PM-2A CORE I ZERO POWER EXPERIMENT

Technical Report · Fri Oct 21 04:00:00 EDT 1960

OSTI ID:4818235

Raby, T M; Weiss, S H; Schrader, E W; Walthousen, L D; Robinson, R A; McCool, W J

The PM-2A Core I zero power experiment was performed to establish fuel element and absorber uniformities, control rod critical bank positions, and on- site initial core loading procedures. Results indicated satisfactory distribution of fuel and poison in fuel elements. Anticipated B/sup 10/ fabrication loss was 35%, while the estimated stationary fuel element B/sup 10/ loading of 0.425 gm per element represented an average B/sup 10/ loss of approximately 42% from the specified 0.728 gm per element. This estimate was based on reactivity differences obtained by intercomparison with an SM-1 Core I standard element. Assuming the same estimated loss for control rod fuel elements, average B/sup 10/ loading would be aoproximately 0.335 gm, against the loaded 0.574 gm. Europium absorber sections showed high uniformity when checked against each other. Criticality was initially attained with 16 fuel elements (11 stationary and 5 control rod), containing 8101.74 gm U/sup 235/, at a five rod critical bank position of 18.921 inches. Minimum critical mass measurement, utilizing a 4 by 4 iuel element array with one corner element missing and 3 control rod assemblies, was 7789.68 gm with a three rod critical bank position of 21.513 inches. The full core (37 fuel elements) had a total mass of 19,490.88 gm U/sup 235/, and the five rod critical bank position was 6.384 inches. Stuck rod measurements demonstrated that reactor criticality may be attained by withdrawing any single control rod (17.565 in. for the center rod, 19.559 in. for an outside rod). The initial on-site core loading procedures developed will ensure safety and efficiency without requiring an inverse multiplication ap- proach to criticality. (auth)

• Research Organization: Alco Products, Inc., Schenectady, N.Y.
• NSA Number: NSA-16-008344
• OSTI ID: 4818235
• Report Number(s): APAE-75
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ABSORPTION
BORON 10
BURNUP
CONFIGURATION
CONTROL
CONTROL ELEMENTS
CRITICAL ASSEMBLIES
CRITICALITY
DENSITY
EFFICIENCY
ERRORS
EUROPIUM
FABRICATION
FAILURES
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUELS
IMPURITIES
LOSSES
MASS
MEASURED VALUES
MULTIPLICATION FACTORS
NEUTRON FLUX
POISONING
POWER PLANTS
REACTIVITY
REACTOR CORE
REACTOR FUELING
REACTOR SAFETY
REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
REMOTE HANDLING
RODS
SHUTDOWN
STANDARDS
STARTUP
URANIUM 235
VARIATIONS
ZONES