MSRE Preliminary Physics Report

Technical Report · Wed Apr 19 04:00:00 EST 1961

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4007873· OSTI ID:4007873

Nestor, Jr, C. W. ^[1]

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1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

The results of reactor physics calculations for the currently proposed MSRE core design were compiled. The core was assumed to consist of a homogeneous mixture of fuel salt and graphite, with 22.5% of the core volume occupied by fuel; the salt composition was the currently proposed mixture of 70 mole% LiF, 23 mole % BeF₂, 5 mole% ZrF₄, 1 mole% ThF₄, and UF₄ as required for criticality. The calculated critical mole%, assuming 93.5% U²³⁵, was 0.2 mole% UF₄; the associated inventory of U/sup 235/ in the circulating system was 45 kilograms. Mean core thermal flux was estimated to be 2.9 x 10¹³ n/cm² sec with an associated mean power density of 3.9 watts/cm³ for 10 megawatts total reactor power.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP); US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)
• NSA Number: NSA-15-019017
• OSTI ID: 4007873
• Report Number(s): CF-61-4-62
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
BERYLLIUM COMPOUNDS
CRITICALITY
Criticality
FLUORIDES
FUSED SALT FUEL
Fused Salt Fuel
GRAPHITE MODERATOR
Graphite Moderator
HOMOGENEOUS REACTORS
Homogeneous Reactors
LITHIUM COMPOUNDS
MIXING
MSRE
Mole
Molten Salt Reactor Experiment
NEUTRON FLUX
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
PLANNING
REACTOR CORE
REACTORS
THERMAL NEUTRONS
THORIUM COMPOUNDS
Thorium
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
Uranium
ZIRCONIUM COMPOUNDS