Dependence of thermal and epithermal neutron self-shielding on sample size and irradiation site

Analytical expressions recently developed for calculating thermal and epithermal neutron self-shielding for cylindrical samples used in neutron activation analysis were verified using three different irradiation sites of a SLOWPOKE reactor. The amount of self-shielding varied by less than 10% from one site to another. The self-shielding parameters varied with the size of the cylinder as r(r+h), for h/r ratios from 0.02 to 6.0, even in slightly non-isotropic neutron fields. A practical expression, based on the parameters of the neutron spectrum and the well-known thermal neutron absorption cross-section and the newly defined epithermal neutron absorption cross-section, is proposed for calculating the self-shielding in cylindrical samples.