Coupled radiation transport/thermal analysis of the radiation shield for a space nuclear reactor. Doctoral thesis

Technical Report · Mon Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1985

OSTI ID:6477665

Barattino, W J

A coupled radiation transport-heat transfer-stress analysis of the radiation shield for an SP-100 reactor was performed using a numerical code developed at the University of New Mexico and Sandia National Laboratory. For a fast reactor operating at 1.66 MW/sub th/, the energy deposited and resulting temperature distribution was determined for a shield consisting of tungsten and lithium hydride pressed into a stainless steel honeycomb matrix. While temperature feedback was shown to have a minor effect on energy deposition, the shielding configuration was found to have a major influence in meeting thermal requirements of the lithium hydride. It was shown that a shield optimized for radiation protection will fail because of melting. However, with minor modifications in the shield layering and material selection, the thermal integrity of the shield can be preserved. A shield design of graphite, depleted lithium hydride, tungsten, and natural lithium hydride was shown to satisfy neutron and gamma fluence requirements, maximum temperature limits, and minimize cracking in the LiH portion of the shield.

• Research Organization: Air Force Inst. of Tech., Wright-Patterson AFB, OH (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6477665
• Report Number(s): AD-A-158180/0/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
FAST REACTORS
SHIELDING
SHIELDS
DESIGN
SPACE POWER REACTORS
CRACKS
DEPOSITION
DISTRIBUTION
GRAPHITE
HEAT TRANSFER
HONEYCOMB STRUCTURES
LAYERS
MATERIALS
MELTING
NUMERICAL ANALYSIS
RADIATION PROTECTION
STRESS ANALYSIS
THERMAL ANALYSIS
TUNGSTEN
CARBON
ELEMENTAL MINERALS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY TRANSFER
EPITHERMAL REACTORS
MATHEMATICS
MECHANICAL STRUCTURES
METALS
MINERALS
MOBILE REACTORS
NONMETALS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
POWER REACTORS
REACTORS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
210600* - Power Reactors
Auxiliary
Mobile Package
& Transportable