A proper knowledge of neutron cross sections is very important for the operation safety of various nuclear facilities. Reducing uncertainties in the neutron cross sections can lead to an enhanced safety of present and future nuclear power systems. It is essential to have a tool to measure the neutron cross sections at required resolution. The Geel electron linear accelerator (GELINA) is the one with the best energy resolution. The main goal of this publication is to investigate the possibilities to improve even further the capabilities of this neutron data measurement facility. The present GELINA capabilities will be improved by designing a new high-power neutron producing target. The new target designed will substantially enhance the obtainable energy resolution, while not compromising the neutron flux. The first step was to optimize the target in size and material. The second step was to optimize a block-shaped geometry, instead of the cylindrical geometry.

This publication addresses recent developments in neutron generator (NG) technology. It presents information on compact instruments with high neutron yield to be used for neutron activation analysis (NAA) and prompt gamma neutron activation analysis in combination with high count rate spectrometers. Traditional NGs have been shown to be effective for applications including borehole logging, homeland security, nuclear medicine and the on-line analysis of aluminium, coal and cement. Pulsed fast thermal neutron analysis, as well as tagged and timed neutron analysis, are additional techniques which can be applied using NG. Furthermore, NG can effectively be used for elemental analysis and is also effective for analysis of hidden materials by neutron radiography. Useful guidelines for developing NG based research laboratories are also provided in this publication.

This is an authoritative compilation of information regarding methods and data used in all phases of nuclear engineering. Addressing nuclear engineers and scientists at all levels, this book provides a condensed reference on nuclear engineering since 1958.

A low-carbon energy outlook to mitigate the climate change requires the replacement of fossil fuel by sources with low CO2 emissions, like nuclear energy.. One of the options discussed in the Gen-IV International Forum for the the next generation of nuclear reactors is to use the thorium cycle. The fissile isotope 233U is among the most important isotopes in the thorium cycle and directly responsible for the neutron economy. One of the particularities of this nucleus is to have a capture cross section which is one order of magnitude lower than fission, making the measurement of the 233U capture cross section very challenging as indicated by only two high resolution data sets available since the 1960s. In this thesis, a new measurement at the n_TOF neutron source is described employing a novel compact fission chamber inserted in the center of the Total Absorption Calorimeter g-ray detector. The fission chamber allows to tag and subsequently subtract the gamma rays from the fission reaction aiming to improve the accuracy of the 233U capture cross section.The performance of the custom tailored fission chamber is described in detail and allows to extract information about the prompt fission g-rays. A detailed discussion of the data reduction process and the key elements in the analysis is given resulting in the calculation of the 233U-alpha-ratio, the ratio between the capture and fission cross-section.

This book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to the fundamental theory and applications of slow-neutron scattering.