Pluto: Impact of Vehicle on Land
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
An important aspect of test flight of a PLUTO vehicle is the hazard that would arise if the vehicle were to crash in an inhabited region. This hazard will be discussed on the assumptions that the reactor operated for 10 hrs. at 600 MW immediately prior to the crash, and that essentially all fission products generated were retained. The crash is assumed to render the reactor highly supercritical such that it disassembles violently and 10% of its fission product inventory escapes to the atmosphere. The fission products generated at impact are due to the fission of less than one gram of U235 whereas 250 grams of U235 were consumed in the previous ten hour period. Therefore the nuclear disassembly is significant only as a dispersal mechanism.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC); USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 1556915
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-ID-124694
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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