PROPOSAL FOR AN ADVANCED ENGINEERING TEST REACTOR-ETR II

Technical Report · Thu Mar 17 04:00:00 EST 1960

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4163791· OSTI ID:4163791

deBoisblanc, D R

The results of a study are presented which was directed at providing additional experimental loop irradiation space for the AEC-DRD testing program. It was a premise that the experiments allocated to this reactor were those that could not be accommodated in the MTR, ETR, or in existing commercial test reactors. To accomplish the design objectives called for, a reactor producing perturbed neutron fluxes exceeding 10/sup 15/ thermal neutrons per square centimeter per second and 1.5 x 10/sup 15/ epithermal neutrons per square centimeter per second. To accommodate the experimental samples, the reactor fuel core is four feet long in the direction of experimental loops. The vertical arrangement of reactor and experiments permits the use of straight and vertical loops penetrating the top cap of the reactor vessel. The design offers a high degree of accessibility of the exterior portions of the experiments and offers very convenient handling and discharge of experiments. Since the loops are to be integrated into the reactor design and the in-pile portions installed before reactor startup, it is felt that many of the problems encountered in MTR and ETR experience will cease to exist. Installation of the loops prior to startup will have an added advantage in that the flux variations experienced in experiments in ETR every time a new loop is installed will be absent. ETR II (formerly called ETR IV) has a core configuration which provides essentially nine flux-trap regions in a geometry which is almost optimum for cylindrical experiments. The geometry is similar to that of a four-leaf clover with one flux trap in each leaf, one at the intersection of the leaves, and one between each pair of leaves. The nominal power level is 250 Mw. The study was carried out in enough detail to permit the establishment of the design parameters and to develop the power requirement which, conservatively rated, will definitely reach the flux specifications. A critical mockup of an arrangement similar to ETR II was loaded into the Engineering Test Reactor Critical Facility. A two-dimensional calculation of this actual test provided a confirmation of validity of the computer techniques in predicting the behavior of this reactor. (auth)

• Research Organization: Phillips Petroleum Co. Atomic Energy Div., Idaho Falls, Idaho
• Sponsoring Organization: US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
• DOE Contract Number: AT(10-1)-205
• NSA Number: NSA-14-022639
• OSTI ID: 4163791
• Report Number(s): IDO-16666
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

AETR
COMPUTERS
CONFIGURATION
CRITICALITY
CYLINDERS
EPITHERMAL NEUTRONS
EQUATIONS
IN PILE LOOPS
IRRADIATION
MATERIALS TESTING
MOCKUP
NEUTRON FLUX
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
PERFORMANCE
PLANNING
POWER
PRESSURE VESSELS
PROGRAMMING
REACTOR CORE
REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
REACTORS
REMOTE HANDLING
THERMAL NEUTRONS
ZONES