SAFETY CALCULATIONS FOR MSRE

Technical Report · Tue May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1962

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4817355· OSTI ID:4817355

Haubenreich, P N; Engel, J R

A number of conceivable reactivity accidents were analyzed, using conservatively pessimistic assumptions and approximations, to permit evaluation of reactor safety. Most of the calculations, which are described in detail, were performed by a digital kinetics program, MURGATROYD. Some analog analyses were also made. None of the accidents which were analyzed lead to catastrophic failure of the reactor, which is the primary consideration. Some internal damage to the reactor from undesirably high temperatures could result from extreme cold- slug accidents, premature criticality during filling, or uncontrolled rod withdrawal. Each of these accidents could happen only by compounded failure of protective devices, and in each case there exists means of effective corrective action independent of the primary protection, so that damage is unlikeIy. The calculated response to arbitrary ramp and step additions of reactivity show that damaging pressures could occur only if the addition is the equivalent of a step of about 1% delta k/k or greater. (auth)

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., Tenn.
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• NSA Number: NSA-16-024988
• OSTI ID: 4817355
• Report Number(s): ORNL-TM-251
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ACCIDENTS
ANALOG SYSTEMS
BURNUP
CONTROL ELEMENTS
CONTROL SYSTEMS
CRITICALITY
DIFFUSION
DIGITAL SYSTEMS
EQUATIONS
EXCURSIONS
FAILURES
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUSED SALT FUEL
HIGH TEMPERATURE
MATERIALS TESTING
MSRE
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
POWER PLANTS
PRESSURE
PROGRAMMING
RADIATION CHEMISTRY
REACTIVITY
REACTOR SAFETY
REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
REACTORS
TRANSIENTS
VARIATIONS