Nuclear Heating Measurements in Material Testing Reactor: A Comparison Between a Differential Calorimeter and a Gamma Thermometer

Nuclear heating measurements in Material Testing Reactors are crucial for the design of the experimental devices and the prediction of the temperature of the hosted samples. Indeed, nuclear heating is a key input data for the computer codes which simulate temperature reached by samples under irradiation. In the Jules Horowitz Reactor under construction at the CEA Cadarache, the maximal expected nuclear heating levels will be about 15 to 18 W/g and it will be necessary to measure this key parameter with the best accuracy. An experiment was led at the OSIRIS reactor to compare the measurements between the two most appropriate sensors for measuring nuclear heating in MTR; a differential calorimeter and a gamma thermometer. A specific differential calorimeter was designed for low nuclear heating and a standard gamma thermometer was used. Experimental results and Monte-Carlo simulations show that the two sensors are suitable even if the measured energy deposit is different in the two sensors. Finally, these comparisons between the measurements recall that it is primordial to precise in which material and environment the nuclear heating is measured to use this key parameter for designing experimental devices in MTR.