Fast neutron

Am undergo fission with thermal neutrons of these isotopes and Pu are the most important as they are most readily obtainable. Other heavy nuclei require fast neutrons to induce fission such neutrons are much more difficult to control into a self-sustaining chain-reaction. 

Concrete is commonly used, augmented by iron and lead for gamma rays and water for fast neutrons. 

The nuclear chain reaction can be modeled mathematically by considering the probable fates of a typical fast neutron released in the system. This neutron may make one or more coUisions, which result in scattering or absorption, either in fuel or nonfuel materials. If the neutron is absorbed in fuel and fission occurs, new neutrons are produced. A neutron may also escape from the core in free flight, a process called leakage. The state of the reactor can be defined by the multiplication factor, k, the net number of neutrons produced in one cycle. If k is exactly 1, the reactor is said to be critical if / < 1, it is subcritical if / > 1, it is supercritical. The neutron population and the reactor power depend on the difference between k and 1, ie, bk = k — K closely related quantity is the reactivity, p = bk jk. i the reactivity is negative, the number of neutrons declines with time if p = 0, the number remains constant if p is positive, there is a growth in population. 

The First Reactor. When word about the discovery of fission in Germany reached the United States, researchers thereafter found that (/) the principal uranium isotope involved was uranium-235 (2) slow neutrons were very effective in causing fission (J) several fast neutrons were released and (4) a large energy release occurred. The possibiUty of an atom bomb of enormous destmctive power was visualized. 

Among other isotopes produced at SRP were uranium-233 for breeder research, cobalt-60 [10198-40-0] for irradiators, plutonium-238 for spacecraft such as V ojager 2in.d lunar research power suppHes, and califomium-252 as a fast neutron source. The accomplishments of Du Pont at SRP are well chronicled (53). 

The technologically most important isotope, Pu, has been produced in large quantities since 1944 from natural or partially enriched uranium in production reactors. This isotope is characterized by a high fission reaction cross section and is useful for fission weapons, as trigger for thermonuclear weapons, and as fuel for breeder reactors. A large future source of plutonium may be from fast-neutron breeder reactors. 

Properties. Most of the alloys developed to date were intended for service as fuel cladding and other stmctural components in hquid-metal-cooled fast-breeder reactors. AHoy selection was based primarily on the following criteria corrosion resistance in Hquid metals, including lithium, sodium, and NaK, and a mixture of sodium and potassium strength ductihty, including fabricabihty and neutron considerations, including low absorption of fast neutrons as well as irradiation embrittlement and dimensional-variation effects. Alloys of greatest interest include V 80, Cr 15, Ti 5... 

The methods of choice for beryUium oxide in beryUium metal are inert gas fusion and fast neutron activation. In the inert gas fusion technique, the sample is fused with nickel metal in a graphite cmcible under a stream of helium or argon. BeryUium oxide is reduced, and the evolved carbon monoxide is measured by infrared absorption spectrometry. BeryUium nitride decomposes under the same fusion conditions and may be determined by measurement of the evolved nitrogen. Oxygen may also be determined by activation with 14 MeV neutrons (20). The only significant interferents in the neutron activation technique are fluorine and boron, which are seldom encountered in beryUium metal samples. 

Radiation Effects. Alpha sihcon carbide exhibits a small degree of anisotropy in radiation-induced expansions along the optical axis and perpendicular to it (58). When diodes of sihcon carbide were compared with sihcon diodes in exposure to kradiation with fast neutrons (59), an increase in forward resistance was noted only at a flux about 10 times that at which the increase occurs in a sihcon diode. In general, it appears that sihcon carbide, having the more tightly bound lattice, is less damaged by radiation than sihcon. 

The principal source of natural tritium is the nuclear reactions induced by cosmic radiation in the upper atmosphere, where fast neutrons, protons, and deuterons coUide with components of the stratosphere to produce tritium ... 

Fig. 6. Radiation damage in graphite showing the induced crystal dimensional strains. Impinging fast neutrons displace carbon atoms from their equilibrium lattice positions, producing an interstitial and vacancy. The coalescence of vacancies causes contraction in the a-direction, whereas interstitials may coalesce to form dislocation loops (essentially new graphite planes) causing c-direction expansion.

Brocklehurst, J.E. and Kelly, B.T., Analysis of the dimensional changes and structural changes in polycrystalline graphite under fast neutron irradiation. Carbon, 1993, 31, 155 178. 

Taylor, R., Kelly, B.T., and Gilchrist, K.E., The thermal conductivity of fast neutron irradiated graphite. J. Phys. Chem. Solids, 30, 1969, 2251 2267. 

Kelly, B.T. and Brocklehurst J.E., Dimensional changes of pyrolytic graphite at very high fast neutron doses. In Proc. Fifth SCI Conf. on Industrial Carbons and Graphites, SCI London, (1979, pp. 892 897. 

Birch, M., Schofield, P., Brocklehurst, J.E., Kelly, B.T., Harper, A. and Prior, H., The combined effects of fast neutron damage and radiolytic oxidation on the physical... 

Other options for eliminating weapons-grade plutonium arc to seal it permanently in solid radioactive waste and dispose of it in waste repositories, and to use the plutonium to fuel fast neutron reactors (without reprocessing the plutonium into a MOX fuel). 

For the neutron porosity measurement, fast neutrons are emitted from a 7.5-curie (Ci) americium-beryllium (Am-Be) source. The quantities of hydrogen in the formation, in the form of water or oil-filled porosity as well as crystallization water in the rock if any, primarily control the rate at which the neutrons slow down to epithermal and thermal energies. Neutrons are detected in near- and far-spacing detectors, located laterally above the source. Ratio processing is used for borehole compensation. 

In the light water reactor, the circulating water serves another purpose in addition to heat transfer. It acts to slow down, or moderate, the neutrons given off by fission. This is necessary if the chain reaction is to continue fast neutrons are not readily absorbed by U-235. Reactors in Canada use heavy water, D20, which has an important advantage over H20. Its moderating properties are such that naturally occurring uranium can be used as a fuel enrichment in U-235 is not necessary. 

We have limited our investigations to the action of gamma-rays and fast neutrons on aromatic, alicyclic, aliphatic, and ionic compounds. The absorption coefficients for these types of radiation have an order of magnitude of lO /cm which is particularly adequate. Shallow penetrating radiations would only alter the superficial layers and would obviously not be able to affect the intensity of the quadrupole line substantially. This is for instance the case for ultraviolet light which has been shown to be unable to produce any effect on the resonance line of iodoform (CHI3 3Sg)... 

Comparison of Various FNAA Techniques for Assay of Synthetic Octol Samples Precision of Single-Axis Rotation FNAA for Assay of Octol Plant Samples Fast Neutron Activation Analysis for Nitrogen in Explosives by... 

Triple-Axis Rotator for Fast Neutron Activation of Explosives. N... 

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