Fast Burst Reactors In The U.S.A.

Technical Report · Fri May 14 00:00:00 EDT 1965

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4594044· OSTI ID:4594044

Wimett, Thomas F. ^[1]

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1. Los Alamos Scientific Lab., Los Alamos, NM (United States)

In order to increase the fission yield per burst, efforts have been directed toward the development of cores which maintain dimensional stability when subjected to more extreme temperature cycles than may be tolerated in normal uranium metal. There also have been attempts to eliminate inertial difficulties related to the quenching delay associated with the finite time for translating fission energy into surface or volume expansion. This delay leads to an effective broadening of the bursts at a given yield. The second series of burst reactors as referred to here are those which employ an alloy of uranium, specifically 10 weight percent molybdenum (U-10 w/o Mo), in which extensive metallurgical tests have indicated relatively small crystal growth and excellent phase stability during or following repeated large temperature cycles (~500°C). Research Reactor) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Molly-G or FBR (Fast Burst Reactor) at White Sands Missile Range, and Super Kukla at Lawrence Radiation Laboratory; three additional models similar to HPRR and Molly-G are in the final planning stages, one at Sandia Corporation, one at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, and one at LASL. None of these reactors has produced more than a total of ~300 bursts to be compared with many thousands for a typical reactor of the first series. Accordingly, such devices may be considered in a relatively early stage of development.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos Scientific Lab., Los Alamos, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• NSA Number: NSA-19-031607
• OSTI ID: 4594044
• Report Number(s): LA-DC-6786; SM-62/53; CONF-650
• Resource Relation: Other Information: From IAEA Symposium on Pulsed Neutron Methods, Karlsruhe, Ger. Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-65
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
CONFERENCE
CRITICAL ASSEMBLIES
FAST BURST REACTOR
FAST NEUTRONS
FRAN
FUELS
GERMANY
GODIVA-1
GODIVA-2
HPRR
KUKLA
MOLYBDENUM ALLOYS
NEUTRON SOURCES
OPERATION
PLANNING
PROMPT NEUTRONS
PULSES
REACTIVITY
REACTOR SAFETY
REACTORS
RESEARCH REACTORS
SPRF
TRIGA SERIES
URANIUM
URANIUM ALLOYS
Conference
Critical Assemblies
Fast Burst Reactor
Fast Neutrons
Fran
Fuels
Germany
Godiva-1
Godiva-2
Hprr
Kukla
Molybdenum Alloys
Neutron Sources
Operation
Planning
Prompt Neutrons
Pulses
Reactivity
Reactor Safety
Reactors
Research Reactors
Triga Series
Uranium
Uranium Alloys