- Background and Motivation
- Nuclear data describing α-particle interactions on light nuclei are essential for calculating (α,n) neutron emissions
- Currently, in codes like SOURCES4C, there is no uncertainty data to estimate neutron source intensities or emission spectra
- Methodology
- The ORNL SAMMY code was used to evaluate 17,18O(α,n) cross sections in order to generate the uncertainty in the neutron generation rates for uranium oxide fuel types
- Significance and Impact
- Generation of (α,n) covariance data is demonstrated for the first time and used for uncertainty analyses in applications crucial for safeguards and non-proliferation
