Survey of the Static Nuclear Characteristics of Small, One-Region Slurry Reactors

Technical Report · Mon Jul 28 04:00:00 EDT 1958

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4286111· OSTI ID:4286111

Prince, B. E. ^[1]; Rosenthal, M. W. ^[1]

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1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Survey calculations were made of the criticality characteristics of some small one-region thorium-oxide slurry reactors. Fuels considered were U²³⁵ and U²³³, and both D₂O and H₂O moderated systems were studied. Critical fuel concentrations were calculated as functions of size, temperature, and thorium concentration. For 4- to 5 1/2-ft diameter spherical ThO₂-D₂O reactors fueled with U²³⁵, the minima in the U²³⁵/Th ratio curves occurred at about 200 gm Th/liter. The critical ratio obtained for a 5-ft diameter bare D₂O reactor at 280°C increased from 0.08 to 0.10 g U²³⁵/g Th as a thorium concentration was increased from 200 to 400 gms per liter.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP); US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• NSA Number: NSA-12-017758
• OSTI ID: 4286111
• Report Number(s): CF-58-7-76
• 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
CONFIGURATION
CRITICALITY
Characteristics
Concentration
Critical Mass
Criticality
DENSITY
EQUATIONS
FUEL SLURRIES
HEAVY WATER MODERATOR
Heavy Water Moderator
MASS
Mass
Nuclear
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
REACTOR CORE
REACTORS
Reactor Core
SPHERES
Survey
TEMPERATURE
THORIUM
THORIUM OXIDES
Thorium
URANIUM 233
URANIUM 235
Uranium
WATER MODERATOR