APSD up to 100 kHz dataset measured in the IPEN/MB-01 research reactor facility

Abstract

The data presented in this work are from the very accurate reactor noise measurements performed in the IPEN/MB-01 research reactor facility. The quantity inferred from the measured data was the Auto Power Spectral Density (APSD) with the frequency range extended up to 100 kHz. The core configuration considered a short version of the IPEN/MB-01 core, consisted of a 26 × 24 rectangular array of fuel rods with control banks totally withdrawn. The measured reactivity excess for this configuration was equal to (10 ± 3) pcm. The subcriticality was reached by poisoning the reactor water with boric acid (H3BO3) in the concentrations of 286.8 and 578.6 ppm of natural boron. The main goal of these experiments was to test subcritical configurations with uniform poisoning. The average temperature for the experiment with 286.8 ppm of natural boron was (19.82 ± 0.37) °C and that for the 578.6 ppm was (19.89 ± 0.09) °C. The core was driven by the 241Am-Be start-up source (∼1.0 Ci) of the facility placed in the reflector. The APSD (in units of count2/Hz) was inferred employing the IPEN/MB-01 Correlator. The basic measured data arise from the pulses of two 3He Centronic detectors placed in the reflector region.

Keywords

• Zero power reactor noise
• APSD measurements
• IPEN/MB-01 reactor
• IPEN/MB-01 Correlator
• Subcritical experiments