SOME CHEMICAL PROBLEMS OF HOMOGENEOUS AQUEOUS REACTORS

Technical Report · Fri Jun 06 04:00:00 EDT 1958

OSTI ID:4263916

Dawson, J K; Cox, B; Murdoch, R; Sowden, R G

The basic chemical and energy aspects of aqueous homogeneous reactors were investigated. The primary effort was devoted to the two-one uranyl sulfate solution/thoria slurry system. Corrosion associated with the neutron window of the two-zone system is discussed, together with various methods of decreasing the rate of attack. The feasibility of the use of uranyl nitrate as the fissile solution and thorium nitrate as a fertile solution was examined. Thorium nitrate may find applications in core solutions, if the processing rate is sufficient to maintain a low uranium content. The rheology of aqueous slurries of thoria is described, and measurements in a pipe-line viscometer are compared with the result of pumping the same slurry in a loop system. Plutonium dioxide suspensions were examined for use in the fuel circuit of a burner reactor. The physical properties of the oxide prepared by various methods were measured, and electrophoretic properties were compared with those of thoria. (J.R.D.)

• Research Organization: Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Harwell, Berks, Eng. (United Kingdom)
• NSA Number: NSA-13-007083
• OSTI ID: 4263916
• Report Number(s): A/CONF.15/P/46
• Country of Publication: United Kingdom
• Language: English

Related Subjects

BLANKETS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CORROSION
CREEP
ELECTROPHORESIS
FERTILE MATERIALS
FISSIONABLE MATERIALS
FUEL SLURRIES
FUEL SOLUTIONS
FUELS
HOMOGENEOUS REACTORS
LIQUID FLOW
MATERIALS TESTING
MEASURED VALUES
PLUTONIUM OXIDES
REACTOR CORE
REACTORS
REPROCESSING
SLURRIES
SULFATES
SUSPENSIONS
THORIUM
THORIUM NITRATES
URANIUM
URANYL COMPOUNDS
URANYL NITRATES
VISCOSITY
WATER
WATER MODERATOR
ZONES