Spectral Shift Control Reactor Basic Physics Program (Quarterly Technical Report Number 2, October-December 1960)

Technical Report · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1961

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4049072· OSTI ID:4049072

Basic physics parameters are being determined for lattices of slightly enriched fuel in moderators consisting of D₂O-H₂O mixtures of different concentrations. The principal effort was devoted to procurement and erection of equipment and materials needed for the critical experiments with D₂O in the moderator, the exponential experiments, the hot exponential experiments, and the neutron age experiments. The erection of these facilities and the D₂O handling system was completed and checked out. The fuel rod preparation was completed, and all necessary hazard evaluations and license applications were submitted. Two critical experiments with 4%-enriched UO₂ fuel and H₂O moderator (one clean and one poisoned with boric acid) were completed. In these cores the critical mass, critical buckling, thermal disadvantage factor, and cadmium ratio of U²³⁵ were measured and the data are reported. The BPG computer code, which will be used to analyze the experiments with D₂O in the moderator, was completed and checked out. The accuracy of the code was checked by computing a variety of H₂O and D₂O moderated critical experiments and applicable neutron age measurements and comparing results with those obtained by other standard calculational methods. Calculations supporting the planning and design of the experiments also continued.

• Research Organization: Babcock &Wilcox Co., Lynchburg, VA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP); US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)
• NSA Number: NSA-15-015277
• OSTI ID: 4049072
• Report Number(s): BAW-1218
• 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
BORON OXIDES
BUCKLING
CADMIUM
CONFIGURATION
CRITICAL ASSEMBLIES
CRITICALITY
Critical Assemblies
Criticality
DENSITY
DISADVANTAGE FACTOR
ENRICHMENT
EXPONENTIAL PILES
FERMI AGE
FUEL ELEMENTS
HEAVY WATER MODERATOR
MEASURED VALUES
MIXING
NEUTRON FLUX
NEUTRONS
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
PROGRAMMING
Physics
REACTIVITY
REACTORS
SAFETY
SPECTRA
SSCR
Shift Control Reactor
URANIUM 235
URANIUM DIOXIDE
WATER MODERATOR
ZONES