PRESSURIZED WATER REACTOR (PWR) PROJECT. Technical Progress Report for the Period December 24, 1960-February 23, 1961

Technical Report · Tue Oct 31 04:00:00 EST 1961

OSTI ID:4027406

PWR Core 2. Borated stainless steel was adopted as the burnable poison material, and the size of the poison wafers and boron loading was established. Acceptable blanket oxide plates were fabricated consistentiy by the isostaticpressure-bonding technique. A satisfactory method was developed for inspection of fuel elements for bond quality. Fuel assembly sampling rakes were redesigned to permit installing outlet temperature thermocouples in preassembled shrouds and closure head. Metallurgy of Core Materials. In-pile thermal conductivities were measured for UO/sub 2/, ZrC/sub 2/-34 wt.% UC/sub 2/, and ZrO/ sub 2/--46 wt.% UC/sub 2/, and irradiation growths in fuel plates containing these materials were determined. Two pressurebonded 1 wt.% B/sup 10/ -austenitic stainless steel poison plates after a 60% burnup of the B/sup 10/ atoms showed 3 to 4% thickness increase. Borated stainless steel poison cores coated with chromium plus sprayed graphite contained a void space at the compartment ends equivalent to 0.6% of the total core length, while similar cores coated with chromium alone exhibited no void space. Reactor Physics. As test of a cluster mockup of Core 2 was run in the KAPL PTR facility in which measurements of reactivity, power distributions, peaking factors, and boron capture fractions at 535 deg F were made. The last eight of ten UC/sub 2/ fuel elements removed from the PWR-1 blanket during the Seed 2 refueling were analyzed for U and Pu isotopic content. PWR Core 1. The length of a depleted Seed 1 cluster was measured. The special oxide assembly was modified in order to be comparable to the latest Core 2 design. The applicability of modified Seed 2 physics data to Seed 3 operation was verified, and the effect on core power of operation with two depleted Seed 2 clusters in blanket locations during Seed 3 lifetime was evaluated. Power Plant Support. The PWR-1 Seed 2 life will be extended by operating the plant at reduced average temperature and power. A preferred solution composition was established for dissolving core meltdown products. (D.L.C.)

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Electric Corp. Bettis Atomic Power Lab., Pittsburgh
• DOE Contract Number: AT(11-1)-GEN-14
• NSA Number: NSA-15-016735
• OSTI ID: 4027406
• Report Number(s): WAPD-MRP-90
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

AUSTENITE
BONDING
BORON
BORON 10
BURNUP
CHROMIUM
COATING
DISPERSIONS
EXPANSION
FUEL ELEMENTS
GRAPHITE
IRRADIATION
MEASURED VALUES
METALLURGY
POISONING
PRESSURE
REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
REACTORS
STAINLESS STEELS
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY
URANIUM DIOXIDE
WATER
ZIRCONIUM OXIDES
ZONES