Strengthening data libraries essential to reactor design, criticality safety, and fusion innovation.
Nuclear energy research, from advanced nuclear reactor simulations to the latest fusion experiments, relies on accurate and abundant data. Producing this data demands precise measurement, rigorous evaluation, and careful validation.
In collaboration with partners across the globe, ORNL’s Nuclear Data Group expands and refines core datasets by performing new measurements, analyses, and evaluations.
Improving nuclear data for accelerated research
The Nuclear Data Group represents a broad range of expertise and experience, with technical capabilities spanning several vital areas of nuclear research, including:
- Support for neutron-induced cross-section measurements: Facilitating precise experimental measurements of neutron interactions at advanced time-of-flight facilities, delivering essential nuclear data for nuclear applications such as reactor physics, fusion, radiation transport, and criticality safety.
- Nuclear resonance data analysis and evaluation: Comprehensive analysis and evaluation of neutron and charged-particle experiments in both resolved and unresolved resonance ranges.
- Thermal scattering kernel experiments and evaluation: Conducting and analyzing experiments at ORNL’s Spallation Neutron Source to provide high-quality data essential for accurate modeling of reactor thermal neutron behavior.
- Development and distribution of specialized nuclear data codes: Developing and improving SAMMY, an open-source resonance parameter analysis tool, and AMPX, a nuclear data processing code, both used internationally for nuclear data evaluation and reactor analysis, as well as SCALE, a comprehensive modeling and simulation suite for nuclear safety analysis and design .
- Benchmark validation of nuclear data libraries:
Performing extensive validation studies through benchmark calculations, ensuring reliability and applicability of nuclear data across diverse applications and regulatory standards.
Collaborations to advance nuclear data
The Nuclear Data Group collaborates closely with leading nuclear data evaluation efforts globally. Notably, the group makes significant contributions to:
- Evaluated Nuclear Data File (ENDF): The Nuclear Data Group has a 20 year history working to launch and maintain the ENDF, contributing more than 80 evaluations to ENDF through the Cross Section Evaluation Working Group. Overall, ORNL completed more than 200 isotope evaluations since the library’s inception.
- Joint Evaluated Fission and Fusion Nuclear Data Library (JEFF): Coordinated by the Working Party on International Nuclear Data Evaluation Cooperation (WPEC), JEFF is widely used across Europe and internationally for nuclear reactor and fusion applications.
- Nuclear Criticality Safety Program: The Nuclear Data group has measured and evaluated more than 50 isotopes in support of criticality safety and reactor physics programs.
Supporting the next generation of nuclear systems.
With focus on ensuring rigorous measurement, evaluation, and validation processes, the Nuclear Data group is committed to producing world -class nuclear data. Their work underpins the design of advanced reactors and fusion energy systems and ensures the efficiency and reliability of existing nuclear reactors, ultimately enabling affordable nuclear energy and enhanced nuclear security.