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Neutron flux characterization of the beam port of the Missouri University of Science and Technology Reactor

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Abstract

Neutron activation analysis was used to determine the thermal and epithermal neutron flux and its spatial distribution at the beam port of the Missouri University of Science and Technology Research Reactor. Gold foil irradiations were conducted and the determined flux was compared to Monte Carlo radiation transport predictions using the Monte Carlo N-particle code. The average experimental thermal (E < 0.55 eV) and epithermal (0.55 eV < E < 100 keV) fluxes were (5.7 ± 0.3) × 106 cm−2 s−1 and (7.3 ± 0.3) × 105 cm−2 s−1, respectively and were found to be in good qualitative agreement with the MCNP simulations.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the staff of the MSTR for their time and assistance in the experiments. They would also like to thank the KACST program for providing graduate tuition and financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nuclear Engineering Program, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO, USA

    Mubarak Albarqi, Raed Alsulami & Joseph Graham

  2. Nuclear Sciences Research Institute, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Mubarak Albarqi & Raed Alsulami

  3. Department of Physics, Faculty of Art and Science, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Tayfun Akyurek

Authors
  1. Mubarak Albarqi
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  2. Raed Alsulami
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Correspondence to Joseph Graham.

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Albarqi, M., Alsulami, R., Akyurek, T. et al. Neutron flux characterization of the beam port of the Missouri University of Science and Technology Reactor. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 321, 109–116 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-019-06561-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-019-06561-2

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