High-Resolution Neutron Spectrum Regulation for Promoting Transuranic Isotope Production

A method is proposed for high-resolution neutron spectrum regulation across the entire energy domain. It was applied to in-reactor transuranic isotope production. This method comprises four modules: a neutron spectrum perturbation module, a neutron spectrum calculation module, a neutron spectrum valuation module, and an intelligent optimization module. It makes it possible to determine the optimal neutron spectrum for transuranic isotope production and a regulation scheme to establish this neutron spectrum within the reactor. The state-of-the-art production schemes for 252Cf and 238Pu in the High Flux Isotope Reactor were optimized, improving the yield of 252Cf by 12.16% and that of 238Pu by 7.53% to 25.84%. Moreover, the proposed optimization schemes only disperse certain nuclides into the targets without modifying the reactor design parameters, making them simple and feasible. The new method achieves efficient and precise neutron spectrum optimization, maximizing the production of transuranic isotopes.