IPEN/MB-01 reactor experiments with stainless steel, carbon steel, and nickel reflectors

Experiments with heavy-material nuclear reflectors were performed in the IPEN / MB-01 reactor using stainless steel, carbon steel or nickel plates, in a total of 32 plates of each material, properly inserted in the western face of the reactor core. The plates are about 3 mm thick. The axial width and length were sufficient to cover the entire active core of the reactor. Such experiments were performed with each type of reflective material individually. For each step of placement of plates were made measures of reactivity due to the insertion of these in the core; as well as the critical position of the BC1 and BC2 control rods also removed. It could be observed that the increase in neutron absorption and consequent decrease in neutron moderation dominated the whole physics of the problem when a few reflective material plates were inserted (about 5 plates for stainless steel and carbon steel and 3 plates for nickel). Subsequently, neutron reflection has become important overcoming neutron absorption; the reactivity increased until it exceeded the situation without plate (excess of zero reactivity) obtaining an increase (net gain) of reactivity with 32 inserts inserted (about 162 pcm in the case of stainless steel, 37 pcm for carbon steel and 295 pcm for nickel). Therefore, it was observed that the reflected core became more reactive than the core without reflective material. Unpublished experimental results of reactivity measurements were obtained with nickel reflectors. As for this type of experiment, there is no similar experiment in the international literature compared to the IPEN/MB-01 reactor. The theoretical analysis using the MCNP-5 together with nuclear data library ENDF/B-VII.0 evidenced the physical aspects of neutron absorption and reflection in the reflective material plates considered; however, it presented a discrepancy when the reflection of fast neutrons dominates the physical phenomenon of the transport of neutrons. These trends were found independently of the type of the heavy reflector employed in the experiments. (author)