HAZARDS SUMMARY REPORT FOR 2-MEGAWATT OPERATION OF THE BATTELLE RESEARCH REACTOR. Special Report

Technical Report · Fri Aug 15 04:00:00 EDT 1958

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4321351· OSTI ID:4321351

Anno, Jr., J. N.; Plummer, A. M.; Chastain, Jr., J. W.

The Battelle Research Reactor is a modified pool reactor located in a sparsely settled 500-acre tract owned by Battelle 13 miles west of Columbus, Ohio. The reactor has been operating since October 29, 1956, at power levels up to 1 megawatt. More than 300 megawattdays have been logged on the reactor with most of this operation at a power level of 1 megawatt. No serious incidents have occurred during the operation of the reactor. With only a few modifications the reactor will operate continuously at a power level of 2 megawatts. First, interlock will be added to the safety instrumentation to scram the reactor in the event of significant reduction in the flow rate of the primary coolant. Second, to provide additional margin of safety against the possibility of local boiling occurring in the core, the primary flow rate will be increased to greater than 1500 gpm. Third, a 700-gallon holdup tank will be added to the primary coolant system to allow for decay of the nitrogen16 formed in the coolant as it passes through the core. Holdup will reduce the dose rate at the surface of the pool to 4 mr per hr or less during routine 2-megawatt operation. Dose rates in vicinities of normal personnel activities will be less than the surface dose rate by at least an order of magnitude. Analyses of reactor safety and the hazards after an accident indicate that the change in hazards associated with the increase in power level is much less than a factor of two. It is concluded that the change in hazards does not significantly affect conclusions of the hazards analysis for 1-megawatt operation. (auth)

• Research Organization: Battelle Memorial Inst., Columbus, Ohio
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• NSA Number: NSA-13-002558
• OSTI ID: 4321351
• Report Number(s): NP-7032
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ACCIDENTS
ACTIVATION
BOILING
BURNUP
CONTAMINATION
CONTROL SYSTEMS
COOLANT LOOPS
DECAY
ENVIRONMENT
FAILURES
FLUID FLOW
GAMMA RADIATION
INSTRUMENTS
LEAKS
NEUTRON FLUX
NITROGEN 16
OPERATION
PERSONNEL
PUMPS
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION PROTECTION
REACTOR CORE
REACTOR SAFETY
REACTORS
RESEARCH REACTORS
SERVOMECHANISMS
SHUTDOWN
STARTUP
WATER COOLANT