A comparative neutronic feasibility study for a hydrogen, deuterium and helium cold neutron sources situated in the center of a nuclear reactor core

A tool was developed to calculate the average cold neutron flux that could be generated for a spherically shaped cold neutron source situated in the center of a nuclear reactor core. The tool also estimates the subsequent nuclear heating of the cold source. The results were compared for three different cold source mediums; hydrogen, deuterium and helium.; The tool utilizes the consistent energy dependent P1 equations to generate the fast neutron energy spectrum, the Grueling-Goertzel equations to generate the slow spectrum and the Proton Gas Model to generate the cold energy spectrum. These spectrums are then used to collapse the group constants into three energy groups. The cold flux that can be generated in different mediums is then calculated by utilizing the three energy group constants in SN-6, 2 regions calculations.