has been aimed at providing similar source terms which are characteristic of core meltdown accidents. The ORNL results are presented for fission product release from defected fuel rods into a steam atmosphere over the temperature range 500 to 1200 0 C, and the KfK results for release during core meltdown sequences

Radioactive Emissions from Fission-Based Medical Isotope Production and Their Effect on Global Nuclear Explosion Detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bowyer, T.; Saey, P.

2015-01-01

The use of medical isotopes, such as Tc-99m, is widespread with over 30 million procedures being performed every year, but the fission-based production of isotopes used for medical procedures causes emissions into the environment. This paper will show that gaseous radioactive isotopes of xenon, such as Xe-133, are released in high quantities, because they have a high fission cross section and they are difficult to scrub from the processes used to produce the medical isotopes due to their largely unreactive nature. Unfortunately, the reasons that large amounts of radioactive xenon isotopes are emitted from isotope production are the same as those that make these isotopes the most useful isotopes for the detection of underground nuclear explosions. Relatively recently, the nuclear explosion monitoring community has established a provisional monitoring network for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) that includes radioactive xenon monitoring as a major component. This community has discovered that emissions from medical isotope production present a more serious problem to nuclear explosion monitoring than thought when the network was first conceived. To address the growing problem, a group of scientists in both the monitoring and the isotope production communities have come together to attempt to find scientific and pragmatic ways to address the emissions problems, recognizing that medical isotope production should not be adversely affected, while monitoring for nuclear explosions should remain effective as isotope production grows, changes, and spreads globally. (author)

Fission yield correlation generation and impact on nuclear problems - 15570

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fiorito, L.; Stankovskiy, A.; Van den Eynde, G.

2015-01-01

In our work we defined a scheme to update fission yields and their covariance matrices. We implemented a Generalised Linear Least Square (GLLS) updating procedure to produce inter-isotope fission yield correlations. At each update, a constraining equation was selected and the related set of observables calculated using the prior knowledge of the fission yield data and uncertainties. Then, available extra information on each observable was introduced into the system - e.g. a data set of direct measurements or uncertainties. Our GLLS-based updating tool calculates best-estimate posterior fission yields and covariance matrices which merge both the extra and prior data. The major result of the update is the generation of fission yield correlations. We created complete updated covariance matrices for 6 nuclides (Th 232 , U 233 , U 235 , U 238 , Pu 239 and Pu 241 ) and a total of 14 fissioning systems using the JEFF-3.1.1 files. The fission yield covariance matrices were tested against the criticality and nuclide inventory calculations of the REBUS single pin benchmark after one irradiation cycle. It appears that fission yield correlations reduce the uncertainties to a very great extent, which in many cases are 4 times smaller than those obtained with uncorrelated data

Fission gas release in LWR fuel measured during nuclear operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Appelhans, A.D.; Skattum, E.; Osetek, D.J.

1980-01-01

A series of fuel behavior experiments are being conducted in the Heavy Boiling Water Reactor in Halden, Norway, to measure the release of Xe, Kr, and I fission products from typical light water reactor design fuel pellets. Helium gas is used to sweep the Xe and Kr fission gases out of two of the Instrumented Fuel Assembly 430 fuel rods and to a gamma spectrometer. The measurements of Xe and Kr are made during nuclear operation at steady state power, and for 135 I following reactor scram. The first experiments were conducted at a burnup of 3000 MWd/t UO 2 , at bulk average fuel temperatures of approx. 850 K and approx. 23 kW/m rod power. The measured release-to-birth ratios (R/B) of Xe and Kr are of the same magnitude as those observed in small UO 2 specimen experiments, when normalized to the estimated fuel surface-to-volume ratio. Preliminary analysis indicates that the release-to-birth ratios can be calculated, using diffusion coefficients determined from small specimen data, to within a factor of approx. 2 for the IFA-430 fuel. The release rate of 135 I is shown to be approximately equal to that of 135 Xe

ENDF/B-VII.1 Nuclear Data for Science and Technology: Cross Sections, Covariances, Fission Product Yields and Decay Data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chadwick, M. B. [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Herman, Micheal W [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL); Oblozinsky, Pavel [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL); Dunn, Michael E [ORNL; Danon, Y. [Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI); Kahler, A. [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Smith, Donald L. [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL); Pritychenko, B [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL); Arbanas, Goran [ORNL; Arcilla, r [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL); Brewer, R [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Brown, D A [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL); Capote, R. [International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Carlson, A. D. [National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); Cho, Y S [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute; Derrien, Herve [ORNL; Guber, Klaus H [ORNL; Hale, G. M. [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Hoblit, S [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL); Holloway, Shannon T. [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Johnson, T D [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL); Kawano, T. [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Kiedrowski, B C [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Kim, H [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute; Kunieda, S [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Larson, Nancy M [ORNL; Leal, Luiz C [ORNL; Lestone, J P [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Little, R C [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Mccutchan, E A [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL); Macfarlane, R E [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); MacInnes, M [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Matton, C M [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL); Mcknight, R D [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL); Mughabghab, S F [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL); Nobre, G P [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL); Palmiotti, G [Idaho National Laboratory (INL); Palumbo, A [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL); Pigni, Marco T [ORNL; Pronyaev, V. G. [Institute of Physics and Power Engineering (IPPE), Obninsk, Russia; Sayer, Royce O [ORNL; Sonzogni, A A [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL); Summers, N C [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL); Talou, P [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Thompson, I J [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL); Trkov, A. [Jozef Stefan Institute, Slovenia; Vogt, R L [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL); Van der Marck, S S [Nucl Res & Consultancy Grp, Petten, Netherlands; Wallner, A [University of Vienna, Austria; White, M C [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Wiarda, Dorothea [ORNL; Young, P C [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)

2011-01-01

The ENDF/B-VII.1 library is our latest recommended evaluated nuclear data file for use in nuclear science and technology applications, and incorporates advances made in the five years since the release of ENDF/B-VII.0. These advances focus on neutron cross sections, covariances, fission product yields and decay data, and represent work by the US Cross Section Evaluation Working Group (CSEWG) in nuclear data evaluation that utilizes developments in nuclear theory, modeling, simulation, and experiment. The principal advances in the new library are: (1) An increase in the breadth of neutron reaction cross section coverage, extending from 393 nuclides to 423 nuclides; (2) Covariance uncertainty data for 190 of the most important nuclides, as documented in companion papers in this edition; (3) R-matrix analyses of neutron reactions on light nuclei, including isotopes of He; Li, and Be; (4) Resonance parameter analyses at lower energies and statistical high energy reactions for isotopes of Cl; K; Ti, V, Mn, Cr, Ni, Zr and W; (5) Modifications to thermal neutron reactions on fission products (isotopes of Mo, Tc, Rh, Ag, Cs, Nd, Sm, Eu) and neutron absorber materials (Cd, Gd); (6) Improved minor actinide evaluations for isotopes of U, Np, Pu, and Am (we are not making changes to the major actinides (235,238)U and (239)Pu at this point, except for delayed neutron data and covariances, and instead we intend to update them after a further period of research in experiment and theory), and our adoption of JENDL-4.0 evaluations for isotopes of Cm, Bk, Cf, Es; Fm; and some other minor actinides; (7) Fission energy release evaluations; (8) Fission product yield advances for fission-spectrum neutrons and 14 MeV neutrons incident on (239)Pu; and (9) A new decay data sublibrary. Integral validation testing of the ENDF/B-VII.1 library is provided for a variety of quantities: For nuclear criticality, the VII.1 library maintains the generally-good performance seen for VII.0 for a wide

Beta-delayed fission and neutron emission calculations for the actinide cosmochronometers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyer, B.S.; Howard, W.M.; Mathews, G.J.; Takahashi, K.; Moeller, P.; Leander, G.A.

1989-01-01

The Gamow-Teller beta-strength distributions for 19 neutron-rich nuclei, including ten of interest for the production of the actinide cosmochronometers, are computed microscopically with a code that treats nuclear deformation explicitly. The strength distributions are then used to calculate the beta-delayed fission, neutron emission, and gamma deexcitation probabilities for these nuclei. Fission is treated both in the complete damping and WKB approximations for penetrabilities through the nuclear potential-energy surface. The resulting fission probabilities differ by factors of 2 to 3 or more from the results of previous calculations using microscopically computed beta-strength distributions around the region of greatest interest for production of the cosmochronometers. The indications are that a consistent treatment of nuclear deformation, fission barriers, and beta-strength functions is important in the calculation of delayed fission probabilities and the production of the actinide cosmochronometers. Since we show that the results are very sensitive to relatively small changes in model assumptions, large chronometric ages for the Galaxy based upon high beta-delayed fission probabilities derived from an inconsistent set of nuclear data calculations must be considered quite uncertain

Fission barriers in the quasi-molecular shape path

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Royer, G.; Bonilla, C.; Zbiri, K.; Gherghescu, R.A.

2003-01-01

New observed phenomena like asymmetric fission of intermediate mass nuclei, nuclear molecules in light nuclei, super and hyperdeformations, cluster radioactivity, fast-fission of heavy systems and fragmentation have renewed interest in investigating the fusion-like fission valley which leads rapidly to two touching spherical fragments and quasi-molecular shapes. Furthermore, rotating super and hyperdeformed nuclear states and superheavy nuclei can be formed only in heavy-ion collisions for which the initial configuration is two close quasi-spherical nuclei. For these shapes the balance between the Coulomb forces and surface tension forces does not allow to link the sheets of the potential energy surface corresponding to one-body shapes and to two separated fragments, respectively. It is necessary to add another term called proximity energy reproducing the finite-range effects of the nuclear force in the neck or the gap between the nascent fission fragments. A generalized liquid drop model has been developed to take into account this nuclear proximity energy, the mass and charge asymmetry, an accurate nuclear radius and the temperature effects. The initial value of the surface energy coefficient has been kept. Microscopic corrections have been determined within the asymmetric two center shell model or simpler algebraic approximations. With this model and deformation valley first studies had led to the following results: (i) good agreement between the potential barrier heights and the experimental fission barrier heights in the whole mass range; (ii) saddle-point corresponding to two separated fragments maintained in unstable equilibrium by the balance between the repulsive Coulomb forces and the attractive proximity forces; (iii) strong enhancement of the maximal angular momentum against fission; (iv) reasonable agreement with experimental data on the double-humped barriers of actinides. Within this same approach we have recently shown that the calculated potential

A Monte Carlo method for nuclear evaporation and fission at intermediate energies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deppman, A.; Likhachev, V.P.; Mesa, J.; Pina, S.R. de; Arruda-Neto, J.D.T.; Goncalves, M.; Rodriguez, O.

2003-04-01

We describe a Monte Carlo method to calculate the characteristics of the competition between particle evaporation and nuclear fission processes taking place in the compound nucleus formed after the intranuclear cascade following the absorption of intermediate energy photons by the nucleus. In this version we include not only neutrons, but also protons and alphas as possible evaporating particles. However, this method allows an ease inclusion of other evaporating particles, as deuteron or heavier clusters. Some results for 237 Np, 238 U, and 232 Th are shown. (author)

Utilization of fission reactors for fusion engineering testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deis, G.A.; Miller, L.G.

1985-01-01

Fission reactors can be used to conduct some of the fusion nuclear engineering tests identified in the FINESSE study. To further define the advantages and disadvantages of fission testing, the technical and programmatic constraints on this type of testing are discussed here. This paper presents and discusses eight key issues affecting fission utilization. Quantitative comparisons with projected fusion operation are made to determine the technical assets and limitations of fission testing. Capabilities of existing fission reactors are summarized and compared with technical needs. Conclusions are then presented on the areas where fission testing can be most useful

Options for development of space fission propulsion systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Houts, Mike; Van Dyke, Melissa; Godfroy, Tom; Pedersen, Kevin; Martin, James; Dickens, Ricky; Salvail, Pat; Hrbud, Ivana

2001-01-01

Fission technology can enable rapid, affordable access to any point in the solar system. Potential fission-based transportation options include high specific power continuous impulse propulsion systems and bimodal nuclear thermal rockets. Despite their tremendous potential for enhancing or enabling deep space and planetary missions, to date space fission systems have only been used in Earth orbit. The first step towards utilizing advanced fission propulsion systems is development of a safe, near-term, affordable fission system that can enhance or enable near-term missions of interest. An evolutionary approach for developing space fission propulsion systems is proposed

Fission product behaviour in severe accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jokiniemi, J.; Auvinen, A.; Maekynen, J.; Valmari, T.

1998-01-01

The understanding of fission product (FP) behaviour in severe accidents is important for source term assessment and accident mitigation measures. For example in accident management the operator needs to know the effect of different actions on the behaviour and release of fission products. At VTT fission product behaviour have been studied in different national and international projects. In this presentation the results of projects in EU funded 4th framework programme Nuclear Fission Safety 1994-1998 are reported. The projects are: fission product vapour/aerosol chemistry in the primary circuit (FI4SCT960020), aerosol physics in containment (FI4SCT950016), revaporisation of test samples from Phebus fission products (FI4SCT960019) and assessment of models for fission product revaporisation (FI4SCT960044). Also results from the national project 'aerosol experiments in the Victoria facility' funded by IVO PE and VTT Energy are reported

Compilation and evaluation of fission yield nuclear data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lammer, M.

1991-09-01

The task of this meeting was to review the progress made since the previous meeting on fission yield evaluation and to define the tasks for an IAEA Co-ordinated Research Programme in detail. Improvements have been noted in measured data, model calculations and the situation of fission yield evaluation. Tabs

Nuclear data for fission reactor core design and safety analysis: Requirements and status of accuracy of nuclear data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rowlands, J.L.

1984-01-01

The types of nuclear data required for fission reactor design and safety analysis, and the ways in which the data are represented and approximated for use in reactor calculations, are summarised first. The relative importance of different items of nuclear data in the prediction of reactor parameters is described and ways of investigating the accuracy of these data by evaluating related integral measurements are discussed. The use of sensitivity analysis, together with estimates of the uncertainties in nuclear data and relevant integral measurements, in assessing the accuracy of prediction of reactor parameters is described. The inverse procedure for deciding nuclear data requirements from the target accuracies for prediction of reactor parameters follows on from this. The need for assessments of the uncertainties in nuclear data evaluations and the form of the uncertainty information is discussed. The status of the accuracies of predictions and nuclear data requirements are then summarised. The reactor parameters considered include: (a) Criticality conditions, conversion and burn-up effects. (b) Energy production and deposition, decay heating, irradiation damage, dosimetry and induced radioactivity. (c) Kinetics characteristics and control, including temperature, power and coolant density coefficients, delayed neutrons and control absorbers. (author)

Heavy neutron-deficient radioactive beams: fission studies and fragment distributions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schmidt, K.H.; Benlliure, J.; Heinz, A.; Voss, B. [Gesellschaft fuer Schwerionenforschung mbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Boeckstiegel, C.; Grewe, A.; Steinhaeuser, S.; Clerc, H.G.; Jong, M. de; Junghans, A.R.; Mueller, J. [Technische Hochschule Darmstadt (Germany). Inst. fuer Kernphysik; Pfuetzner, M. [Warsaw Univ. (Poland). Inst. of Experimental Physics

1998-02-01

The secondary-beam facility of GSI Darmstadt was used to study the fission process of short-lived radioactive nuclei. Relativistic secondary projectiles were produced by fragmentation of a 1 A GeV {sup 238}U primary beam and identified in nuclear charge and mass number. Their production cross sections were determined, and the fission competition in the statistical deexcitation was deduced for long isotopical chains. New results on the enhancement of the nuclear level density in spherical and deformed nuclei due to collective rotational and vibrational excitations were obtained. Using these reaction products as secondary beams, the dipole giant resonance was excited by electromagnetic interactions in a secondary lead target, and fission from excitation energies around 11 MeV was induced. The fission fragments were identified in nuclear charge, and their velocity vectors were determined. Elemental yields and total kinetic energies have been determined for a number of neutron-deficient actinides and preactinides which were not accessible with conventional techniques. The characteristics of multimodal fission of nuclei around {sup 226}Th were systematically investigated and related to the influence of shell effects on the potential energy and on the level density between fission barrier and scission. A systematic view on the large number of elemental yields measured gave rise to a new interpretation of the enhanced production of even elements in nuclear fission and allowed for a new understanding of pair breaking in large-scale collective motion. (orig.)

1.6 billion euros for nuclear research through the 'Horizon 2020' program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2014-01-01

The European Union Council has approved the budget for the future European program for research and innovation called 'Horizon 2020'. A global funding of 77 billion euros has been allocated to 'Horizon 2020' for the 2014 to 2020 years. The share for nuclear sciences will reach 1.6 billion euros and will break down as follows: 316 million euros for fundamental research on fission, 728 million euros for fundamental research on fusion (ITER not included) and 560 million euros for the research projects of the European Joint Research Center (JRC). (A.C.)

Status of fission yield measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maeck, W.J.

1979-01-01

Fission yield measurement and yield compilation activities in the major laboratories of the world are reviewed. In addition to a general review of the effort of each laboratory, a brief summary of yield measurement activities by fissioning nuclide is presented. A new fast reactor fission yield measurement program being conducted in the US is described

Polarographic determination of Iodide and Iodate, in Solutions Coming from Aerosols in Fission Products Containment Studies in Nuclear Power Stations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanchez, M.; Ballesteros, O.; Fernandez, M.; Clavero, M.A.; Gonzalez, A.M.

2000-01-01

A polarographic method is described for the iodine species determination, iodide and iodate in water solutions. the iodate can be determined by differential pulse polarography. Calibration curves and the detection and determination limits have been obtained. Iodides is oxidized to iodate with sodium hypochlorite and the excess of oxidizing agent is destroyed with sodium sulphide. The concentration of iodide is calculated as the difference between the concentration of iodate in the sample before and after the oxidation. As an application, species of iodine in samples coming from the experimental plants GIRS (Gaseous Iodine Removal by Sprays) of Nuclear Fission Department of the CIEMAT, dedicated to fission products containment studies in nuclear power station, were determined. (Author) 10 refs