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A "Poison-Free" Loading of UO2 and Pu-A1 in the PRCF with D2O-Moderator

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4353652· OSTI ID:4353652
 [1]
  1. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations
The control rods that are used in the D2O-moderated Plutonium Recycle Critical Facility (PRCF) are of the "shutter" type so that, in their normal "withdrawn" position, there is still a large amount of cadmium in the reactor. Thus, under normal operating conditions the three control rods create three large flux sinks in the reactor. This report describes an experiment that has been conducted to establish a critical configuration with all three control rods and their thimbles removed from the reactor. This experiment determined a critical loading for an essentially "poison-free" core. The PRCF contained fuel in a two-zone loading, an inner zone of natural uranium oxide and an outer zone of 1.8 wt% Pu-A1. The fuel elements were 19-rod clusters and were arranged in a hexagonal lattice with an 8 in. pitch.
Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP); US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)
DOE Contract Number:
AT(45-1)-1830
NSA Number:
NSA-21-030251
OSTI ID:
4353652
Report Number(s):
BNWL-372
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
CONTROL ELEMENTS
CRITICAL ASSEMBLIES
CRITICALITY
Control Rods
Criticality
Flux Sinks
HEAVY WATER MODERATOR
Heavy Water Moderator
LOADING
Loading
MEASUREMENT
N38550* --Research & Test Reactors & Critical Assemblies-- Fuels
NEUTRON FLUX
NEUTRONS
Neutron Flux
Neutrons
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
POISONING
PRCF
Plutonium Recycle Critical Facility
Poison
Reactor
Uranium Oxide