Speaker
Description
The NAHUEL instrument (Neutrones para Análisis de Haces en Usos de Espectrometría en Longitud de Onda) is the first time-of-flight (TOF) neutron instrument to operate at an Argentine research reactor. Recently commissioned at the RA-6 reactor at the Bariloche Atomic Centre, Argentina, NAHUEL supports both fundamental and applied research in nuclear engineering and related technologies. In this poster, we will present the NAHUEL capabilities and experiments carried out to test its performance.
The beamline has been used to measure the energy spectra of neutrons emerging from the reactor core for different reactor power levels and configurations. These measurements provide valuable experimental data for validating reactor-core models developed with Monte Carlo transport codes such as OpenMC or PHITS. Neutron transmission experiments were also performed using polycrystalline materials to study the instrument's energy resolution in identifying Bragg edges and their subsequent validation using analytical models with the NCrystal software. From an applied perspective, also using this neutron transmission technique, a sapphire neutron filter and neutron shielding materials (polyethylene compounds with boron carbide/boric acid) have been characterized for its use in the ANDES neutron diffractometer, currently under development by the Laboratorio Argentino de Haces de Neutrones (LAHN). More recently, NAHUEL has been used to investigate novel flexible neutron-shielding materials composed of silicone-based matrices containing boron carbide, yielding promising results for applications in nuclear engineering and medicine. In addition to its research capabilities, NAHUEL is increasingly used for undergraduate and postgraduate training in reactor-based TOF techniques. Its versatility also enables it to support projects conducted by Argentina’s National Atomic Energy Commission and other national scientific and technological institutions.
Key Words
Pulsed neutrons, Chopper, RA-6, Neutron spectra, Neutron total cross section