Abstract:
To verify the accuracy and effectiveness of the Neutron Diagnosed Subcritical Experiment (NDSE) in estimating the effective multiplication factor
keff of a static subcritical system, a subcritical assembly (referred to as the "system under test") was constructed using highly enriched uranium with a low atomic number (low-Z) material reflector, alongside a corresponding subcritical calculation model. While the calculation model shares a similar structural design with the system under test, it differs in terms of both size and density distribution. The Monte Carlo code was employed to simulate the neutron and γ-ray transport processes in both the system under test and the calculation model, with both systems initiated by a pulsed neutron source. Subsequently, the density and size parameters of the calculation model were adjusted to ensure that its leakage γ-ray count rate versus time curve aligned with that of the system under test within a specified time range. Once this alignment was achieved, the calculation model could be deemed an equivalent model of the system under test, and its effective multiplication factor
keff was adopted as the estimated
keff value of the system under test. The
keff value estimated via the NDSE method exhibited good agreement with the reference value, with a relative deviation of approximately 0.15%. This result confirms the effectiveness of the NDSE method in estimating the
keff value of static subcritical systems.