The Transmission of Thermal and Fast Neutrons in Air Filled Annular Ducts through Slabs of Iron and Heavy Water

An investigation has been carried out concerning the transmission of thermal and fast neutrons in air filled annular ducts through laminated Fe-D2O shields. Measurements have been made with annular air gaps of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 cm, at a duct length of half a meter. The neutron fluxes were determined with a foil activation technique. The thermal flux was theoretically and experimentally divided into three components, a streaming, a leakage and an albedo component. The fast flux was similarly divided into a streaming component and a 'leakage' component. A calculational model to predict the components was then developed and fitted, to the data obtained by experiments. The model reported here for prediction of neutron attenuation in ducted configurations may be applied to straight annular ducts of arbitrary dimensions and material configurations but is especially designed for the problems met with in short ducts