https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/201715305017
A useful observable for estimating keff in fast subcritical systems
1 INFN - sez. Genova, Via Dodecaneso, 33 - 16146 Genova ( Italy )
2 GeNERG - DIME/TEC - University of Genova, Via all’Opera Pia, 15/A - 16145 Genova ( Italy )
3 CENTRO FERMI, Compendio del Viminale, Piazza del Viminale 1, 00184 Rome, Italy
* e-mail: paolo.saracco@ge.infn.it
** e-mail: walter.borreani@unige.it
*** e-mail: davide.chersola@edu.unige.it
**** e-mail: guglielmo.lomonaco@unige.it
† e-mail: ricco@ge.infn.it
‡ e-mail: ripani@ge.infn.it
Published online: 25 September 2017
The neutron multiplication factor keff is a key quantity to characterize subcritical neutron multiplying devices and for understanting their physical behaviour, being related to the fundamental eigenvalue of Boltzmann transport equation. Both the maximum available power - and all quantities related to it, like, e.g. the effectiveness in burning nuclear wastes - as well as reactor kinetics and dynamics depend on keff. Nevertheless, keff is not directly measurable and its determination results from the solution of an inverse problem: minimizing model dependence of the solution for keff then becomes a critical issue, relevant both for practical and theoretical reasons.
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2017
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