The experimental determination of the 238U(n,γ) and total fission reaction rates along the pellet radius of the IPEN/MB-01 reactor

•Intra-pellet measurements performed in the IPEN/MB-01 reactor.•238U(n,γ) and total fissions reaction rates measured along the pellet radius.•The analyses reveal the calculated epithermal reaction rates in 238U are in a good agreement to the experimental values.•The calculated total fission reaction rates show a lot of discrepancies.