Subcritical Measurements with a Cylindrical Tank of Pu-U Nitrate

Conference · Sun Sep 07 00:00:00 EDT 1997

OSTI ID:515564

Mihalczo, J. T. ^[1]; King, W. T. ^[2]; Valentine, T. E. ^[1]

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1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
2. CSI Services, Inc., Knoxville, TN (United States)

This series of measurements with a mixed Pu-U nitrate solution (280 g Pu/liter, 180 g U/liter) in a 35.54-cm-diam cylindrical tank provides a wide variety of experimental data for subcritical configurations that can be used to verify calculational methods and nuclear data. The Pu contained 7.85 wt% ²⁴⁰Pu and the uranium was natural uranium. The measurements performed were inverse count rate, prompt neutron decay constants, inverse kinetics, and frequency analysis by the ²⁵²Cf source driven method. These data are presented in sufficient detail that the results of the experiments can be calculated directly. For purposes of extrapolating to the delayed critical height the ratio of spectral densities was linear with height and thus provided the best estimate of critical height.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); CSI Services, Inc., Knoxville, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-96OR22464
• OSTI ID: 515564
• Report Number(s): CONF-970926-5; ON: DE97004721; TRN: 97:015838
• Resource Relation: Conference: American Nuclear Society (ANS) Topical Meeting on Criticality Safety Challenges in the Next Decade, Experiments, Benchmarks, and Validation, Chelan, WA (United States), , 7-11 Sep 1997; Other Information: PBD: [1997]
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
PLUTONIUM NITRATES
URANIUM NITRATES
CRITICALITY
VERIFICATION
CALCULATION METHODS
MULTIPLICATION FACTORS
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
Fissile Assembly
Prompt Neutron Decay
Critical Experiment
Monte Carlo Neutron Transport
Prompt Critical Height (PCH)
Inverse Kinetics Rod Drop (IKRD)
Inverse Count Rate