Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

ML-1-1B CRITICAL-ASSEMBLY STUDIES

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:4067004

Critical-assembly studies were conducted to provide physics and engineering datu to aid in the development of the Mobile Low-power Reactor (ML-1- lB). Ths ML-1-lB critical assembly is a multitude assembly consisting of pin type fuel elements within a radial lead reflector. The elements are 19-pin assemblies contained in an insulation liner and a pressure tube, with steel-shim poison and cadmium -copper burnable-poison bands present on the insulation linear. The ML-1-lB core without steel-shim poison was critical with 48 elements containing 31,088.36 g of U/sup 235/ with an excess reactivity of 0.746 x 10/sup - 2/ DELTA /k at a moderator temperature of 23.00 deg C. The core with the steel- shim poison was critical with 51 elements containing >s DELTA /k at a moderator temperature of 23.00 deg C. The ratio of maximum element power to core-averaged radial power was approximately 1.32. The ratio of maximum to coreaveraged radial thermal flux was approximately 1.35. The maximum shutdown worth of a reference control-blade mock-up was 1.79 x 10/sup -2/ DELTA /k, and of a stainless- steelregulating control-blade mock-up was 0.59 x 10/sup -2/ DELTA /k. The fuel tubes were filled with water to simulate flooding the core. In this condition the core was critical with 42 elements containing 27,221.00 g of U/sup 235/ with an excess reactivity of 0.436 x 10/sup -2/ DELTA /k at a moderator temperature of 23.00 deg C. With a set of five mock-up control blades and one shim blade, ths flooded core was critical with 61 fuel elezments with an excess reactivity of 0.436 x 10/sup -2/ DELTA /k. A concentration of 56.8 mg of natural boron per liter of moderator was found to correspond to a shutdown reactivity worth of 1.0 x 10/sup -2/ DELTA /k. (auth)

Research Organization:
Battelle Memorial Inst., Columbus, Ohio
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-92
NSA Number:
NSA-15-013572
OSTI ID:
4067004
Report Number(s):
BMI-1501
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

ML-1-1A Core studies with the GCRE critical assembly
Technical Report · Thu Nov 26 23:00:00 EST 1959 · OSTI ID:4206668

GCRE Critical-Assembly Studies
Technical Report · Wed Sep 10 00:00:00 EDT 1958 · OSTI ID:4237470

CRITICAL-ASSEMBLY STUDIES ON AN INTERMEDIATE REACTOR FOR AIRCRAFT PROPULSION
Technical Report · Mon Jul 15 00:00:00 EDT 1957 · OSTI ID:4718514