On-the-Fly Treatment of Discrete Representation Thermal Neutron Scattering Data in RMC Code

A proper treatment of thermal neutron scattering data is required for the high-fidelity neutronics calculation of thermal reactors. Monte Carlo codes typically use an S(α, β) treatment to describe scattering events in the thermal region if the S(α, β) data is available for the material. The S(α,β) model stores a large majority of scattering physics and can handle thermal scattering process accurately. In neutronic-thermohydraulic coupling calculations, the temperature effect on nuclear data must be treated properly. The on-the-fly sampling method or the on-the-fly interpolation method are typically used in thermal region. In this paper, the on-the-fly interpolation method for the discrete representation S(α,β) data was introduced. The two-dimensional linear-linear interpolation was used to calculate the scattering cross sections and the secondary information for inelastic scattering, coherent elastic scattering and incoherent elastic scattering. The implemented on-the-fly capability was tested by a series of benchmarks that contain various thermal materials, including light water, beryllium and beryllium oxide. The integral kinf eigenvalues, the efficiency and the fine energy spectra of the on-the-fly treatment capacity were compared with those of the references. Results show that the on-the-fly treatment capability has high accuracy, and the computational time increases up to 20%.

Neutron capture cross section measurements of 241Am at the n_TOF facility

Neutron capture on 241Am plays an important role in the nuclear energy production and also provides valuable information for the improvement of nuclear models and the statistical interpretation of the nuclear properties. A new experiment to measure the 241Am(n, γ) cross section in the thermal region and the first few resonances below 10 eV has been carried out at EAR2 of the n_TOF facility at CERN. Three neutron-insensitive C6D6 detectors have been used to measure the neutron-capture gamma cascade as a function of the neutron time of flight, and then deduce the neutron capture yield. Preliminary results will be presented and compared with previously obtained results at the same facility in EAR1. In EAR1 the gamma-ray background at thermal energies was about 90% of the signal while in EAR2 is up to a 25 factor much more favorable signal to noise ratio. We also extended the low energy limit down to subthermal energies. This measurement will allow a comparison with neutron capture measurements conducted at reactors and using a different experimental technique.

Instrumental characteristics and Greenhouse gases measurement capabilities of the Compact High-spectral Resolution Infrared Spectrometer: CHRIS

Ground-based high spectral resolution infrared measurements are an efficient way to obtain accurate tropospheric abundances of different gaseous species and in particular GreenHouse Gases (GHG), such as CO2 and CH4. Many ground-based spectrometers are used in the NDACC and TCCON networks to validate the Level 2 satellite data, but their large dimensions and heavy mass makes them inadequate for field campaigns. To overcome these problems, the use of portable spectrometers was recently investigated. In this context, this paper deals with the CHRIS (Compact High-spectral Resolution Infrared Spectrometer) prototype with unique characteristics such as its high spectral resolution (0.135 cm-1 non-apodized) and its wide spectral range (680 to 5200 cm-1). Its main objective is the characterization of gases and aerosols in the infrared thermal region, that's why it requires high radiometric precision and accuracy, which is achieved by performing spectral and radiometric calibrations that will be presented in this paper. Also, CHRIS's capabilities to retrieve CO2 and CH4 vertical profiles are presented through a complete information content analysis, a channel selection and an error budget estimation in the attempt to join the ongoing campaigns, such as MAGIC, to monitor the GHG and validate the actual and future space missions.

Fission program at n_TOF

Since its start in 2001 the n_TOF collaboration developed a measurement program on fission, in view of advanced fuels in new generation reactors. A special effort was made on measurement of cross sections of actinides, exploiting the peculiarity of the n_TOF neutron beam which spans a huge energy domain, from the thermal region up to GeV. Moreover fission fragment angular distributions have also been measured. An overview of the cross section results achieved with different detectors is presented, including a discussion of the 237Np case where discrepancies showed up between different detector systems. The results on the anisotropy of the fission fragments and its implication on the mechanism of neutron absorption, and in applications, are also shown.

Applications of Landsat-8 Data: a Survey

Landsat 8 was launched in 2013 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). On board of the Landsat 8 is the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS). Data for visible, panchromatic band, short-wave infrared spectral bands are collected by the OLI while TIRS collect images in the thermal region. As data for Landsat 8 is available to be used for public, researchers have utilized the data for numerous applications. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is yet a review paper on the various applications of Landsat 8 data. Hence, this paper presented an innovative survey on Landsat 8 data in the application of agriculture and forestry, land use and mapping, geology, hydrology, coastal resources and environmental monitoring. The potential of utilizing Landsat 8 data for power utility companies is also discussed in this paper. As Landsat 8 data is predicted to be available for more years to come, this paper provides insight for researchers to utilize the data better for their research.

The Role of Hydrogen Bonding in the Folding/Unfolding Process of Hydrated Lysozyme: A Review of Recent NMR and FTIR Results

The biological activity of proteins depends on their three-dimensional structure, known as the native state. The main force driving the correct folding mechanism is the hydrophobic effect and when this folding kinetics is altered, aggregation phenomena intervene causing the occurrence of illnesses such as Alzheimer and Parkinson’s diseases. The other important effect is performed by water molecules and by their ability to form a complex network of hydrogen bonds whose dynamics influence the mobility of protein amino acids. In this work, we review the recent results obtained by means of spectroscopic techniques, such as Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopies, on hydrated lysozyme. In particular, we explore the Energy Landscape from the thermal region of configurational stability up to that of the irreversible denaturation. The importance of the coupling between the solute and the solvent will be highlighted as well as the different behaviors of hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties of protein amino acid residues.

Thermal Anomalies Detection Using Comparative Method for Small Earthquake

Thermal anomaly is one of the earthquake precursor in the earthquake preparatory phase. Remote sensing in thermal region has been employed based on the concept of stress accumulation in the active plate tectonics region, which may be transformed as temperature variation prior to earthquake. MODIS Land Surface Temperature has been commonly used to locate the thermal anomalies before the earthquake. Recently researches have been focusing on moderate or large magnitude earthquake events. In Thailand, small earthquake can severely damage the unprepared area. This study, the daily day- and nighttime data of MODIS MOD11A1 product for 30 days before and 15 days after the earthquake on April 22, 2007, in Wiang Pa Pao District, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand, were processed and analysed to locate possibility of thermal anomalies. Thermal anomalies before and after the earthquakes were detected using the comparative method. The result found that the thermal anomaly temperature could be high up to 4.1 - 10.9 C which occurred in 21 - 22 days prior to the earthquake. Therefore, it may conclude that small earthquake can also release energy as the detectable thermal anomaly. However, more study about the relationship between thermal precursor and earthquake is needed to continue.

The Effect of Iron Cross-Section in Thermal Region on Neutron Transport in VVER-1000 Mock-Up in LR-0 Reactor

The iron cross-section in thermal regions influences the thermal neutron flux prediction in steel structural components of reactors and also in regions adjoining them. The thermal neutron flux level is proportional to pin power density in fuel. This quantity is an important criterion reflected in limits and conditions of reactor operation. The new power density evaluation shows notable, well distinguishable discrepancy between calculations realized using the CENDL-3.1 nuclear data library and experimentally determined pin power density in boundary rows of pins. All experiments were carried out in a water–water energetic reactor (VVER-1000) transport mock-up placed in the LR-0 reactor.