2025, Issue 4

EDN: TPNAAC

Authors & Affiliations

Shkarupa I.L., Isachenkov I.A., Ivanov A.S.
A.I. Leipunsky Institute for Physics and Power Engineering, Obninsk, Russia

Shkarupa I.L. – Head of the group, Cand. Sci. (Tech.). Contacts: 1, pl. Bondarenko, Obninsk, Kaluga region, Russia, 249033. Tel.: +7 (484) 399-70-00 (add. 55-84); e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Isachenkov I.A. – Research Engineer.
Ivanov A.S. – Research Engineer.

Abstract

The neutron capture cross-section can significantly vary depending on the neutron energy, and typically, as the neutron energy decreases, the reaction cross-section increases. To reduce the energy of neutrons, a cold neutron trap is used. It is advisable to select a coolant with the lowest possible boiling point to maximize the reduction of neutron temperature in a relatively dense liquid coolant environment. This article describes some approaches to determining the technical and economic feasibility of manufacturing and installing a cold neutron trap in the core of a nuclear reactor to enhance the production process of various valuable radioisotopes demanded in science, industry, and nuclear medicine. The article provides some calculated parameters, including: boiling point values of various potential trap materials, the required size of a trap with liquid oxygen as the coolant, the percentage of neutron absorption by trap materials, and an estimation of the increased production of various isotopes when using the trap. Data on the approximate daily and annual consumption of liquid oxygen to maintain the standard operation of the cold trap are presented. An assessment of the market for certain useful radioisotopes, currently produced in research or industrial nuclear reactors without an additional trap or obtained using accelerators, is conducted. When comparing reactors with and without a trap, the trap nearly doubles the radioisotope production, while the reactor requires significantly less energy compared to an accelerator, which demands a substantial amount of energy to produce an equivalent quantity of radioisotopes.

Keywords
сold neutron trap, nuclear reaction cross-section, pool-type reactor, liquid oxygen, neutron moderation, production of radioisotopes

Article Text (PDF, in Russian)

References

UDC 621.039

Problems of Atomic Science and Technology. Series: Nuclear and Reactor Constants, 2025, no. 4, 4:11