Measurement of 90,91Zr(n,p), 90Zr(n,a), and 93Nb(n,a) Reaction Cross Sections From 13.49 to 14.82 MeV Neutrons

Experimental setup and related measurements for determining precise neutron energy and flux and methods utilized for data acquisition and reduction with the recent results of 90Zr(n,p)90mY, 9IZr(n,p)91mY, 90Zr(n,a)87mSr, and 93Nb(n,a)90mY cross-section measurements performed between 13.49 and 14.82 MeV are presented. Cross-section measurements of 14 MeV neutrons for fusion reactor technology applications have been performed for many years, and in the last few years, the group at the Fusion Neutronic Source at Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute has provided a large set of cross-section data for neutron induced reactions. Recently, an intense neutron generator facility was also established at the Radium Institute in St. Petersburg, Russia, to measure cross-section data. Among these data, some results are either the only existing data or unexplained discrepancies found from previous measurements. In recent years, our group at Nuclear Research Center (NRC) has performed a series of cross-section measurements at 14.6 MeV neutron energy and now is considering extending these measurements to the energy range from 13.49 to 14.82 MeV. In this paper, the experimental setup and related measurements for determining the precise neutron energy and flux and techniques utilized for data acquisition and reduction are presented with the recent results of the 90Zr(n,p)90mY, 91Zr(n,p)91mY, 90Zr(n,a)87mSr, and 93Nb(n,a)90mY cross-section measurements. The purpose of choosing this reaction with a relatively low cross section is to be able to compare our results with the latest measurements in this energy range (4-14) thus ensuring the reliability of our experimental and data reduction procedures