Measurement of the direct particle transport through stochastic media using neutron resonance transmission analysis

Abstract

A measurement of the uncollided neutron flux passing through a sample containing a stochastic mixture of tungsten and sulfur grains has been performed using neutron resonance transmission analysis in the 3-200eV energy region. The impact of the heterogeneous characteristic of the sample is shown, based on a comparison of the measurement with a calculated transmission spectrum of a homogeneous sample, which was verified by a measurement with a homogeneous metallic disc. By using a single strong resonance of tungsten, the particle self-shielding factor between 0.2–0.9 was directly measured. The experimental data have been compared with model calculations using the Markovian Levermore-Pomraning model. The measured transmission has been used to determine the effective characteristic chord length and volume fraction of the tungsten grains within the sample.