At the VENUS-F zero power reactor, miniature fission chambers have been used to measure fission rate ratios in order to get insights on the neutron flux energy distribution. Monte Carlo models of VENUS-F have been validated against those experimental results.
Customarily, non-threshold (e.g.: of $^{235}$U and $^{239}$Pu) and threshold fission rates (e.g.: of $^{237}$Np, $^{240}$Pu and...
Silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor radiation detectors are being researched in the field of radiation detection as a promising technology offering superior performance characteristics that address many limitations of traditional detector materials, thanks to inherent advantages of SiC. These are, for radiation detection in particular, its wide bandgap, high thermal conductivity and...
Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) is an essential analytical technique in material science, enabling the study of structural and dynamic properties at the nanoscale.
The SAM instrument at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) in Grenoble, France, is a pinhole geometry instrument for SANS experiments, aiming at the determination of the structure of large-scale objects (1 โ 100 nm) in various...
Neutron flux in nuclear reactors causes damages to material components. Fast neutrons, above 1 MeV, can modify mechanical and structural properties of materials. These damages are expressed as displacements per atom (dpa). Some experiments carried out in research reactors study the behaviour and ageing of materials irradiated by high neutron fluxes. In these experiments, it is therefore...
Silicon carbide (SiC) detectors have become essential in advancing dosimetry for high-energy and high-dose rate radiotherapy. Achieving accurate dose tracking under high-dose-rate and high-energy conditions requires dosimeters that can withstand challenging environments and provide reliable measurements. Conventional silicon detectors, although sensitive, often experience degradation under...
Silicon Carbide (SiC) based neutron sensors present very promising properties for neutron flux measurements: selectivity between neutron and gamma radiations, response linearity, radiation and temperature hardness, pixilationโฆ In particular, p-n and SCHOTTKY diode designs are studied since more than 20 years for almost fission, fusion, medical, spatial and high-energy physics application...
With the emergence of major applications in harsh environments, the scientific and industrial community expresses a real need for developing a range of instrumentation dedicated to monitor, control, and check resistance to ageing and damage of a large panel of structure. In nuclear domain, there are needs in the frame of instrumentation of Material Testing Reactors (MTR) and of the new...
X/ฮณ/neutron radiography is the most important radiography technology at present, of which X-ray imaging with different energy and different imaging forms is the most developed and widely applied. At the same time, however, due to differences in the principles of neutron imaging and matter interaction, neutron imaging can complement X/gamma imaging in specific areas, such as detection of...
The VENUS-F zero power reactor was first operated in 2011 at SCK CEN in the framework of the MYRRHA project. Over time, many experimental campaigns were carried out at VENUS-F in support of several - mostly heavy metal cooled - fast reactor designs.
Knowledge about the processing procedures of such experiments is retained by expert users knowing how to interact with the many codes developed...
From 2020 to 2023, CEA Cadarache and Instrumentation Technologies collaborated on the industrialization of the Libera MONACO 3 (Multichannel Online Neutron Acquisition in Campbell mOde) neutron flux measurement system for research reactors. This instrument provides four independent input channels, enabling data processing across a broad operational range, and can be used with Fission Chamber...
The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) and Franceโs Commissariat ร l'รฉnergie atomique et aux รฉnergies alternatives (CEA) have initiated the CORANI (KAERI/CEA cOllaboration for Research reactor Application of Neutron dosimetry and Instrumentations) project, a collaboration aimed at testing CEAโs instrumentation sensors within KAERIโs research reactor, HANARO (High-Flux Advanced...
A high number of new fission and fusion reactor designs are set to operate at high temperatures, on the account of increasing the overall electrical energy production efficiency, rely on passive heat dissipation for cooling after shutdown, or use other types of coolant than water such as liquid metal or molten salt. The behavior of these materials and the associated instrumentation must...
The CABRI experimental pulse reactor is devoted to the study of Reactivity Initiated Accidents (RIA), for the purpose of the CABRI International Program (CIP), managed by the French Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety Institute (IRSN). CABRIโs hodoscope equipment detects the fast neutrons emitted during a power pulse by a tested rod, positioned inside a dedicated test loop reproducing either...
Electron linear accelerators (LINACs) are versatile and powerful X-ray sources, which can be used in medical radiotherapy as well as in various industrial applications including non-destructive testing, imaging and security inspection. LINACs accelerate electrons by passing them through a series of oscillating electric fields within a vacuum tube. These high-energy electrons are then directed...
Low output portable DD and DT neutron generators are used at Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague for variety of research and educational applications. The paper summarizes the acquired experience related to characterisation of these devices (i.e. of the P385 type DD neutron generator and of the MP320 type DT neutron generator both...
The Advanced Test Reactor is a highly versatile, pressurized, light water cooled, beryllium moderated test reactor with a nominal power capacity of 250 Megawatts (thermal). Its unique core design utilizes a serpentine clover leaf of 40 fuel elements to create 9 different flux traps. The Advanced Test Reactor Critical is a full-scale replica of the Advanced Test Reactor core but in a pool in...
Reactor dosimetry measurements are commonly used to validate simulation and modeling in nuclear reactor experiments. Numerous standard dosimeter materials exist which are commonly utilized for their sensitivities to different energy ranges of neutrons. At the Advanced Test Reactor, cobalt alloy and pure nickel wires are installed every cycle to monitor thermal- and fast-neutron fluence rates....
The Fission Wire Measurement System is a custom measurement system designed in the 1960s to measure the beta-particle activity of irradiated uranium-aluminum fission wires. This measurement is conducted to determine the fission rate profile of the Advanced Reactor Test Critical facility. The Advanced Test Reactor Critical facility is an open-pool, low-power test reactor used to qualify...
Knowing the neutron fields in irradiation facilities is crucial for experimental research work in nuclear science and technology. Monte Carlo particle transport techniques are becoming the reference in the context of nuclear reactor analysis and are extensively used for detailed computational characteritzation of irraditation facilities, including the determination of neutron energy spectrum....
The Laboratoire National de Mรฉtrologie et d'Essais (LNE) coordinates French metrology and represents it internationally across various domains. To fulfill this mission, LNE collaborates with several associated laboratories, including the Laboratoire de micro irradiation, de Mรฉtrologie et de Dosimรฉtrie des Neutrons (LMDN) from IRSN/Cadarache/France, which is responsible for the national...
Fiber Optic Dosimeters (FOD), in particular silica-based ones, are catching on in harsh environments, characterized by ionizing radiations, such as nuclear reactors, space, high energy physics, medical fieldโฆ Such dosimeters employ mainly two phenomena induced by radiations in the optical fiber (OF) material: the radiation-induced attenuation (RIA) and the radiation-induced emission (RIE),...
In the context of climate change, the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 represents a major challenge. In France, although renewable energies provide a much greater proportion of electricity than they did a few years ago, their intermittent contribution demands more variability to the nuclear industry. As a result, increasing stresses in the structure and components of nuclear reactor...
Optical fibers provide significant benefits for use in radiation-rich environments. They are immune to electromagnetic interference, support signal multiplexing, and provide high bandwidth for substantial data transfer. Their distributed sensing capabilities can replace complex networks of individual sensors with a single optical fiber, reducing both weight and volume and making them ideal for...
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is developing innovative neutron detectors to support Generation IV reactors. For this purpose, the CEA is working on optical fission chambers, a technology based on noble gas scintillation. An optical fission chamber is a non-polarised fission chamber that uses de-excitation photons emitted by the gas filling the chamber,...
Thanks to their remote sensing capabilities and compact size, Fibre Optic (FO) sensors are exceptionally well-suited for in-pile experiments in Materials Testing Reactors (MTRs) where space is limited. Their lightweight design reduces gamma heating, minimizing thermal effects. These sensors can measure a large range of physical parametersโincluding strain, displacement, vibration, pressure,...
The production of so-called โmonoenergeticโ neutrons is standardized by ISO 8529 and can be achieved using ion accelerators such as the one at AMANDE facility from the Laboratory for micro-irradiation, neutron metrology and dosimetry (i.e. the LMDN from IRSN/Cadarache/France). The ions, typically proton or deuteron, are accelerated to speeds of up to a few MeV and are sent to a target...
We report the results of time-of-flight (TOF) measurements used to characterize the spectrum of a neutron beam generated by a proton cyclotron at the National Atomic Research Institute in Taiwan. The quasi-monoenergetic neutron beam is produced through the interaction of 30-MeV protons with a 1-mm-thick beryllium target via the ${}^9Be(p, n){}^9B$ nuclear reaction. To effectively discriminate...
To support the research on chloride-based molten salt fast reactors, the NAUTILUS project focuses on measuring nuclear data of chlorine. Experimental approaches to reach this goal utilize neutron activation analysis, neutron transmission and pile oscillation methods within the neutron field of the AKR-2 training reactor (Chair of Hydrogen and Nuclear Energy, Dresden University of Technology,...
Cavity Beam Position Monitors (cBPMs) are critical components in the diagnostic systems of next-generation particle colliders. They provide precise beam position measurements, with nanometer-level resolution, essential for guiding and stabilizing high-energy beams to maximize luminosity at the collision point. These resonant BPMs operate by detecting specific electromagnetic modes excited when...
The European Spallation Source ESS is under construction and located at Lund, Sweden. ESS is funded and supported by currently 13 European Countries from in- and outside the EU.
ESS has a 700m long linear accelerator for a 14Hz / 62mA pulsed proton beam heading on a spinning wheel solid state elementary Tungsten target which is directly He-gas cooled in a closed circuit. ESS is designed for 5...
Oxide film formation is a critical factor in the corrosion resistance of steel components in Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs), providing a protective barrier against aggressive environments. The stability and integrity of this oxide layer are key to maintaining the durability of steels over time. Electrochemical Noise (EN) has emerged as a promising in-situ monitoring tool for investigating oxide...
The HANARO research reactor has conducted various irradiation tests to meet the demands from academia, industry, and research institutions for nuclear materials and fuel testing. Recently, as research on next-generation nuclear systems designed for high-temperature operationsโsuch as Molten Salt Reactors (MSR), Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors (SFR), and Very High-Temperature Reactors (VHTR)โhas...
Water as a primary coolant will play an important role in the performance of fusion reactors, as it causes an ionising radiation field throughout the facility after its irradiation and activation and requires improved shielding for instrumentation and personnel. To support ITER, the KATANA irradiation facility, which utilises a closed-water activation loop, was successfully licenced, built and...
We use Monte Carlo simulations to predict the experimental conditions for neutron noise experiments in Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs). Several MSR designs are in the process of obtaining construction and operation licenses around the world. For example, the Danish company Copenhagen Atomics recently announced a cooperation with the Swiss Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) to deploy their 100 MW โonion...
This article focuses on the fission chamber axial profiles performed by the CEA LDCI lab within the JSI TRIGA Mark II reactor during a bilateral CEA/JSI experimental campaign. Discretized neutron flux distributions at reduced power are experimentally assessed in different locations inside the reactor core. Four different irradiation locations were specially identified for potential further...
Xenon-135 (Xe-135) is a high yield fission product with high neutron capture cross section, a commonly encountered reactor reactivity poison. Direct observation of Xe in reactors typically relies on off-gas measurement techniques, which can be challenging or costly to implement and often require high-flux reactors. Gamma spectroscopy of irradiated U or Pu samples provides an alternative method...
The ENEA distributed irradiation facility offers a versatile environment for irradiating samples and conducting experiments with various particles, including neutrons, protons, and electrons. This facility comprises several advanced sub-facilities: the TAPIRO fast nuclear research reactor as a fission neutrons source, the TOP-IMPLART linear accelerator capable of producing proton beams up to...
With the growing interest in Generation-IV reactor designs, such as the molten salt fast reactor, new materials are envisioned for use in reactor components, including fuel, structural materials, and coolants. Accurate knowledge of the nuclear properties of these materials is crucial not only for assessing the safety of these designs but also because many of these reactors will operate with...
Industrial cyclotrons to accelerate protons have proven their robustness and technological maturity in preparing various kinds of radioisotopes for nuclear medicine, once bonded with suitable biomolecules, and used both as diagnostic and therapeutic against cancer and cardiocirculatory diseases. On the radiopharmaceutical market are present cyclotrons of various sizes, ranging from 9 to 70 MeV...
Nuclear activation is the process of production of radionuclides by irradiation. This phenomenon concerns all operating or soon-to-be dismantled particle accelerators used in various fields, from medical applications with the production of radioisotopes or radiotherapy cancer treatments to industrial applications with the sterilization of materials and food preservation. For more than three...
The IFMIF-DONES facility will be an accelerator driven neutron source, delivering around 10E17 n/s with a spectrum tailing above 40 MeV for the irradiation of structural materials for fusion applications. This study focuses on the testing and evaluation of a current-mode micro ionisation chamber (uIC) with experiments conducted in the Linear IFMIF Prototype Accelerator (LIPAc) environment....
Detectors based on wide bandgap semiconductors and high radiation hardness are very promising for detection of fast neutrons. Single crystal diamond is a very attractive semiconductor material. It has a bandgap energy of 5.48 eV at room temperature, which gives it an extremely high resistivity. The electron and hole mobilities are 2200 cm2/Vs and 1800 cm2/Vs, respectively. Diamond detector is...
Recent years have seen significant advancements in neutrino physics, particularly in the study of reactor neutrinos, which have played a key role in resolving the long-standing reactor neutrino anomaly. Accurate calibration of detectors in reactor neutrino experiments is essential for measuring reactor antineutrino interactions and understanding neutrino oscillations, key phenomena in particle...
This study presents a new facility developed at Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava. The laboratory aims to production of the fast neutrons for research and educational activities. The main component is the Deuterium- Deuterium neutron generator with the emission rate about 1E8 neutron/sec. to 4ฯ placed in the room with dimensions approximately 11ร11ร7.5 m3. Internal construction of...
Building an Automated Setup for Measuring and Reporting linear Neutron Flux Density distribution Using Activation Wires.
As advancements in nuclear instrumentation continue, the High Purity Germanium detectors, aย mainstay in gamma spectroscopy, remains an invaluable tool. This poster presents the development and implementation of an automated system utilising an older High Purity...
To design and propose innovative nuclear instrumentation, Aix-Marseille University and the CEA as part of the LIMMEX joint laboratory (Laboratory for Instrumentation and Measurement in Extreme Environments) created in 2009 are conducting several research programs addressing key values for research reactors and tokamaks, such as fast and thermal neutron fluxes, prompt and delayed photon fluxes...
Accurate nuclear cross-section measurements are fundamental to advancing nuclear science and technology. To enhance data quality, a novel device is under development with the objective of experimentally simulating high temperatures, enabling fission rate measurements for heavy actinides that significantly influence temperature feedback effects in nuclear reactors. This is achieved with a...
The intense mixed neutron and photon fluxes found in nuclear environments, such as research reactors, lead to energy deposition within the material. This energy deposition is called absorbed dose rate or nuclear heating rate in the case of extreme conditions. This latter quantity is a key parameter for the design and interpretation of the experiments, conducted using major facilities such as...
Between the 1970s and the late 1980s, the CEA developed several fission chambers operating at high temperature to instrument French sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFR). These developments, carried out in collaboration with the Exosens Company, led to the marketing of ex-core detectors, referenced CFUC, as well as miniature detectors such as referenced CFUE. These developments were put on hold in...
In the context of experiments aimed at characterizing the thermal exchanges between fluids, the determination of the h thermal exchange coefficient at the wall is requested.
In this context, an innovative COEFH thermal sensor has been developed and optimized to precisely measure this coefficient. The robustness of its measurement is obtained by performing various tests of the COEFH sensor's...
For several years, the IES laboratory has been working in collaboration with the CEA on the development of acoustic instrumentation in the nuclear field. Within the framework of this collaboration, the IES acoustic team is developing a miniaturized gas composition sensor for in situ measurements of gas composition in material testing reactor. The first experimental evidence of an acoustic...
High Performance Research Reactors (HPRR) produce neutrons for material testing and scientific experiments in a wide range of fields. These neutrons are produced by fissions in the reactorโs fuel elements. During an irradiation cycle, various micro-structural and physical-chemical transformations take place in the HPRR fuel element depending on its specific irradiation history.
The...
Miniature in-core neutron detectors are of interest for a variety of experiments in research reactors, for instance for highly local flux measurements, multi-physics high-resolution measurements, or even in-core noise experiments. The typical challenge associated with in-core detectors is the limited space available within the core between fuel elements. To address the geometrical challenges,...
Thermal conductivity of nuclear fuel systems is a critical parameter for reactor performance and safety, particularly under accident scenarios. An improved thermal conductivity probe, based on a modified line source technique, has been developed to measure the thermal properties of the surrounding material in which it is embedded. A pioneering irradiation experiment has been designed for the...
One of the challenges for the deployment of advanced, heavy-metal-cooled reactor technologies is to improve nuclear data of key materials in the fast energy range. VENUS-F, the zero-power fast spectrum research reactor operated at SCK CEN, can play a major role in addressing this challenge. Sample reactivity worth experiments can be performed in VENUS-F to measure the reactor response to a...
The BLOOM experimental program is an ongoing pile-oscillation program taking place in the CROCUS reactor at EPFL since summer 2024. Pile-oscillations are a type of semi-integral experiment in which a sample is periodically inserted in and extracted from a reactor, inducing a reactivity change. Modern programs, such as BLOOM or the CEA MAESTRO program, go beyond measuring and analysing the...
The power spectrum measurements are key elements to estimate the power spectral density of a fission reactor used in production. At CABRI institute, a research reactor used to simulate a sudden and instantaneous increase in power, known as a power transient, SPESI team developed a dating portable instrumentation named X-MODE to perform this kind of data acquisitions and analysis. The materials...
The first HONEY (High-resolution Online Neutronics Experiments for dYnamics) experiment took place in the CROCUS research reactor of EPFL (Switzerland) in April 2024. With this campaign, designed to enhance our knowledge of the physical parameters governing the reactor kinetics, we aim to achieve a high spatial resolution analysis of the reactorโs time response to both reactivity insertions...
Neutrons are a major source of secondary radiations in particle accelerators, posing significant challenges in radiation protection for research, medical, and industrial facilities. Key concerns include radiation dose exposure (impacting workers and patients) and neutron activation, which affects accelerator components and surrounding materials. Regardless of application, minimizing these...
The CABRI experimental reactor, operated by CEA at the Cadarache research center, is a versatile facility, which can function at steady-state power (up to 25 MW), and allows the realization of energetic transients with a peak power up to 20 GW.
Our facility is involved in the realization of two important experimental programs. The first one concerns the safety studies of the PWR fuel and...
Measurements of reactors inform nuclear data through validation benchmarks and serve to monitor reactor behavior during critical, startup, and shutdown phases. Reactor measurements contribute to the accuracy of reactor modeling, support safe operational practices, and provide insights for design and operating teams, as well as regulatory bodies. The CROCUS zero-power research reactor provides...
As part of a collaborative international effort organized by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), with key participants from LโInstitut de radioprotection et de sรปretรฉ nuclรฉaire (IRSN), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), a series of high-multiplication subcritical neutron and gamma noise measurements were planned and executed. The primary...
A wireless in-core radio transmitter which is currently under development will be able to amplify a signal measured inside a reactor core and transmit the signal to a receiver located outside the core without using instrumentation cables. The transmitter uses vacuum tubes as active components as these are judged โ unlike transistors based on semi-conductors โ to be able to withstand in-core...
Since 2018, EPFL has been conducting an experimental program called COLIBRI, focusing on fuel rod displacement within the CROCUS reactor. This program allowed contributing to the European project CORTEX on noise analysis. Through three dedicated experimental campaigns COLIBRI has provided relevant validation data on fuel rod vibrations, which are a known source of power noise in pressurized...
We outline the development of explicit neutron noise simulations via Monte Carlo codes to determine integral kinetic parameters such as the prompt decay constant of fissile systems. Experimentally, measuring the prompt decay constant during steady-state reactor operation offers a non-invasive way to determine point kinetic parameters, which are important for predicting reactor behaviour during...
We outline the development and optimization of a neutron imaging beamline at the CROCUS zero-power research reactor by the means of Monte Carlo simulations. Neutron imaging is a radiographic technique that uses neutrons, providing advantages due to its sensitivity to light elements, such as hydrogen. It has the potential to support neutron imaging, serving as a neutron source for this...
Idaho National Laboratory (INL), in collaboration with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), French Atomic and Alternative Energies Commission (CEA), Joint Research Centre (JRC), Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group (NRG), and Research Center Rez (CVR), is the operating agent of a joint experimental program (JEEP) project that operates within the...
