EDN: FVHVAR
Authors & Affiliations
Chilap V.V., Solodchenkova S.A., Chinenov A.V.
Intellect LLC, Moscow, Russia
Chilap V.V. – Project Manager, Ph. D. (nuclear power engineering), Academician of the International Academy of Information Technologies (IAIT). Contacts: 20, b. 2, Nauchny proezd, Moscow, Russia, 117246. Tel: +7 (916) 825-24-05; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Solodchenkova S.A. – Cand. Sci. (Phys.-Math.), Scientific Project Supervisor.
Chinenov A.V. – Chief Project Engineer, Intellect LLC.
Abstract
The article discusses the fundamental nuclear physics principles and prerequisites for the implementation of a new scheme of the electronuclear method for neutron production based on so called the Relativistic Nuclear Technology (RNT) which allow to most consistently realize the potential advantages of this method. The new scheme is aimed at using the hardest neutron spectrum formed by relativistic particle beams inside a deeply subcritical, quasi-infinite active core to solve a wide range of tasks of nuclear power and related industries. Within the proposed scheme, in particular, it is envisaged to increase the energy of the relativistic particle beam from the energy of ~1 GeV traditional for classical electronuclear systems (ADS) to the level of ~10 GeV.
The existing problems of significant discrepancies in the results of the electronuclear method of neutron production modeling and the respective experiments performed with massive subcritical targets for intermediate energies of incident particles (0.5÷10––15 GeV) are analyzed. The calculations by standard transport codes cannot reproduce the high energy part of the neutron spectrum (extending far beyond the boundaries of the fission one) which is formed by beams of relativistic particles inside a deep subcritical, massive (uranium/thorium) target assembly.
The analysis of key measurement results, in particular neutron leakage from the massive (512 kg) natural uranium target assembly (named “QUINTA”) irradiated with deuteron beam in the energy range from 1 to 8 GeV (0.5–4 GeV/nucleon), at JINR NUCLOTRON-M within the framework of the “Energy and Transmutation” project, is carried out. The project was aimed at testing of basic nuclear-physical principles of the proposed scheme RNT.
It was reliably established that with a growth of the incident beam energy, the share of the high-energy (with En > 20 MeV) tail of the leaked neutron spectrum increases essentially and this significant hardening of the experimental neutron spectrum is not reproduced by the standard transport codes. So it requires serious corrections of basic nuclear physics models used in modern transport codes.
Based on the analysis of the processes occurring in a quasi-infinite deeply subcritical (uranium/thorium) system under irradiation with the initiating beam of intermediate energies the definition of the electronuclear neutron was proposed and an estimate of its total energy cost for a quasi-infinite assembly of uranium-238 was carried out. It was shown that when implementing the RNT scheme, one can expect its value at the level of ~6–7 MeV, in contrast to the magnitude of ~40–50 MeV adopted in the classical ADS scheme.
It is assumed that the main reason for the difficulties in modeling the neutron spectrum and other processes occurring in massive targets when irradiated with relativistic particles of intermediate energies is the use of the intra-nuclear cascade model (INСM) in transport codes and its numerous modifications to describe the primary act of a high-energy particle interaction of with target nuclei. The main inconsistencies between the INCM and the actual processes that do not allow obtaining adequate results for massive targets on its basis are identified. It was shown that using previously developed models based on microscopic approaches, including quantum shock wave models, it is possible to more adequately describe most of the phenomena caused by relativistic particles, including even the most complex characteristics of the fragmentation.
The goals and objectives of creating on the basis of the U-70 accelerator of the IHEP NRC “Kurchatov Institute” the unique world-class benchmark (installation “KURS”) using a quasi-infinite target assembly (TA) from depleted uranium “Big Target” (BT) weighing ~ 21 tons are formulated and justified.
The main task of the KURS benchmark is to obtain a set of nuclear data necessary for the creation and testing of a new generation of transport codes, including radically new nuclear physics models. It is assumed that these codes, in addition to more reliable modeling and solving a number of fundamental and applied problems, will also make it possible to carry out reliable calculations necessary for creating real electronuclear systems and their licensing.
The article is based on the works of the authors carried out at the Center of Physical and Technical Projects (CPTP) “Atomenergomash”, Moscow, Russia.
Keywords
electronuclear method of producing neutrons, accelerator driven systems (ADS), intermediate energies region, protons, deuterons, deep subcritical active core, quasi infinite uranium target, relativistic nu-clear technologies (RNT), mesons education, fragmentation, intranuclear cascade, high-energy fission, reaction type (n, xn), electronuclear neutron, model of intranuclear cascade, quantum shock waves model
Article Text (PDF, in Russian)
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