AUTHOR=Iwamoto Yosuke , Tsuda Shuichi , Ogawa Tatsuhiko 

TITLE=Benchmark shielding calculations for fusion and accelerator-driven sub-critical systems

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Energy Research

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/energy-research/articles/10.3389/fenrg.2023.1085264

DOI=10.3389/fenrg.2023.1085264

ISSN=2296-598X

ABSTRACT=We conducted benchmark calculations of neutron-shielding experiments for fusion applications such as (1) Neutron spectra in iron shields with 14 MeV neutrons; and (2) leakage neutron energy spectra from various sphere piles with 14 MeV neutrons, and for Accelerator-Driven Sub-Critical systems such as (3) Neutron energy spectra behind iron and concrete shields using a quasi-monoenergetic neutron source, (4) thick target neutron yield produced by high-energy heavy ion incident reaction on a thick target, and (5) Induced activity in concrete exposed to secondary particles produced by high-energy heavy ions on an iron target by using the Particle and Heavy Ion Transport code System (PHITS). For case (1), the calculated neutron energy spectra using the nuclear data libraries, JENDL-4.0, reproduced the experimental data in iron shields. For the cases (2) of Al, Ti, Cr, and As piles, the calculated neutron energy spectra with JENDL-4.0 reproduced the experimental data well. For the case (3), the calculated neutron energy spectra with JENDL-4.0/HE agreed with the data well because the proton data library of lithium can produce source neutrons for proton incident reactions. For the case (4), calculated results for a thick target neutron spectra produced by a 400 MeV per nucleon carbon incident reaction on lead give good agreement with the experimental data. For the case (5) with a neutron source produced by the 200–400 MeV per nucleon heavy-ion incident reaction, the calculated results of the reaction rate depth profiles of 197Au (n, gamma)198Au reactions agreed well with the experimental data within a factor of 2. Overall, PHITS with nuclear data libraries agreed sufficiently well with the experimental data. Thus, PHITS has a potential application in the design of advanced reactor systems, such as fusion and ADS facilities. This experimental data is also useful in validating other Monte Carlo codes and evaluating nuclear data libraries for advanced reactor systems.