An Engineering Physics Method of Calculation Applied to Light-Water Critical Experiments Investigating Nuclear Superheat

Journal Article · Fri Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1962 · Nuclear Science and Engineering

OSTI ID:4808337

Deutsch, R. W. ^[1]

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1. General Nuclear Engineering Corp., Dunedin, FL (United States)

A method of calculation is used to plan and interpret critical experiments that simulate a boiling reactor and a boiling reactor with integral nuclear superheat. The boiler region contains aluminum-clad fuel rods of 1.85 wt% U²³⁵ enrichment and some rods of natural enrichment. The superheater region is composed of rod-in-tube elements, the fuel rod having 3.41 wt% U²³⁵ enrichment and a stainless steel clad. For core arrangements containing boiler fuel, the variations in reactivity and rod-by-rod power distributions produced by changing fuel, moderator, and neutron poison content within a fuel assembly are determined; also, reactivity measurements involving cadmium and boron- stainless steel control rods are used to derive effective epithermal transmission probabilities for these materials. For the boiler superheater cores, the variations in reactivity, power regulation, and rod-by-rod power distribution produced by changing the boiler- superheater arrangements, and by voiding and flooding the superheater region are determined. For most of the core arrangements, the theoretical predictions are carried out prior to the measurements. The comparison of theory with experiment indicates that the method is accurate to within the limits imposed by the uncertainty of experimental techniques, which included uncertainties in core dimensions and compositions.

• Research Organization: General Nuclear Engineering Corp., Dunedin, FL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP); US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)
• NSA Number: NSA-16-023285
• OSTI ID: 4808337
• Journal Information: Nuclear Science and Engineering, Journal Name: Nuclear Science and Engineering Vol. 13; ISSN 0029-5639
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
ALUMINUM
BOILING
BORIDES
CADMIUM
CONTROL ELEMENTS
CRITICAL ASSEMBLIES
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
DISTRIBUTION
ENRICHMENT
EPITHERMAL NEUTRONS
ERRORS
FUEL CANS
FUEL ELEMENTS
MEASURED VALUES
MOCKUP
MODERATORS
NATURAL URANIUM FUEL
NEUTRON FLUX
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
POISONING
REACTIVITY
REACTOR CORE
RODS
STAINLESS STEELS
SUPERHEATING
THERMAL NEUTRONS
TUBES
URANIUM
VARIATIONS
WATER MODERATOR
ZONES