SUMMARY OF HRT RUNS 22, 23 AND 24

Technical Report · Thu Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1962

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4808872· OSTI ID:4808872

Bauman, H F; Buchanan, J R; Engel, J R; Haubenreich, P N; Richardson, D M

In runs 22, 23, and 24 the HRT was operated with downward flow through the core at powers up to 5 Mw. Because of leakage past the lower core tank patch, uranium could not be prevented from entering tbe blanket, so the concentration was deliberately kept above 1 g U/kg D/sub 2/O. The core power was about 0.6 of the total. Nuclear power fluctuations were larger than with upward core flow, and the cause was investigated intensively in run 22 at powers up to 1.8 Mw. Run 22 was terminated after 778 hours when a leak developed in a fuel feed pump weld. In run 23 the power was ratsed stepwise to 5 Mw. This run was terminated after 794 hours by the removal of the fuel, containing the fission and corrosion products accumulated in 10,028 hours of operation. Fuel replacement required three days. Run 24 operations were hampered by a leak which developed between the feed and letdown streams in the fuel letdown heat exchanger. The run was terminated after 546 hours, when a crack developed in a fuel feed line tee and leaked solution into the reactor cell. The changes in the core flow and heat transfer were evidently effectiw'e in eliminatingregions of high temperatures and uranium deposition. ln all the operations, including more than 100 hours at 5 Mw, there was never any indication of fuel instability. Previous operation at the same pressure (1400 psig) and core mean temperature had resulted in detectable instability at lower powers. (auth)

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., Tenn.
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• NSA Number: NSA-16-011236
• OSTI ID: 4808872
• Report Number(s): ORNL-TM-106
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

BLANKETS
CONTAMINATION
COOLANT LOOPS
CORROSION
CRACKS
DENSITY
FAILURES
FISSION PRODUCTS
FLUID FLOW
FUEL SOLUTIONS
HEAT EXCHANGERS
HEAT TRANSFER
HEAVY WATER MODERATOR
HIGH TEMPERATURE
HOMOGENEOUS REACTORS
HRT
LEAKS
MAINTENANCE
NEUTRON FLUX
OPERATION
POWER PLANTS
PRECIPITATION
PRESSURE
PRODUCTION
PUMPS
REACTIVITY
REACTOR CORE
REACTOR FUELING
REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
RESIDUES
SHUTDOWN
SOLIDS
STABILITY
TRANSIENTS
URANIUM
VESSELS
WELDING
ZONES