Neutron capture cross sections

Gadolinium has the highest thermal neutron capture cross-section of any known element (49,000 barns). 

Several portions of Section 4, Properties of Atoms, Radicals, and Bonds, have been significantly enlarged. For example, the entries under Ionization Energy of Molecular and Radical Species now number 740 and have an additional column with the enthalpy of formation of the ions. Likewise, the table on Electron Affinities of the Elements, Molecules, and Radicals now contains about 225 entries. The Table of Nuclides has material on additional radionuclides, their radiations, and the neutron capture cross sections. 

Determination of gold concentrations to ca 1 ppm in solution via atomic absorption spectrophotometry (62) has become an increasingly popular technique because it is available in most modem analytical laboratories and because it obviates extensive sample preparation. A more sensitive method for gold analysis is neutron activation, which permits accurate determination to levels < 1 ppb (63). The sensitivity arises from the high neutron-capture cross section (9.9 x 10 = 99 barns) of the only natural isotope, Au. The resulting isotope, Au, decays by P and y emission with a half-life of 2.7 d. 

Isotope CAS Registry Number Occurrence, % Thermal neutron capture cross section, 10-" ... 

Graphite is chosen for use in nuclear reactors because it is the most readily available material with good moderating properties and a low neutron capture cross section. Other features that make its use widespread are its low cost, stabiHty at elevated temperatures in atmospheres free of oxygen and water vapor, good heat transfer characteristics, good mechanical and stmctural properties, and exceUent machinabUity. 

Neutron economy in graphite occurs because pure graphite has a neutron capture cross section of only 0.0032 0.002 x lO " cm. Taking into account the density of reactor grade graphite (bulk density 1.71 g/cm ), the bulk neutron absorption coefficient is 0.0003/cm. Thus a slow neutron may travel >32 m in graphite without capture. 

Production in Heavy Water Moderator. A small quantity of tritium is produced through neutron capture by deuterium in the heavy water used as moderator in the reactors. The thermal neutron capture cross section for deuterium is extremely small (about 6 x 10 consequendy the... 

Nickel-manganese-palladium brazes are resistant to attack by molten alkali metals and And applications in sodium-cooled turbine constructions. Their freedom from silver and other elements of high thermal neutron-capture cross-section allows them to be used in liquid-metal-cooled nuclear reactors. 

Zirconium alloys have been much less thoroughly studied than titanium alloys. The main application of interest has been for nuclear reactor components where good corrosion resistance combined with a low neutron capture cross-section has been required. Corrosion fatigue crack growth in these alloys in high temperature (260-290°C) aqueous environments typical of... 

Attree RW, Cabell MJ, Cushing RL, Pieroni JJ (1962) A calorimetric determination of the half-life of thorium-230 and a consequent revision to its neutron capture cross section. Can J Phys 40 194-201 Bateman H (1910) Solution of a system of differential equations occurring in the theory of radioactive transformations. Proc Cambridge Phil Soc 15 423-427 Beattie PD (1993) The generation of uranium series disequilibria by partial melting of spinel peridotite ... 

Boron nitride, in view of its unique properties, namely absence of electrical conductivity, oxidation resistance, optical transparency, and high neutron capture cross-section for special applications, offers advantages over other ceramics. Thus, for the... 

There are a number of papers in the open literature explicitly reporting on the properties of boron cluster compounds for potential neutron capture applications.1 Such applications make full use of the 10B isotope and its relatively high thermal neutron capture cross section of 3.840 X 10 28 m2 (barns). Composites of natural rubber incorporating 10B-enriched boron carbide filler have been investigated by Gwaily et al. as thermal neutron radiation shields.29 Their studies show that thermal neutron attenuation properties increased with boron carbide content to a critical concentration, after which there was no further change. 

Due to the natural isotopic composition of Ge and to the neutron capture cross-section, the resulting doping is of p-type. NTD process has principally two advantages [3] ... 

Neutron capture processes give rise to the so-called magic-number peaks in the abundance curve, corresponding to closed shells with 50, 82 or 126 neutrons (see Chapter 2). In the case of the s-process, the closed shells lead to low neutron-capture cross-sections and hence to abundance peaks in the neighbourhood of Sr, Ba and Pb (see Fig. 1.4), since such nuclei will predominate after exposure to a chain of neutron captures. In the r-process, radioactive progenitors with closed shells are more stable and hence more abundant than their neighbours and their subsequent decay leads to the peaks around Ge, Xe and Pt on the low-A side of the corresponding s-process peak. 

These shell closures have a profound influence on nuclear properties, in particular the binding energy (adding terms not accounted for in Eq. 2.2), particle separation energies and neutron capture cross-sections. The shell model also forms a basis for predicting the properties of nuclear energy levels, especially the ground... 

Fig. 2.13. Schematic superposition of the Maxwell energy distribution and neutron capture cross-section. The most probable energy for the capture process in stars is near kT. After Rolfs and Rodney (1988). Copyright by the University of Chicago. Courtesy Claus Rolfs.

G. W. C. Kaye and T. H. Laby, Tables of Physical and Chemical Constants, Longman 1995, gives a table of properties of the nuclides including isotopic abundance or half-life, decay modes, mass excess, neutron capture cross-section and ground-state spin and parity. This publication, with a prospect of regular updates, is available on the website http //www.kayelaby.npl.co.uk/. 

Fig. 6.2. Neutron-capture cross-sections at energies near 25 keV. Very large dips occur at the magic numbers. After Clayton (1984). Copyright by the University of Chicago. Courtesy Don Clayton.

Fig. 6.3. Product aN of abundance and neutron capture cross-section for s-only nuclides in the Solar System. The main and weak s-process components are shown by the heavy and light curves respectively. Units are mb per 106 Si atoms. After Kappeler, Beer and Wisshak (1989). Copyright by IOP Publishing Ltd. Courtesy Franz Kappeler.

Solve the differential equation (6.4) for the case when all neutron capture cross-sections are equal and show that it leads to the Poisson distribution for a single exposure r. Use this to derive an equivalent to Eq. (6.16) for this case when there is an exponential distribution of exposures as in Eq. (6.9). 

Nuclear and magneto-hydrodynamic electric power generation systems have been produced on a scale which could lead to industrial production, but to-date technical problems, mainly connected with corrosion of the containing materials, has hampered full-scale development. In the case of nuclear power, the proposed fast reactor, which uses fast neutron fission in a small nuclear fuel element, by comparison with fuel rods in thermal neutron reactors, requires a more rapid heat removal than is possible by water cooling, and a liquid sodium-potassium alloy has been used in the development of a near-industrial generator. The fuel container is a vanadium sheath with a niobium outer cladding, since this has a low fast neutron capture cross-section and a low rate of corrosion by the liquid metal coolant. The liquid metal coolant is transported from the fuel to the turbine generating the electric power in stainless steel... 

The sensitivity of the method depends upon the neutron flux, the ability of an element to capture neutrons (the neutron capture cross-section) and the half-life of the induced activity (Ewing 1985 458). This can be expressed as ... 

Although quantification of the elements present in the y spectrum can in theory be achieved from first principles using the equation given above, in practice uncertainties in the neutron capture cross-section and variations in the neutron flux within the reactor mean that it is better to use standards. These standards must be included in each batch of samples irradiated in order to account for variations in neutron flux inside the reactor. For analysis of minor and trace elements calibration is easier than with other analytical methods provided that the major element composition remains reasonably constant, as the y ray intensity is proportional to concentration over a very wide range of concentrations. However, for analysis of major elements, e.g., silver in silver coins, the relationship between intensity and concentration is more complex, due to progressive absorption of neutrons as they pass through the specimen. In such cases y ray intensity will also depend on the thickness of the sample and therefore specialized calibration methods are required (Tite 1972 277). 

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