The Aircraft Reactor Experiment. Physics

Journal Article · Fri Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1957 · Nuclear Science and Engineering

OSTI ID:4316239

Ergen, W. K. ^[1]; Callihan, A. D. ^[1]; Mills, C. B. ^[1]; Scott, D. ^[1]

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

The fluoride of a fissionable material dissolve in molten fluorides of other cations can serve as the fuel of a circulating-fuel nuclear reactor. These fluorides have a slowing down power about one-halt or one-fourth of the slowing down power of dense graphite. The response escape probability depends strongly on the cation but is always less than that of carbon. The consequences of these properties for various reactor applications are discussed techniques for critical experiments for molten fluoride reactors have been developed, and the physics aspects of operation of the ARE have been analyzed. Operation of the ARE demonstrated that molten-fluoride reactors have strong negative temperature coefficients, mainly as a result of fuel expansion. The ARE was shown to be very stable and to be a slave to the power load. No Se¹³⁵ poisoning was found on the ARE. and the radioactivity of the fuel after removal from the reactor was less than it would have ~cn if all fission than that of carbon. The consequences of these properties for various reactor applications are discussed. Techniques for critical experiments for molten fluoride reactors have been developed, and the physics aspects of operation of the ARE have been analyzed. Operation of the ARE demonstrated that molten-fluoride reactors have strong negative temperature coefficients, mainly- as a result of fuel expansion. The ARE was shown to be very stable and to be an ARE and the radioactivity of the fuel after removal from the reactor was less than it would have been if all fission fragments had been retained. The loss of delayed neutrons by fuel circulation modified the in-hour equation but not the stability of the ARE.

• 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-12-003293
• OSTI ID: 4316239
• Journal Information: Nuclear Science and Engineering, Journal Name: Nuclear Science and Engineering Vol. 2; ISSN 0029-5639
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
AIRCRAFT
ARE
CARBON
CATIONS
CRITICAL ASSEMBLIES
DELAYED NEUTRONS
EXPANSION
FISSION PRODUCTS
FISSIONABLE MATERIALS
FLUORIDES
FUSED SALT FUEL
GRAPHITE
INHOURS
MELTING
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
OPERATION
RADIOACTIVITY
REACTIVITY
REACTORS
RESONANCE ESCAPE PROBABILITY
SLOWDOWN
STABILITY
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE COEFFICIENT