NEUTRONS SEPERATION DETECTOR

MOHAMMED
1 | P a g e K. AL-ZGHOOL SUPERVISED BY:
SAIF ALDEEN O. ALMASHAQBEH [Link] ABU ENNAB
Contents
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 1
1. Literature review...................................................................................................................... 2
1.1 Neutron reactions ............................................................................................................. 3
2. Structure of the detector .......................................................................................................... 5
2.1 Converter Part .................................................................................................................. 5
2.1.1 Boron......................................................................................................................... 5
2.1.2 Zinc ........................................................................................................................... 6
2.2 Detection Part (G-M tube)................................................................................................ 6
2.3 Shielding from gamma release (Lead) ............................................................................. 7
2.4 Protection of equipment part (Stainless Steel) ................................................................. 8
3. Neutron separation and detection ............................................................................................ 8
3.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 8
3.2 The way of separating the neutrons.................................................................................. 9
3.3 Shield from gamma release by Lead .............................................................................. 11
4. MCNP5 .................................................................................................................................. 11
4.1 About the MCNP5.......................................................................................................... 11
4.2 Input code ....................................................................................................................... 12
4.3 Output .................................................................................................................................. 13
5. Results ................................................................................................................................... 22
5.1 potential scenario............................................................................................................ 22
5.1.1 Failure of the project................................................................................................... 22
5.2 Problems and potential solutions.................................................................................... 23
5.2.1 Problems ................................................................................................................. 23
5.2.2 Potential solutions ................................................................................................... 23
5.3 New potential applications ............................................................................................. 23
5.3.1 Neutron Filter .......................................................................................................... 23
5.3.2 The Depleted Fuel Conversion Unit ....................................................................... 23
References ..................................................................................................................................... 24
Abstract
This report will discuss the design and construction of a NEUTRONS SEPERATION
DETECTOR, which is designed to measure the ratio of thermal and epithermal neutrons to the
fast neutrons which can be used to measure the efficiency of the moderator in order to add a
material to the moderator and present the effect of this materials for this efficiency or we can use
it in the Fast Reactor in order to test a lot of metals and measure their efficiency and other
applications. We were supposed to build and test the project on MCNP5, but we did not have an
original version and we have a non-original version, which we cannot display the possible tracks
to display the scenario that will happen, so we will address the most prominent scenario that may
appear in this project.

According to the expected final results, we found that the project did not achieve its goal of
separating and detecting neutrons, and there were more feasible uses for it, such as the Neutron
Filter and The Depleted Fuel Conversion Unit.

It is worth noting that these two new applications are descended from the same method of work.
In the Neutron Filter, it filters neutrons with energy less than the neutrons desired energy in
experiments in which we need fast neutrinos.

And the same principle we use to convert U238 (fertile material) into Pu239 (fissile material) and
this reaction is done by fast neutrons.

Dedicated to [Link] MASADEH, who helped us in this project to use the MCNP5

1|Page
 1. Literature review
Radiation is the process by which energy is emitted as either particles or waves. Broadly, it can
take the form of sound, heat, or light.

Atoms form the basic building blocks of all matter. They consist of a nucleus, made of positively-
charged protons (and sometimes neutrally-charged neutrons), and an outer cloud of electrons with
a negative charge. The positive charge of a single proton is equal to the negative charge of a single
electron.

Protons and neutrons have a relatively large size and atomic weight, whereas electrons are
extremely small and light by comparison. Due to the nature of opposite charges attracting, atoms
tend to have an equal number of protons and electrons, leaving the atom as a whole having a net
charge of zero. However, if the atom either loses or gains an electron, it becomes an ion and carries
a charge. It will seek bonds with other charged particles in order to regain a neutral balance,
potentially leading to new molecules being formed.

Radiation is generally classified as ionizing or non-ionizing, based on whether it has enough

energy to knock electrons off atoms that it interacts with, as well as being able to do lower-energy
damage such as breaking chemical bonds in molecules.

Ionizing radiation takes a few forms: Alpha, beta, neutron particles, gamma, and X-rays. All types
are caused by unstable atoms, which have either an excess of energy or mass (or both). In order to
reach a stable state, they must release that extra energy or mass in the form of radiation.

Ionizing radiation is not detectable by one's senses. It cannot be seen, heard, smelled, tasted, or
felt. For these reasons, simple visual inspection is insufficient to identify radioactive materials,
and radiation sources can be virtually impossible to recognize without special markings, so we use
a Radiation detector which is a device used to detect, track, or identify ionizing particles.

When talking about radiation detection instruments, there are three types of detectors that are most
commonly used depending on the specific needs of the device which are Gas-Filled Detectors,
Scintillators, and seme conductor detectors.

2|Page
 1.1 Neutron reactions

Figure 1 Interactions of Neutrons with Matter. [1]

Scattering

There is no energy transferred into nuclear excitation in an elastic scattering reaction between a
neutron and a target nucleus. An inelastic scattering plays an important role in slowing down
neutrons, especially at high energies and by heavy nuclei.

A neutron scattering reaction occurs when a target nucleus emits a single neutron after a neutron-
nucleus interaction. Besides, in an inelastic scattering reaction between a neutron and a target
nucleus, some energy of the incident neutron is absorbed into the recoiling nucleus and the nucleus
remains in the excited state. Thus while momentum is conserved in an inelastic collision, the
kinetic energy of the “system” is not conserved.

In inelastic neutron scattering, the incident neutron is absorbed by the target nucleus, and the
interaction takes place via compound nucleus formation. The compound nucleus emits then a

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neutron of lower kinetic energy, which leaves the original nucleus in an excited state. The nucleus
gives up excitation energy by emitting one or more gamma rays to reach its ground state.

Inelastic scattering occurs above threshold energy. This threshold energy is higher than the energy
of the first excited state of the target nucleus (due to the laws of conservation),

Absorption

The absorption reactions are reactions where the neutron is completely absorbed, and the
compound nucleus is formed. This is a very important feature because the mode of decay of such
a compound nucleus does not depend on how the compound nucleus was formed. Therefore, a
variety of emissions or decays may follow.

The absorption reactions are reactions where the neutron is completely absorbed, and the
compound nucleus is formed. This is a very important feature because the mode of decay of such
a compound nucleus does not depend on how the compound nucleus was formed. Therefore, a
variety of emissions or decays may follow.

The neutron absorption reaction is the most important type of reaction that takes place in a nuclear
reactor. The most important absorption reactions are divided into two categories:

• Radiative Capture: Most absorption reactions result in the loss of a neutron coupled with
the production of one or more gamma rays. This is denoted by 𝜎𝛾 .

• Neutron-induced Fission Reaction (σf): Some nuclei (fissionable nuclei) may undergo a
fission event, leading to two or more fission fragments (nuclei of intermediate atomic weight) and
a few neutrons. In a fissionable material, the neutron may simply be captured, or it may cause
nuclear fission. For fissionable materials, we thus divide the absorption cross-section as

𝜎𝑎 = 𝜎𝛾 + 𝜎𝑓 … … … (1)

The absorption cross-section represents the likelihood of a neutron absorption as 𝜎𝑎 . The relative
likelihoods of an absorption reaction or a neutron scattering are represented by dividing the total
cross-section into scattering and absorption cross-sections:

𝜎𝑡 = 𝜎𝑠 + 𝜎𝑎 … … … (2)

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Given a collision, 𝜎𝑎 / 𝜎𝑡 is the probability that the neutron will be absorbed, and 𝜎𝑠 / 𝜎𝑡 is the
probability that the neutron will be scattered.

Transfer

Transfer reaction is the absorption of neutrons and the production of other particles such as protons,
alpha particles, or neutrons.

2. Structure of the detector

The materials were chosen according to what we need for the project and for the success of the
reaction of converting neutrons into charged particles that are easy to detect by the gas-field
detector, and these are done by absorbing neutrons with the used material and producing charged
particles.

2.1 Converter Part

The part which is used to convert the neutrons to secondary charged particles to make the detection
more easily than detection the neutrons itself.

2.1.1 Boron
In engineering, the most important neutron absorber is 10B, Boron is a naturally occurring chemical
element with atomic number 5 which means there are 5 protons and 5 electrons in the atomic
structure. The chemical symbol for boron is B. Significant boron concentrations occur on the Earth
in compounds known as the borate minerals. There are over 100 different borate minerals, but the
most common are borax, kernite, ulexite, etc.

11 10
Natural boron consists primarily of two stable isotopes, B (80.1%) and B (19.9%). In the
nuclear industry, boron is commonly used as a neutron absorber due to the high neutron transfer
cross-section of isotope 10B. Its (n, alpha) reaction cross-section for thermal neutrons is about 3840
barns (for 0.025 eV neutron). Isotope 11B has absorption cross-section for thermal neutrons about
10
0.005 barns (for 0.025 eV neutron). Most of (n, alpha) reactions of thermal neutrons are B (n,
alpha) 7Li reactions accompanied by 0.48 MeV gamma emission.

Boron interaction with thermal neutron. [2]

5|Page
The reaction products (after neutron absorption), helium and lithium, are stable isotopes.

Neutrons are not directly ionizing, and they usually have to be converted into charged particles
before they can be detected. The most common isotope for neutron converter material is 10B.

2.1.2 Zinc
Zinc is a transition earth metal with atomic number 30 which means it has 30 protons and 30
electrons in the atomic structure. The chemical symbol for boron is Zn.

70
Zinc has five natural isotopes, with mass numbers 64,66, 67, 68 and 70. Of these, Zn has an
abundance of only 0.6% and hence was omitted from the evaluation The other four isotopes were
each evaluated separately. The cross-sections so obtained were then combined together to give the
natural zinc cross-sections.

Some reasons for errors are the interaction between the zinc and neutron result neutrons, and other
errors are because of some non-desired reactions as shown in the Table below:

Table 1 main radionuclides produced by fast neutrons irradiation of natural zinc in a

reactor:

2.2 Detection Part (G-M tube)

Gas Filled Detector is among the most commonly detectors used. There are several types of gas-
filled detectors, and while they have various differences in how they work, they all are based on
similar principles. When the gas in the detector comes in contact with radiation, it reacts, with the
gas becoming ionized and the resulting electronic charge is measured by a meter.

The different types of gas-filled detectors are ionization chambers, proportional counters, and
Geiger-Mueller (G-M) tubes. The major differentiating factor between these different types is the

6|Page
applied voltage across the detector, which determines the type of response that the detector will
register from an ionization event.

The GM-tube which we will use in our project has two main parts—a sealed tube, or chamber,
filled with gas, and an information display. Radiation enters the tube and when it collides with the
gas, it pushes an electron away from the gas atom and creates an ion pair. A wire in the middle of
the tube attracts electrons, creating other ion pairs and sending a current through the wire. The
current goes to the information display and moves a needle across a scale or makes a number
display on a screen. These devices usually provide "counts per minute," or the number of ion pairs
created every 60 seconds.

A gas-filled detector was chosen because of its low density to detect only charged particles and to
reduce the rate of detection of gamma rays resulting from the interaction between neutrons with
the materials used in this project.

2.3 Shielding from gamma release (Lead)

Designing and building radiation shielding can pose a variety of challenges, such as limitations on
space, price, weight, and installation. One of the most versatile forms of shielding material that is
used to overcome these challenges is lead it’s less expensive, readily available, and easy to process
into radiation shielding products.

Lead is a soft metal that can be easily scratched or dented. Being ductile and malleable makes lead
very easy to work with. It is a very dense metal with a density of 11.34 g/cc, approximately 4 times
the density of aluminum. Lead has a melting point of 327°C which makes it an ideal metal to cast.

There are many different alloys and purities of lead available. One of the most common is ASTM
B-29 lead, which has a minimum purity of 99.94% lead. The lead is refined to reach this level of
purity.

Lead is very effective at shielding gamma radiation. Because of the density of lead, its high atomic
number, and stable isotopes, lead is ideal for stopping gamma and x-ray radiation. For a gamma
ray from a Colbalt-60 source, pure lead has a Half-Value Layer (HVL – the thickness of shielding
required to reduce the level of radiation by 50%) of approximately 12.5 mm (0.49 in). A lead shield
will be thinner than a steel or concrete shield of the same effectiveness in shielding a Co60 source.

7|Page
 2.4 Protection of equipment part (Stainless Steel)
Stainless steel is a common choice in different industries because of its strong resistance to
corrosion. Furthermore, stainless steel’s durability makes it a top choice among industry experts.

Unlike other alloys, stainless steel does not readily react to corrosive agents like air or water and
exhibit signs of corrosion such as staining.

Stainless steel’s corrosion-resistant properties are due to the chromium content, which should be
a minimum of 10.5 percent per mass. Chromium creates a passive film of chromium oxide, a
compound that blocks the chemical reaction between oxygen and the steel surface.

Stainless steel’s melting point falls between 2550 and 2790°F or 1400 and 1530°C.

The melting point of a particular type of stainless steel depends upon its exact chemical
composition. The major elements composing stainless steel are iron, chromium, and nickel.

Pure iron has a fixed melting point of 1535°C, chromium of 1890°C, and nickel of 1453°C.
Compare those numbers to the 1400-1530°C range for stainless steel.

3. Neutron separation and detection

3.1 Introduction
Neutron detection is used for varying purposes. Each application has different requirements for
the detection system, for example, reactor power is essentially linearly proportional to the neutron
flux, neutron detectors provide an important measure of power in nuclear power and research
reactor.

In this report, we will look at a different use of the detector. Where detector will separate the fast
neutrons from the Thermal and Epithermal through a layer of boron interacting with Thermal
neutrons forming alpha particle and 7Li. While a layer of zinc interacts with fast neutrons, forming
a charged particle and another atom.

8|Page
 3.2 The way of separating the neutrons
The design of the NEUTRONS SEPERATION DETECTOR is a four-layer cylinder, the thickness
of each layer was determined by calculating Half Value Layer (HVL), and we chose boron and
zinc based on their high cross-section. If we consider that the source of the neutrons is
Polyenergetic, the energy of the neutrons created can range from 0 to 2 Mev (Heterogeneous).

When the neutrons enter the detector, the thermal neutrons and the epithermal interact with the
first layer (boron), the nuclear reaction produces helium nuclei (α-particle), lithium-7 nuclei, and
energy.

Figure 2 Neutron-Boron interaction [4]

The second and fourth layers contain air with a thickness of 10 cm, and the charged particle is
collected by applying a potential difference and creating a reading through an electrical circuit
similar to that of Geiger-Muller. Fast neutrons will be stopped by a layer of zinc which has a high
cross-section of 2.6 barns. The reaction of the fast neutron with it produces a proton and copper
64Zn (n, p) 64Cu. and the detector housing has been added. Below is a calculation of the thickness
of each layer.

For the first layer

From the fact of the density of boron is 2.34 g/cm3 and the molar mass is 10.012937 amu we find
the atomic density of boron:

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 𝐴𝑉 ∗ 𝜌
𝑁= … … … (3)
𝑀

Where:

N: atomic density

𝐴𝑉 : Avogadro’s number

M: molar mass

ρ: density of material

0.60225 ∗ 1024 ∗ 2.34

𝑁= = 1.45476797 ∗ 1023 𝐴𝑡𝑜𝑚/𝑐𝑚3
10.012937
Σ = 𝑁𝜎 … … … (4)

Where:

Σ: macroscopic cross-section

σ: microscopic cross-section

Σ = 1.45476797 ∗ 1023 ∗ 1 ∗ 10−24 = 0.145476797 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛/𝑐𝑚

ln(2)
𝐻𝑉𝐿 = … … … (5)
Σ

Where:

HVL: half-value layer

ln(2)
𝐻𝑉𝐿 = = 4.764657972𝑐𝑚
0.145476797

3HVL=14.2939739159=14.3cm

For the third layer

From the fact of the density of Zinc is 7.133 g/cm^3 and the molar mass is 65.39 amu we find the
atomic density of Zinc:

0.60225 ∗ 1024 ∗ 7.133

𝑁= = 6.56958136 ∗ 1022 𝐴𝑡𝑜𝑚/𝑐𝑚3
65.39

Σ = 6.56958136 ∗ 1022 ∗ 2.6 ∗ 10−24 = 0.1708091153 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛/𝑐𝑚

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 ln(2)
𝐻𝑉𝐿 = = 4.0580221923𝑐𝑚
0.1708091153

3HVL=12.1740665768=12.2cm

3.3 Shield from gamma release by Lead

For 0.5 Mev Gamma-ray release from boron neutron interaction by lead:

ln(2)
𝐻𝑉𝐿 = … … … (6)
Σ
∗ 𝜌
𝜌

ln(2)
𝐻𝑉𝐿 = = 0.3783781671𝑐𝑚
11.35 ∗ 0.1614

3HVL=1.1351345014=1.14cm

Not that we add stainless steel thickness of 0.5cm as a Housing to the detector

4. MCNP5
4.1 About the MCNP5
The MCNP Code, developed and maintained by Los Alamos National Laboratory, is the
internationally recognized code for analyzing the transport of neutrons and gamma rays (hence NP
for neutral particles) by the Monte Carlo method (hence MC). The code deals with transport of
neutrons, gamma rays, and coupled transport, i.e., transport of secondary gamma rays resulting
from neutron interactions. The MCNP code can also treat the transport of electrons, both primary
source electrons and secondary electrons created in gamma-ray interactions.
One of the most important blocks we use is data specifications This block of input cards defines
the type of particles, problem materials, radiation sources, how results are to be scored (or tallied),
the level of detail for the physics of particle interactions, variance reduction techniques, cross
section libraries, the amount and type of output, and much more. In short, this third input block
provides almost all problem specifications other than the geometry.

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A summary of available tallies in MCNP5 is given below in table 2:
Table 2 Types of tallies available in MCNP. the type of particle tallied is donated by pl.

4.2 Input code

For our project we insert the following code as input in the MCNP5 software:

5. c Created on: Sunday, December 18, 2022 at 23:14

6. 1 220 -2.3 -3 4 -6
7. 2 204 -0.001225 -3 6 -7
8. 3 365 -7.133 -3 7 -8
9. 4 204 -0.001225 -3 8 -5
10. 5 300 -8 4 -5 -1 2
11. 6 171 -11.35 4 -5 -2 3
12. 7 0 -10 #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6
13. 8 0 10
14.
15. 1 cx 3.64
16. 2 cx 3.14
17. 3 cx 2
18. 4 px -23.25
19. 5 px 23.25
20. 6 px -8.95
21. 7 px 1.05
22. 8 px 13.25
23. 10 so 25
24.
25. mode n
26. m220 5010.60c -0.184309 $boron (natural)
27. 5011.60c -0.815691
28. m204 7014.60c -0.755636 $air (US S. Atm at sea level)
29. 8016.60c -0.231475 18000.59c -0.012889
30. m300 6000. -0.00041 $Steel, Stainless 316
31. 14000. -0.00507 15031. -0.00023 16000.
-0.00015
32. 24000. -0.17 25055. -0.01014 26000.
-0.669

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 33. 28000. -0.12 42000. -0.025
34. m171 82000. -1 $Lead
35. m365 30000. -1 $Zinc
36. imp:n 1 7r $ 1, 8
37. sdef pos -24.25 0 0
38. f6:n 1 3
39. e6 0 10i 2
40. nps 1000000
41.

4.3 Output
By default, only a small portion of all the possible output is produced. Always output are (1) input
file listing, (2) summary of particle loss/creation, (3) summary of KCODE cycles (if KCODE is
used), (4) tallies (if used), and (5) tally fluctuations charts. In addition, certain output tables deemed
basic are always produced.
Other default tables are also generated unless turned off by the PRINT command. The various
MCNP tables are listed below in Table 3:
Table 3 output tables available in MCNP. (d)=default;(b) =basic.

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The following code is the output for our input showed by the MCNP5:

Thread Name & Version = MCNP5_RSICC, 1.20

_
._ _ _ ._ ._ |_
| | | (_ | | |_) _)
|
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| This program was prepared by the Regents of the University of |
|California at Los Alamos National Laboratory (the University) under |
| contract number W-7405-ENG-36 with the U.S. Department of Energy |
|(DoE). The University has certain rights in the program pursuant to|
| the contract and the program should not be copied or distributed |
| outside your organization. All rights in the program are reserved |
|by the DoE and the University. Neither the U.S. Government nor the |
| University makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any |
| liability or responsibility for the use of this software. |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

1mcnp version 5 ld=11042003 01/21/23 17:29:05

*************************************************************************
probid = 01/21/23 17:29:05
inp=MSH23 out=MSH@@@

1- c Created on: Sunday, December 18, 2022 at 23:14

2- 1 220 -2.3 -3 4 -6
3- 2 204 -0.001225 -3 6 -7
4- 3 365 -7.133 -3 7 -8
5- 4 204 -0.001225 -3 8 -5
6- 5 300 -8 4 -5 -1 2
7- 6 171 -11.35 4 -5 -2 3
8- 7 0 -10 #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6
9- 8 0 10
10-
11- 1 cx 3.64
12- 2 cx 3.14
13- 3 cx 2
14- 4 px -23.25
15- 5 px 23.25
16- 6 px -8.95
17- 7 px 1.05
18- 8 px 13.25
19- 10 so 25
20-
21- mode n
22- m220 5010.60c -0.184309 $boron (natural)
23- 5011.60c -0.815691
24- m204 7014.60c -0.755636 $air (US S. Atm at sea level)
25- 8016.60c -0.231475 18000.59c -0.012889
26- m300 6000. -0.00041 $Steel, Stainless 316
27- 14000. -0.00507 15031. -0.00023 16000.
-0.00015
28- 24000. -0.17 25055. -0.01014 26000.
-0.669

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 29- 28000. -0.12 42000. -0.025
30- m171 82000. -1 $Lead
31- m365 30000. -1 $Zinc
32- imp:n 1 7r $ 1, 8
33- sdef pos -24.25 0 0
34- f6:n 1 3
35- e6 0 10i 2
36- nps 1000000
37- print table 30
fatal error. illegal entry: table
1source
print table 10

values of defaulted or explicitly defined source variables

cel 0.0000E+00
sur 0.0000E+00
erg 1.4000E+01
tme 0.0000E+00
dir isotropic
pos -2.4250E+01 0.0000E+00 0.0000E+00
x 0.0000E+00
y 0.0000E+00
z 0.0000E+00
rad 0.0000E+00
ext 0.0000E+00
axs 0.0000E+00 0.0000E+00 0.0000E+00
vec 0.0000E+00 0.0000E+00 0.0000E+00
ccc 0.0000E+00
nrm 1.0000E+00
ara 0.0000E+00
wgt 1.0000E+00
eff 1.0000E-02
par 0.0000E+00
tr 0.0000E+00

order of sampling source variables.

pos erg tme

1tally 6
print table 30
tally type 6 track length estimate of heating.
tally for neutrons

warning. 1 energy bins of tally 6 are below energy cutoff.

cells 1 3

energy bins
0.00000E+00 to 0.00000E+00 mev
0.00000E+00 to 1.81818E-01 mev
1.81818E-01 to 3.63636E-01 mev
3.63636E-01 to 5.45455E-01 mev
5.45455E-01 to 7.27273E-01 mev
7.27273E-01 to 9.09091E-01 mev
9.09091E-01 to 1.09091E+00 mev

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 1.09091E+00 to 1.27273E+00 mev
1.27273E+00 to 1.45455E+00 mev
1.45455E+00 to 1.63636E+00 mev
1.63636E+00 to 1.81818E+00 mev
1.81818E+00 to 2.00000E+00 mev
total bin
1material composition
print table 40

material
number component nuclide, atom fraction

220 5010, 1.99000E-01 5011, 8.01000E-01

204 7014, 7.84829E-01 8016, 2.10479E-01 18000,
4.69260E-03
300 6000, 1.90009E-03 14000, 1.00484E-02 15031,
4.13336E-04 16000, 2.60398E-04
24000, 1.81990E-01 25055, 1.02739E-02 26000,
6.66803E-01 28000, 1.13805E-01
42000, 1.45061E-02
171 82000, 1.00000E+00
365 30000, 1.00000E+00

material
number component nuclide, mass fraction

220 5010, 1.84309E-01 5011, 8.15691E-01

204 7014, 7.55636E-01 8016, 2.31475E-01 18000,
1.28890E-02
300 6000, 4.10000E-04 14000, 5.07000E-03 15031,
2.30000E-04 16000, 1.50000E-04
24000, 1.70000E-01 25055, 1.01400E-02 26000,
6.69000E-01 28000, 1.20000E-01
42000, 2.50000E-02
171 82000, 1.00000E+00
365 30000, 1.00000E+00
1cell volumes and masses
print table 50

cell atom gram input calculated

reason volume
density density volume volume
mass pieces not calculated

1 1 1.28116E-01 2.30000E+00 0.00000E+00 1.79699E+02

4.13308E+02 1
2 2 5.07218E-05 1.22500E-03 0.00000E+00 1.25664E+02
1.53938E-01 1
3 3 6.56844E-02 7.13300E+00 0.00000E+00 1.53310E+02
1.09356E+03 1
4 4 5.07218E-05 1.22500E-03 0.00000E+00 1.25664E+02
1.53938E-01 1

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 5 5 8.65494E-02 8.00000E+00 0.00000E+00 4.95225E+02
3.96180E+03 1
6 6 3.29849E-02 1.13500E+01 0.00000E+00 8.55994E+02
9.71553E+03 1
7 7 0.00000E+00 0.00000E+00 0.00000E+00 6.35143E+04
0.00000E+00 1
8 8 0.00000E+00 0.00000E+00 0.00000E+00 0.00000E+00
0.00000E+00 0 infinite
1surface areas
print table 50

surface input calculated reason area

area area not calculated

1 1 0.00000E+00 1.06349E+03
2 2 0.00000E+00 9.17408E+02
3 3 0.00000E+00 5.84336E+02
4 4 0.00000E+00 4.16248E+01
5 5 0.00000E+00 4.16248E+01
6 6 0.00000E+00 1.25664E+01
7 7 0.00000E+00 1.25664E+01
8 8 0.00000E+00 1.25664E+01
9 10 0.00000E+00 7.85398E+03
1cells
print table 60

atom gram
neutron
cell mat density density volume mass pieces
importance

1 1 220 1.28116E-01 2.30000E+00 1.79699E+02 4.13308E+02 1

1.0000E+00
2 2 204 5.07218E-05 1.22500E-03 1.25664E+02 1.53938E-01 1
1.0000E+00
3 3 365 6.56844E-02 7.13300E+00 1.53310E+02 1.09356E+03 1
1.0000E+00
4 4 204 5.07218E-05 1.22500E-03 1.25664E+02 1.53938E-01 1
1.0000E+00
5 5 300 8.65494E-02 8.00000E+00 4.95225E+02 3.96180E+03 1
1.0000E+00
6 6 171 3.29849E-02 1.13500E+01 8.55994E+02 9.71553E+03 1
1.0000E+00
7 7 0 0.00000E+00 0.00000E+00 6.35143E+04 0.00000E+00 1
1.0000E+00
8 8 0 0.00000E+00 0.00000E+00 0.00000E+00 0.00000E+00 0
1.0000E+00

total 6.54498E+04 1.51845E+04

1surfaces
print table 70

surface trans type surface coefficients

1 1 cx 3.6400000E+00
2 2 cx 3.1400000E+00

17 | P a g e
 3 3 cx 2.0000000E+00
4 4 px -2.3250000E+01
5 5 px 2.3250000E+01
6 6 px -8.9500000E+00
7 7 px 1.0500000E+00
8 8 px 1.3250000E+01
9 10 so 2.5000000E+01
1 cell temperatures in mev for the free-gas thermal neutron treatment.
print table 72

all non-zero importance cells with materials have a temperature for

thermal neutrons of 2.5300E-08 mev.

minimum source weight = 1.0000E+00 maximum source weight =

1.0000E+00

***************************************************
* Random Number Generator = 1 *
* Random Number Seed = 19073486328125 *
* Random Number Multiplier = 19073486328125 *
* Random Number Adder = 0 *
* Random Number Bits Used = 48 *
* Random Number Stride = 152917 *
***************************************************

1 warning message so far.

1 fatal error so far.

1physical constants
print table 98

name value description

huge 1.0000000000000E+36 infinity

pie 3.1415926535898E+00 pi
euler 5.7721566490153E-01 euler constant
avogad 6.0220434469282E+23 avogadro number (molecules/mole)
aneut 1.0086649670000E+00 neutron mass (amu)
avgdn 5.9703109000000E-01 avogadro number/neutron mass (1.e-
24*molecules/mole/amu)
slite 2.9979250000000E+02 speed of light (cm/shake)
planck 4.1357320000000E-13 planck constant (mev shake)
fscon 1.3703930000000E+02 inverse fine structure constant
h*c/(2*pi*e**2)
gpt(1) 9.3958000000000E+02 neutron mass (mev)
gpt(3) 5.1100800000000E-01 electron mass (mev)

fission q-values: nuclide q(mev) nuclide q(mev)

90232 171.91 91233 175.57
92233 180.84 92234 179.45
92235 180.88 92236 179.50
92237 180.40 92238 181.31
92239 180.40 92240 180.40

18 | P a g e
 93237 183.67 94238 186.65
94239 189.44 94240 186.36
94241 188.99 94242 185.98
94243 187.48 95241 190.83
95242 190.54 95243 190.25
96242 190.49 96244 190.49
other 180.00

the following compilation options were used:

cheap
dec
plot
mcplot
gkssim
xlib
default datapath: C:\Program Files (x86)\LANL\MCNPDATA
C:\Progra~1\LANL\MCNPdata
1cross-section tables
print table 100

table length

tables from file endf60

5010.60c 17226 5-b-10 from endf-vi.1

mat 525 11/25/93
5011.60c 57721 5-b-11 from endf-vi
mat 528 11/25/93
7014.60c 29803 7-n-14 from special lanl endf-6 evaluation
mat 725 11/25/93
8016.60c 41779 8-o-16 from endf/b-vi
mat 8 25 11/25/93
14000.60c 51392 14-si-nat from endf/b-vi
mat1400 11/25/93

tables from file endf66a

6000.66c 44688 6-c-0 at 293.6K from endf-vi.6 njoy99.50

mat 600 07/13/01
15031.66c 24697 15-p-31 at 293.6K from endf-vi.6 njoy99.50
mat1525 07/24/01

tables from file actia

16000.62c 68665 16-s-0 at 293.6K from endf/b-vi.8 njoy99.50

mat1600 12/06/01
25055.62c 134565 25-mn-55 at 293.6K from endf/b-vi.8 njoy99.50
mat2525 02/11/02

tables from file misc5xs

18000.59c 2059
(1800) 06/19/82

19 | P a g e
 tables from file rmccs

24000.50c 89104 njoy

( 1324) 79/06/21.
26000.55c 84136 njoy
( 260) 10/21/82
28000.50c 82267 njoy
( 1328) 79/06/21.
82000.50c 28695 njoy
( 1382) 03/10/82

tables from file endl92

30000.42c 185950 ENDL library name: nd920609 LANL/XTM modified:

951222 911219
temperature = 2.5860E-08 adjusted to 2.5300E-08

tables from file endf66b

42000.66c 34106 42-mo-0 at 293.6K from endf-vi.0 njoy99.50

mat4200 08/16/01

total 976853

warning. neutron energy cutoff is below some cross-section tables.

comment. 1 cross sections modified by free gas thermal treatment.

2 warning messages so far.

1 fatal error so far.

run terminated because of fatal errors.

computer time = 0.00 minutes

mcnp version 5 11042003 01/21/23 17:29:06

probid = 01/21/23 17:29:05

20 | P a g e
 Figure 3 the section of the layers of the detector simulated using AutoCAD

Figure 4 top view of the detector using MCNP5

21 | P a g e
 5. Results
We were supposed to build and test the project on MCNP5, but we did not have an original version
and we have a non-original version, which we cannot display the possible tracks to display the
scenario that will happen, so we will address the most prominent scenario that may appear in this
project.

5.1 potential scenario

5.1.1 Failure of the project
The possibility of project failure and the conversion of thermal and epithermal neutrons into alpha
rays through their interaction with the boron layer and the lack of alpha penetration into the void
behind the boron layer due to the low ability of alpha rays to penetrate and the possibility of their
inability to penetrate the boron layer and then the lack of a logical reading due to the lack of alpha
rays reaching the Geiger-Miller detector, with the zinc layer not performing its specific function
due to the presence of an error rate due to the unwanted interaction, such as the interaction of zinc
with fast neutrons, which results in two neutrons and a decrease in the penetration of protons into
the zinc layer, which was predicted based on the following picture:

Figure 5 Variation of range of proton as a function of kinetic energy in the zinc borophosphate glasses [5]

note that alpha particle travel distances in different materials are calculated by finding the mean
range of travel distance in which the intensity of alpha particles drops by half. The range of (1.47
Mev) α in boron 10 is ~ 3.3 μm.

22 | P a g e
 5.2 Problems and potential solutions
5.2.1 Problems
We encountered many problems after examining the possible final results that were difficult for
us to resolve, including the following:

1. The thickness of the used material is large in relation to the range of charged particles in
the material of interest
2. The presence of some unwanted interactions

5.2.2 Potential solutions

With regard to the first problem, there are two possible solutions, the first of which is to replace
the materials with other materials that have the ability to produce charged particles when
interacting with neutrons and their thickness is less than the range of secondary charged particles
resulting from the interaction of the material with neutrons (there is only if the range of charged
particles is close to the range of neutrons in the same material and this is close to impossible) and
the second is to divide the layers into multiple sheets (and this option will greatly increase the
length of the detector).

For the second problem, it involves choosing materials that are more suitable for the detector so
that there is no unwanted result from the interaction of neutrons with these materials.

5.3 New potential applications

There are a set of potential applications for the project based on the potential final results, among
which are the following:

1- Neutron Filter
2- The Depleted Fuel Conversion Unit

5.3.1 Neutron Filter

Determine the lower limits of the energy of neutrons of interest for a particular interaction by
eliminating neutrons with energy less than the desired limit through their interaction with the layer
of boron or zinc.

5.3.2 The Depleted Fuel Conversion Unit

It can be used in the enrichment units in the depleted fuel unit to bombardment fast neutrons on
fertile material (U238) to convert it into fissile material (Pu239), which reduces our need for

23 | P a g e
exploration and exploration for more uranium and increases the utilization of uranium ore in
energy production.

References

[1] P. S. Institut, "Neutron Matter Interaction," Paul Scherrer Institut, [Online]. Available:
[Link]
jwPN566jHXhEOfv2yeROdjPL5oDcSNidlJJ0hx5gXgCAw. [Accessed 2022].

[2] N. power, "Boron 10," Nuclear power, [Online]. Available: [Link]

[Link]/glossary/boron-10/. [Accessed 2022].

[3] ResearchGate, "Main-radionuclides-produced-by-fast-neutrons-irradiation-of-natural-zinc-

in-a-reactor," ResearchGate, [Online]. Available: [Link]
radionuclides-produced-by-fast-neutrons-irradiation-of-natural-zinc-in-a-
reactor_tbl3_227009485. [Accessed 2022].

[4] ResearchGate, "Schematic of Boron 10 and neutron interaction," ResearchGate, [Online].

Available: [Link]
interaction-4_fig1_320763533. [Accessed 2022].

[5] ResearchGate, "Variation of range as a function of kinetic energy in the zinc borophosphate
glasses," ResearchGate, jul 2021. [Online]. Available:
[Link]
the-zinc-borophosphate-glasses_fig2_352835055. [Accessed 2022].

[6] N. power, "Interactions of Neutrons with Matter," Nuclear Power, [Online]. Available:
[Link]
physics/fundamental-particles/neutron/interactions-neutrons-matter/. [Accessed 2022].

[7] ResearchGate, "Boron 10 capture cross-sections for different reaction mechanisms,"

ResearchGate, [Online]. Available: [Link]
cross-sections-for-different-reaction-mechanisms-presented-as-a-
function_fig3_276511611. [Accessed 2022].

24 | P a g e
[8] americanelements, "Boron-10 Isotope," americanelements, [Online]. Available:
[Link] [Accessed 2022].

[9] britannica, "Zinc," britannica, 29 12 2022. [Online]. Available:

[Link] [Accessed 2022].

[10 H. p. Society, "Radiation shielding," Health physics Society, 2016. [Online]. Available:
] [Link] [Accessed 2022].

[11 N. Power, "Atomic number density," Nuclear power, [Online]. Available:

] [Link]
fundamentals/neutron-nuclear-reactions/atomic-number-density/. [Accessed 2022].

[12 N. Power, "Macroscopic cross-section," Neuclear Power, [Online]. Available:

] [Link]
fundamentals/neutron-nuclear-reactions/macroscopic-cross-section/. [Accessed 2022].

[13 [Link], "lead mass attenuation coefficient," [Link], [Online]. Available:

] [Link] [Accessed 2022].

[14 A. Sciences, "Density Elements Chart," Angstrom Sciences, [Online]. Available:

] [Link] [Accessed 2022].

[15 H. X. L. H. Z. Wenrong, "Calculation of the (n,p) Reaction Cross Sections for Zinc Isotopes,"
] China Institute of Atomic Energy, Beijing.

[16 byjus, "Zinc," byjus, [Online]. Available: [Link] [Accessed

] 2022].

[17 R. S. o. Chemistry, "Zinc," Royal Society of Chemistry, [Online]. Available:

] [Link] [Accessed 2022].

[18 britannica, "Interactions-of-neutrons," britannica, [Online]. Available:

] [Link]
[Accessed 2022].

25 | P a g e
[19 marshield, "Radiation Shielding with Lead," marshield, [Online]. Available:
] [Link] [Accessed 2022].

[20 c.-p. systems, "STAINLESS STEEL COATINGS," cor-pro systems, [Online]. Available:
] [Link] [Accessed
2022].

[21 k. metals, "WHAT IS THE STAINLESS STEEL MELTING POINT?," kloeckner metals,
] [Online]. Available: [Link]
melting-point/. [Accessed 2022].

[22 ResearchGate, "Range of alpha particles in Boron, Silicon and GaAs.," ResearchGate, 10
] 2005. [Online]. Available: [Link]
Boron-Silicon-and-GaAs_fig1_253349949. [Accessed 2022].

[23 NuclearPower, "Neutron Absorption," NuclearPower, [Online]. Available:

] [Link]
fundamentals/neutron-nuclear-reactions/neutron-
absorption/?fbclid=IwAR00_meQmDpLZ_Cc0u3m_UxAXdOwMvLDc89vQpSL8Cts_W
SiDhb-6BAu314. [Accessed 2022].

[24 G. E. Knoll, Radiation Detectibn and Measurement, Third ed., United States of America:
] John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1999.

[25 J. E. Turner, Atoms, Radiation, and Radiation Protection, Third, Completely Revised and
] Enlarged Edition ed., WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 2007.

26 | P a g e