ISSN: 1546-962X
Page Count: 8

Characterization of the Neutron Field in the HSSI Reusable Irradiation Facility at the Ford Nuclear Reactor
Remec, I
S&T Staff Member, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN

Rosseel, TM
Manager, Heavy-Section Steel Irradiation (HSSI) Program, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN

Blakeman, ED
S&T Staff Member, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN

Baldwin, CA
S&T Staff Member, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN

Heatherly, DW
S&T Staff Member, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN

Thoms, KR
Subcontractor, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN

(Received 20 June 2005; accepted 19 April 2006)

Abstract

The characterization of the neutron environment in a reusable facility for irradiation of metallurgical specimens, located at the Ford Nuclear reactor in Michigan, was performed with a combination of transport calculations, extensive dosimeter measurements, and neutron spectrum adjustment. The average difference between the calculated and “measured” reaction rates was ∼7% (the calculations underpredicted the measurements), and the average absolute difference was ∼10%. Therefore, the calculations and measurements agreed very well. The flexible facility performed excellently during several years of operation but was discontinued when the Ford reactor ceased operation. The heavy-section steel irradiation (HSSI) program is taking the initial steps toward selecting a site for a new irradiation facility, similar to the one described here.

Keywords:
neutron irradiation, embrittlement, TORT, dosimetry

Paper ID: JAI13482
DOI: 10.1520/JAI13482
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