SHEBA operating experience

Conference · Thu May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1997

OSTI ID:474908

Cappiello, C C; Butterfield, K B

The Solution High Energy Burst Assembly (SHEBA) is a critical assembly fueled with a solution of 5% enriched Uranyl Fluoride, U(5%)O{sub 2}F{sub 2}. The fuel is stored in critically safe storage containers and then pumped into the ``Critical Assembly Vessel`` where the solution becomes critical. The system was designed to achieve criticality in a cylindrically symmetric configuration. The SHEBA facility also incorporates a shielding pit into which the entire assembly can be lowered to provide shielding for elevated power runs. The major goals of the SHEBA assembly project are to study the behavior of nuclear excursions in a low-enrichment solution, to evaluate accidental criticality alarm detectors for fuel-processing facilities, to provide radiation spectra and dose measurements to benchmark calculations on a low-enrichment solution system, and to provide radiation fields to calibrate personnel dosimetry. SHEBA is also being used to provide a neutron flux test bed to benchmark calculations. Rather than providing the details of these particular projects, this paper summarizes the free-run operating experience obtained as a result of the projects.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 474908
• Report Number(s): LA-UR--97-58; CONF-970607--23; ON: DE97003368
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
FLUID FUELED REACTORS
FUEL SOLUTIONS
REACTOR OPERATION
REACTOR PERIOD
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
ZERO POWER REACTORS