Benchmark Experiments of Thermal Neutron and Capture Gamma-Ray Distributions in Concrete Using 252Cf

The distributions of thermal neutrons and capture gamma rays in ordinary concrete were investigated by using 252Cf. Two subjects are considered. One is the benchmark experiments for the thermal neutron and the capture gamma-ray distributions in ordinary concrete. The thermal neutron and the capture gamma-ray distributions were measured by using gold-foil activation detectors and thermoluminescence detectors. These were compared with the simulations by using the discrete ordinates code ANISN with two different group structure types of cross-section library of a new Japanese version, JENDL3.3, showing reasonable agreement with both fine and rough structure groups of thermal neutron energy. The other is a comparison of the simulations with two different cross-section libraries, JENDL-3.3 and ENDF/B-VI, for the deep penetration of neutrons in the concrete, showing close agreement in 0- to 100-cm-thick concrete. However, the differences in flux grow with an increase in concrete thickness, reaching up to approximately eight times near 4-m thickness.