Neutron emission from (α,n) reaction in nuclear fuel

Nuclear fuels emit neutrons originated in spontaneous fission of heavy elements and in (α,n) reactions of light elements contained in the fuel. These neutron emission data are required in the fields of radiation shielding design of various nuclear facilities and non-destructive measurement of nuclear materials concerning with the process control and safeguarding nuclear materials. The requested (α,n) data in these fields are thick target neutron yield and energy spectrum of emitted neutrons. The present status of the experimental data are reviewed briefly. As an example, thick target neutron yield and emitted neutron energy spectrum are calculated for the O-18(α,n)Ne-21 reaction, which is the most significant (α,n) reaction in oxide fuels. (author)