Measurement of ⁵⁵Fe(n,p)⁵⁵Mn reaction cross-section by Surrogate Reaction Method for fusion technology

Developing Fusion technology is a dream project for cheap, abundant and green energy source for future generations. Efforts are underway to build a International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER project) using D-T fusion reaction releasing 14-MeV neutrons. It is needed to perform detailed neutronics study to qualify materials for component design for the fusion reactors, as presently done for fission reactors. Generally stainless steel (SS) is used as a structural material having Fe, Ni, Cr, Mn, Co, Nb as main constituents (in SS316 content of Fe and 65%). Interaction of 14-MeV neutrons with structural material produces various long-lived radio nuclides. The assessment of the radiological hazard showed that the main contribution to activation comes from ⁵⁴Mn, ⁵⁶Mn, ⁵⁵Fe, ⁵⁷Co, ⁵⁸Co, ⁶⁰Co, ⁵⁷Ni, ⁵¹Cr and ⁹⁴Nb that originate from transmutation reactions of neutrons with the elements in the initial SS composition. Fusion neutronics studies have been done during many years considering only the stable isotopes of Cr, Fe, Ni. But in the development of D-T fusion reactor, large amount radio nuclides will be produced during reactor operation as well as after shutdown of the reactor. ⁵⁵Fe is a primary dominant nuclide produced by neutron induced reaction on Fe, Co and Ni elements by ⁵⁶Fe(n,2n), ⁵⁴Fe(n, γ), ⁵⁹Co(n, α) ⁵⁶Mn(β^-) ⁵⁶Fe(n,2n), and ⁵⁸Ni(n, α) reactions. As of today, there is no experimental measurement of the ⁵⁵Fe(n,p) cross-section