The Measurement of Eta and the Limiting Concentration of ²³⁹Pu in Critical Aqueous Solutions

Experiments were performed with a 122-cm-diam sphere to determine criticality of aqueous solutions of plutonium in a system having low-neutron leakage. The plutonium in the chemical form of Pu(NO₃)₄ had a ²⁴⁰Pu content of 2.52 wt%. The critical-sphere concentration obtained in this experiment was analyzed along with data from eight additional critical experiments to evaluate the minimum critical concentration for plutonium. The limiting critical concentration was determined to be 7.62 g Pu/ℓ, for Pu(NO₃)₄ without excess acid and 7.59 g Pu/ℓ for a ²³⁹Pu-water mixture. From these data, the Maxwellian-averaged thermal value of the number of fission neutrons emitted per neutron absorbed by ²³⁹Pu, eta, was determined to be 2.056 ± 0.037. The value at 2200 m/s is 2.100 ±0.041.