WATER DECOMPOSITION BY FISSION FRAGMENT RECOIL ENERGY IN AN AQUEOUS SLURRY OF URANIUM-THORIUM OXIDES

Thesis/Dissertation · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1962

OSTI ID:4714593

Steele, L R

Measurements of the rate of decomposition of water as a function of particle size and concentration of a slurry of fissionable and fertile fuel were made. Irradiations of 10 cc samples of slurry, kept in suspension by a mechanical stirrer, were carried out in a nuclear reactor. By passing N through the slurry during the irradiation, the radiolytic gases were stripped from the slurry before they could recombine. The average particle size of the solid, which contained 10% natural U, was varied from 6 to 50 in diameter. Concentrations were between 300 and 1,000 g of solids per liter. To be able to correlate the experimental data, the fraction of fission recoil energy that had escaped to the water had to be known. This fraction could not be measured experimentally, whereas the total fission energy was measurable. Calculations of the energy distribution were thus made with the aid of a high-speed digital computer. The results indicate that the value of G(H/sub 2/), the number of H molecules measured for every 100 ev of fission recoil energy absorbed by the water, is about 2.1. Although this value is higher than that previously reported for the yield in solutions of U, it is still in good agreement with expected values. This value also represents G(-H/sub 2/O), the number of molecules of water decomposed by fission recoil energy in the water under steady-state conditions in a slurry reactor. (M.P.G.)

• Research Organization: Originating Research Org. not identified
• NSA Number: NSA-17-021770
• OSTI ID: 4714593
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

CHEMISTRY
COMPUTERS
DECOMPOSITION
DIGITAL SYSTEMS
FERTILE MATERIALS
FISSION PRODUCTS
FISSIONABLE MATERIALS
FUEL SUSPENSIONS
GRAIN SIZE
ION RECOMBINATION
IRRADIATION
MEASURED VALUES
MOLECULES
NITROGEN
NUMERICALS
RADIATION CHEMISTRY
RECOILS
ROTATION
SLURRIES
STABILITY
THORIUM OXIDES
URANIUM OXIDES
WATER