Fresh-Core Reload of the Neutron Radiography (NRAD) Reactor with Uranium(20)-Erbium-Zirconium-Hydride Fuel (Rev. 1)

Technical Report · Fri Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1064067· OSTI ID:1064067

Bess, John D. ^[1]; Maddock, Thomas L. ^[1]; Marshall, Margaret A. ^[2]; Montierth, Leland M. ^[1]; Zhang, Ning ^[1]; Phillips, Ann Marie ^[1]; Schreck, Kenneth A. ^[1]; Briggs, J. Blair ^[1]; Woolstenhulme, Eric W. ^[1]; Bolin, John M. ^[3]; Veca, Anthony ^[3]; McKnight, Richard D. ^[4]; Lell, Richard M. ^[4]

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1. Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
2. Univ. of Idaho, Moscow, ID (United States)
3. General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States)
4. Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

The neutron radiography (NRAD) reactor is a 250 kW TRIGA^® (Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics) Mark II , tank-type research reactor currently located in the basement, below the main hot cell, of the Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF) at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). It is equipped with two beam tubes with separate radiography stations for the performance of neutron radiography irradiation on small test components. The initial critical configuration developed during the fuel loading process, which contains only 56 fuel elements, has been evaluated as an acceptable benchmark experiment. The 60-fuel-element operational core configuration of the NRAD LEU TRIGA reactor has also been evaluated as an acceptable benchmark experiment. Calculated eigenvalues differ significantly (~±1%) from the benchmark eigenvalue and have demonstrated sensitivity to the thermal scattering treatment of hydrogen in the U-Er-Zr-H fuel.

• Research Organization: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-05ID14517
• OSTI ID: 1064067
• Report Number(s): INL/EXT--10-19486-Rev.1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING
IRPhEP
NRAD
TRIGA
acceptable
benchmark
criticality
dry tube
enriched uranium
erbium
graphite
graphite-reflected
light water
neutron radiography
reflector worth
research reactor
rod worth
startup measurements
thermal
uranium
uranium-erbium-zirconium-hydride fuel
water-reflected
zirconium-hydride
zirconium-hydride-moderated