Fission yield measurements from uranium irradiated in the VR-1 reactor

This master thesis gives the theoretical description and practical measurement of fission yields from a sample of depleted uranium irradiated for 15 minutes in a research reactor, i.e. VR-1 reactor of the CTU in Prague. First, a theoretical background is given so that the results can be understood....

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Sala León, Júlia
Tipo de recurso: tesis de maestría
Fecha de publicación:2019
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/180865
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/180865
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Nuclear reactors
Reactors nuclears
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Física
Descripción
Sumario:This master thesis gives the theoretical description and practical measurement of fission yields from a sample of depleted uranium irradiated for 15 minutes in a research reactor, i.e. VR-1 reactor of the CTU in Prague. First, a theoretical background is given so that the results can be understood. This theoretical background consists on the description of the fission process itself and the applications of fission yields. Also, some basic nuclear physics will be described. Specifically, radioactive decay and its kinetics will be covered. The present work also includes an explanation about Neutron Activation Analysis, what it is and what was the neutron source used. Then, the gamma ray spectrometer is described, covering all its components: HPGe detector, high voltage power supply, amplifier, ADC and MCA. To understand the results obtained using this gamma ray spectrometer, an explanation of the spectrum formation is also included in this thesis. Then, one can find the methodology that was used, and the results obtained. The discussion covers: the reaction rate for fission obtained in every measurement, the comparison of the reaction rate for fission with the reaction rate for neutron capture obtained and a comparison of these reaction rates with other studies performed in the same laboratory in similar conditions