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A recent experimental campaign performed at the LOHENGRIN spectrometer at ILL aimed at measuring the independent fission yield of 136Cs in the 239Pu(nth,f) reaction. This nuclide can have an important contribution to the total dose rate coming from spent light water reactor UOX and MOX fuels. Moreover, its impact is of first order on the uncertainty of the total dose rate calculated in specific areas of Nuclear Power Plants within accidental conditions. One of the most important sources of uncertainty is its independent fission yield. Therefore, a new measurement of its independent yield along with a rigorous uncertainty analysis was performed. Due to its low independent yield, a new measurement technique has been applied. Ions recoiling from neutron-irradiated 239Pu target were collected by implantation into an Al foil placed inside a vacuum chamber. This foil was then transferred to a low γ-ray background setup located at nearby laboratory (LPSC). The procedure was then repeated for different LOHENGRIN settings. Compared to the JEFF-3.1.1 library, a decrease of the fission yield of 136Cs with a reduced uncertainty is obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of fission yields has a major impact on the characterization and understanding of the fission process and its applications. The fission products have a direct influence on the amount of neutron poisons that limit the fuel burnup and on the evaluation of the decay heat of the reactor after shutdown. Fission yield evaluation represents the synthesis of experimental and theoretical knowledge in order to perform the best estimation of mass and independent fission product yields. Today, the lack of correlations between the different fission observables induces some inconsistencies in the evaluations. For instance, the mass yield uncertainties are drastically overestimated while this observable is the best known. In this last decade, different covariance matrices have been proposed but the experimental part of those are neglected. A consistent covariance matrix depends on the global process of evaluation from data up to the models used. The collaboration develops a new methodology in the field of fission products for the future version of the JEFF-library coupling the analyses of the CEA and NNL institutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]