THE WAPD-SPERT-1 EXPERIMENT

Technical Report · Sun Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1956

OSTI ID:4277443

Sanford, E R

In order to determine experimentally the selfshutdown properties of highly-loaded V-Zr plates, a series of transients was conducted in the SPERT-1 reactor. One of the 28 subassemblies comprising the reactor (a central one) was replaced by a specially instrumented subassembly containing 20 wt,% U/sup 235/-Zr fuel plates. The test assembly and the experimental procedure were designed to obtain data on the relative self-shutdown properties of SPERT and of a SPERT-like reactor containing U-Zr fuel. SPERT was subjected to several power transients in the 22 to 400 msec range. Records of transient pressures and temperatures in SPERT and WAPD channels and of reactor power were obtained. It was concluded that a SPERT type of reactor containing the WAPD fuel plates would have bettcr selfshutdown properties than does SPERT-1. Also the peak power reached in a transient of given period would be at least a factor of two less in SPERT-1 with WAPD fuel plates than with the typical SPERT fuel plates. (auth)

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Electric Corp. Bettis Plant, Pittsburgh
• NSA Number: NSA-13-011456
• OSTI ID: 4277443
• Report Number(s): WAPD-S5W-RP-49
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ENRICHMENT
FUEL ELEMENTS
INSTRUMENTS
MEASURED VALUES
PLATES
POWER
PRESSURE
REACTIVITY
REACTOR SAFETY
REACTORS
SHUTDOWN
SPERT-1
TEMPERATURE
TRANSIENTS
URANIUM
URANIUM 235
ZIRCONIUM