Gas-Cooled Fast Breeder Reactor. Progress report, February 1, 1972--April 30, 1972

Technical Report · Thu Jul 20 04:00:00 EDT 1972

OSTI ID:4356734

The tasks of the Gas-Cooled Fast Breeder Reactor (GCFR) program are program planning, core development, fuels and materials development, and nuclear analysis and reactor physics. The status of the development program planning document for the 300-MW(e) GCFR demonstration plant is given. Core development work included analyses of full-length roughening of the fuel-rod cladding, fuel- rod spacer support grid, radial blanket-element heat transfer and fluid flow, and fuel-rod performance. A reactortemperature measuring instrumentation concept was analyzed and orifice control schemes were studied. Other studies under this task were of fast-neutron irradiation of the grid plate, core support structural seal analysis, a flow network analysis of the pressure-equalization system, and lower thermal shield design. The status of the thermal-flux and fast-flux irradiation programs is presented. Postirradiation examination and flow testing of the capsule GB-9 fuel rod is continuing. Assembly of the GB-10 fuel rod into its capsule hardware is 30% complete; design modifications were made to the fuel pellet stack to raise the temperature at the lower blanket-fuel interface. The fast-flux F-1 (X094) experiment was reconstituted into subassembly X094A for continuation of irradiation in the EBR-II. Gamma-scan data were taken during the interim examination of the seven-rod subassembly and capsule G-3 was removed for postirradiation examination. Available data from the gamma scans are presented. Reactor physics work included studies of control-rod worths in critical assemblies, sodium-voided experiments in plate geometry, sodium-voided pin zone experiments, and allowable uncertainties in the GCFR design. (auth)

• Research Organization: Gulf General Atomic Co., San Diego, Calif. (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AT(04-3)-167
• NSA Number: NSA-29-020071
• OSTI ID: 4356734
• Report Number(s): GULF-GA-A--12165
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

*GCFR REACTOR-- RESEARCH PROGRAMS
*PLUTONIUM OXIDES-- PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
*URANIUM DIOXIDE-- PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
CONFIGURATION
DEFORMATION
N50140 -- Metals
Ceramics
& Other Materials--Ceramics & Cermets--Radiation Effects
N77500* --Reactors--Power Reactors
Breeding
NEUTRON FLUX
PERFORMANCE TESTING
PLANNING
SPACERS
TEMPERATURE MONITORING