Delayed Neutron Energy Spectra Following Fast Fission of Uranium

Delayed neutron energy spectra have been measured for six delay-time intervals following the fast fission of ^{238}U nuclei. The delay-time intervals span the range 0.17 to 10.2 seconds following initial fission while the measured spectra span neutron energies from 10 keV to 4 MeV. The experiment was performed utilizing the UMass/Lowell 5.5 MV Van de Graaff accelerator to produce fast neutrons for inducing fission in a ^{238} U lined fission chamber. The fission fragments were flushed via a helium jet stream to a well-shielded counting room where they were deposited onto a moving tape (magnetic audio tape) and transferred to a beta-neutron time-of-flight spectrometer. By adjusting the tape speed, composite delayed neutron time-of-flight spectra were measured for several different delay-time intervals. These measurements involved beta-neutron coincidences with ^6 Li-loaded glass scintillators for neutron energies from 10 keV to 450 keV and Bicron BC 501 liquid scintillators for the neutron energy range 200 keV-4 MeV. The measured composite delayed neutron energy spectra for ^{238}U are compared to the composite spectra for ^ {235}U and ^{239} Pu, and also to composite spectra derived for ^{238}U from the ENDF/B-VI database, which is based on summation calculations of individual precursor data supplemented by theoretical estimates. The composite spectra of ^{235}U and ^{239}Pu were obtained from previous measurements of delayed neutron spectra at this laboratory. The composite spectra are also decomposed into Keepin six-group spectra and compared with those for ^{239}Pu and ^{235}U. In addition, an equilibrium spectrum has been calculated from the measured composite spectra using several different analytical techniques and is also compared with the equilibrium spectrum of ^{238}U measured in an earlier study at this laboratory.