Monte Carlo simulations and experimental results on neutron production in the uranium spallation target QUINTA irradiated with 660 MeV protons

J H Khushvaktov; J Adam; A A Baldin; W I Furman; S A Gustov; Yu V Kish; A A Solnyshkin; V I Stegailov; J Svoboda; P Tichy; V M Tsoupko-Sitnikov; S I Tyutyunnikov; R Vespalec; J Vrzalova; V Wagner; B S Yuldashev; L Zavorka; M Zeman

doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2018.03.003

Monte Carlo simulations and experimental results on neutron production in the uranium spallation target QUINTA irradiated with 660 MeV protons

Appl Radiat Isot. 2018 Jul:137:102-107. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2018.03.003. Epub 2018 Mar 10.

Authors

J H Khushvaktov¹, J Adam², A A Baldin³, W I Furman⁴, S A Gustov⁴, Yu V Kish⁴, A A Solnyshkin⁴, V I Stegailov⁴, J Svoboda⁵, P Tichy⁴, V M Tsoupko-Sitnikov⁴, S I Tyutyunnikov⁴, R Vespalec⁶, J Vrzalova², V Wagner⁷, B S Yuldashev⁸, L Zavorka⁴, M Zeman⁵

Affiliations

¹ Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia; Institute of Nuclear Physics ASRU, Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Electronic address: khushvaktov@jinr.ru.
² Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia; Nuclear Physics Institute CAS, Czech Republic.
³ Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia; Institute for Advanced Studies, Dubna, Russia.
⁴ Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia.
⁵ Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia; Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic.
⁶ Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia; Czech Technical University, Prague, Czech Republic.
⁷ Nuclear Physics Institute CAS, Czech Republic.
⁸ Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia; Institute of Nuclear Physics ASRU, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

PMID: 29602028
DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2018.03.003

Abstract

The activation experiment was performed using the accelerated beam of Phasotron accelerator at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR). The natural uranium spallation target QUINTA was irradiated with protons with energy 660 MeV. Monte Carlo simulations of neutron production were performed using the Geant4 code. The number of leakage neutrons from the sections of the uranium target surrounded by the lead shielding and the number of leakage neutrons from lead were determined. The total number of fissions in the setup QUINTA was determined. Experimental values of reaction rates for the produced nuclei in the ¹²⁷I sample were obtained and several values of reaction rates were compared with the results of simulations. Experimentally determined fluence of neutrons in energy interval 10-175 MeV using the (n,xn) reactions in the ¹²⁷I(NaI) sample was compared with the results of simulations. Possibility of transmutation of the long-lived radionuclide ¹²⁹I in the QUINTA setup was estimated.

Keywords: Accelerator-driven systems; Fission reaction; Geant4; Monte Carlo simulations; Neutron fluence; Uranium.