Application of activation methods on the Dubna experimental transmutation set-ups.

High spallation neutron fluxes were produced by irradiating massive heavy targets with proton beams in the GeV range. The experiments were performed at the Dubna High Energy Laboratory using the nuclotron accelerator. Two different experimental set-ups were used to produce neutron spectra convenient for transmutation of radioactive waste by (n,x) reactions. By a theoretical analysis neutron spectra can be reproduced from activation measurements. Thermal–epithermal and fast-super-fast neutron fluxes were estimated using the 197Au, 238U (n,γ) and (n,2n) reactions, respectively. Depleted uranium transmutation rates were also studied in both experiments.