Measurement of neutron flux distribution in the irradiation channel in the Ghana Research Reactor-1 using Monte Carlo method

• Published in: Progress in nuclear energy (New series) Vol. 53; no. 2; pp. 189 - 194
• Main Authors: Abrefah, R.G., Anim-Sampong, S., Nyarko, B.J.B., Akaho, E.H.K., Sogbadji, R.B.M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Channels; Computer simulation; Energy; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Exact sciences and technology; Falling; Fast neutrons; Fission nuclear power plants; Fission q-value; Fluxes; Fuels; Installations for energy generation and conversion: thermal and electrical energy; Irradiation; Loss to fission; Monte Carlo methods; Neutron flux; Normalization; Nuclear engineering; Nuclear fuels; Ghana; Loss to fission; Normalization; Fission q-value; Measurement; Neutron flux; Monte Carlo method; Computation code; Nuclear reactor; Epithermal neutrons; Simulation; Multiplication factors; Neutron irradiation; Fast neutron; Thermal neutron; Research reactor; Reactor core
• ISSN: 0149-1970
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pnucene.2010.07.002

The Monte Carlo method was used to determine the neutron fluxes in the irradiation channels of the Ghana Research Reactor-1. The MCNP5 code was used for this purpose to simulate the radial and axial distribution of the neutron fluxes within all the 10 irradiation channels. After the MCNP simulation, it was observed that axially, the fluxes rise to a peak before falling and then finally leveling out. It was also observed that the fluxes were higher in the center of the irradiation channels; the fluxes got higher as it moved toward the center of the core. The multiplication factor ( k eff) was observed as 1.000397 ± 0.0007. Radially, the thermal, epithermal and fast neutron flux in the inner irradiation channel range from 1.15 × 10 12 n/cm 2.s ± 0.1018 × 10 11 − 1.19 × 10 12 n/cm 2.s ± 0.1172 × 10 11, 1.21 × 10 12 n/cm 2.s ± 0.1014 × 10 11 − 1.36 × 10 12 n/cm 2.s ± 0.1038 × 10 11 and 2.47 × 10 11 n/cm 2.s ± 0.1120 × 10 10 − 2.97 × 10 11 n/cm 2.s ± 0.1255 × 10 10 respectively. For the outer channel, the flux range from 7.14 × 10 11 n/cm 2.s ± 0.1381 × 10 10 − 7.38 × 10 11 n/cm 2.s ± 0.208 × 10 10 for thermal, 1.94 × 10 11 n/cm 2.s ± 0.1014 × 10 10 − 2.51 × 10 11 n/cm 2.s ± 0.1281 × 10 10 for epithermal and 3.69 × 10 10 n/cm 2.s ± 0.8912 × 10 8 − 5.14 × 10 10 n/cm 2.s ± 0.1009 × 10 9 for fast. The results have shown that there are flux variations within the irradiation channels both axially and radially.