Grants and Contracts Details
Description
The advanced fuels program sponsors research and development of innovative next generation
light water reactor (LWR) and future fast systems. Input needed for both design and safety
considerations for these systems includes neutron elastic and inelastic scattering cross sections
that impact the fuel performance during irradiations, as well as coolants and structural materials.
The purpose of this project is to measure high precision and accurate nuclear data requested by
the Advanced Fuels program for elastic/inelastic scattered neutrons on coolants and structural
materials important for the development of future systems. The high-precision requirements
identified in the campaign supported by nuclear data sensitivity analyses have established a high
priority need for precision elastic/inelastic nuclear data on the coolant 23Na and the structural
materials 54Fe and 56Fe. The nuclear data files used in advanced fuel cycle codes are a
culmination of available experimental data and nuclear theory, combined to provide the best
estimates of not only the central values but also the uncertainties in covariant form. In order to
deliver new high-confidence nuclear data to design codes, supplemental nuclear data from the
proposed measurements will be delivered to evaluators at national laboratories to be included in
updated nuclear libraries.
A consortium of three universities and a national laboratory has been formed to provide the
necessary breadth for this effort and includes a list of scientists with extensive experience in
neutron elastic and elastic scattering measurements and with direct access to the facilities for
completing the proposed neutron measurements. This three-year project, which will integrate
closely with the Nuclear Physics Working Group, will not only provide partial support for
faculty and staff, but training in neutron physics will be given to six to ten university
undergraduate students, a graduate student, and a postdoctoral scholar, thus helping address the
nation’s need to improve the nuclear science and engineering infrastructure so the industry will
be prepared for future expansion.
Status | Finished |
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Effective start/end date | 10/1/12 → 12/30/15 |
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