Evaluation of differential shim rod worth measurements in the OAK Ridge research reactor

Reasonable agreement between calculated and measured differential shim rod worths in the Oak Ridge Research Reactor (ORR) has been achieved by taking into account the combined effects of negative reactivity contributions from changing fuel-moderator temperatures and of delayed photo-neutrons. A method has been developed for extracting the asymptotic period from the shape of the initial portion of the measured time-dependent neutron flux profile following a positive reactivity insertion. In this region of the curve temperature related reactivity feedback effects are negligibly small. Results obtained by applying this technique to differential shim rod worth measurements made in a wide variety of ORR cores are presented. (Author)