Numerical and experimental determination of neutron characteristics in irradiation rigs operated in LVR-15 research reactor.

The LVR-15 reactor is a 10-MW research reactor mostly dedicated to material research and isotope production. Material testing can be performed in various irradiation loops and rigs. For specimen irradiation, several rig constructions can be used, including standard single-cell CHOUCA rigs or special dedicated multi-cell rigs. The temperature in the rigs is controlled by a temperature control system, which can be operated in a stable or pulsed mode, with regard to the rig design. Irradiation conditions in the rig are monitored by a set of various fluence detectors. From these detectors, neutron fluence and its energy distribution can be determined for the whole volume of irradiation samples. Besides measurement, irradiation conditions are calculated by the Monte Carlo code MCNPX, which provides a complete review of irradiation conditions including neutron fluence and its energy distribution in samples and detectors, radiation damage and radiation heating conditions for the rig. A set of experimental and theoretical characteristics for dedicated irradiation positions in the core reflector and in fuel will be provided.