Generation and validation of a shielding library based on ENDF/B-VI.8

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Engineering
• Radiation Shielding
• Computational Physics

Background:

• Existing neutron-photon libraries require updates for accurate reactor dosimetry and shielding analysis.
• The KASHIL-E6 library, based on ENDF/B-VI.5, needed an update to incorporate the latest nuclear data.
• Accurate neutron and photon transport data are crucial for reactor safety and design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To generate a pseudo-problem-independent neutron-photon coupled MATXS-format library based on ENDF/B-VI.
• To update the KASHIL-E6 library with improved nuclear data for shielding and reactor pressure vessel dosimetry.
• To validate the new library using established benchmark experiments and investigate the impact of alternative nuclear data.

Main Methods:

• Generation of a MATXS-format neutron-photon coupled library using ENDF/B-VI data.
• Utilized VITAMIN-B6 energy group structures (199 neutron, 42 photon groups).
• Validated the library using PCA-REPLICA, NESDIP-2, Winfrith Iron 88, and Winfrith Graphite benchmark experiments with the TRANSX/DANTSYS code system.

Main Results:

• The generated library, based on ENDF/B-VI, demonstrated good agreement with benchmark experiment results.
• Validation confirmed the library's suitability for light-water reactor pressure vessel dosimetry.
• Investigated the impact of substituting JENDL-3.3 and JEFF-3.0 data for key nuclides (Fe, Cr, Cu, Ni) on benchmark calculations.

Conclusions:

• The updated neutron-photon coupled library provides a reliable tool for shielding and reactor pressure vessel dosimetry applications.
• The validation results support the use of this library for accurate neutron transport calculations.
• The study highlights the importance of nuclear data choices for shielding analysis accuracy.