Proposed Plutonium-Nickel Critical Experiment

Conference · Thu Nov 21 04:00:00 EST 2019 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society

DOI:https://doi.org/10.13182/t31306· OSTI ID:1916437

Cutler, T. ^[1]; Thompson, N. ^[1]; McSpaden, A. ^[1]; Hutchinson, J. ^[1]

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1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

The Los Alamos Critical Experiments Facility (LACEF) and subsequently its descendant, the National Criticality Experiments Research Center (NCERC) located at the Nevada National Security Site, have been performing critical experiments for over 75 years. The work done continues to build upon lessons learned from the past. It also builds upon knowledge gained from past experiments. The LACEF and NCERC experiments “provide nuclear criticality benchmark data for a wide variety of fissile and non-fissile materials in all neutron energy spectra systems”. In 2014, a subcritical benchmark with plutonium surrounded by nickel was issued in the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP). Two years later, a new benchmark experiment was performed, commonly known as Subcritical Copper Reflected $$\mathcal{a}$$-Phase Plutonium SCR$$\mathcal{a}$$P. The uncertainties in the SCR$$\mathcal{a}$$P experiment were significantly reduced from the Pu-Ni experiment and the methods were refined. Additionally, a Pu-lead critical experiment was performed in 2017 which followed different methods and with different objectives. Now, an experiment is proposed that builds on both the subcritical nickel experiment and the critical lead experiment. The proposed experiment has interleaved nickel and plutonium, in a thermal arrangement. This particular experiment would support criticality safety at the Hanford Tank Farms, whose tanks contain a significant amount of nickel credited as a neutron absorber in the criticality safety evaluation.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
• DOE Contract Number: 89233218CNA000001
• OSTI ID: 1916437
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-19-31390
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society Journal Issue: 1 Journal Volume: 121
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
Beryllium Reflected Plutonium Ball (BERP Ball)
Comet Critical Assembly Machine
Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU)
Integral Experiments
International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP)
Los Alamos Critical Experiments Facility (LACEF)
Low Enriched Uranium (LEU)
National Criticality Experiments Research Center (NCERC)
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)