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Title: NUCLEAR ANALYSES OF THE N.S. SAVANNAH REACTOR WITH ZIRCALOY OR STAINLESS STEEL AS FUEL-ELEMENT CONTAINERS

Abstract

Nuclear comparisons were made of Zircaloy and stainless steel as fuel- element container materials in the N. S. SAVANNAH core I design. In order to make the comparison, a four-group model employing a combination of onedimensional S/sub n/ transport-theory and two-dimensional diffusion-theory calculations was devised. The main features of the analytical model are geometrical detail and the use of the S/sub n/ method to obtain transport-theory equivalent-boundary conditions at the surface of control rods. Application of the four-group model to the N. S. SAVANNAH core I design revealed that, relative to stainless steel fuel-element containers, a Zircaloy fuel-element container structure would increase control rod worth by DELTA k = 0.043 and would increase core reactivity by DELTA k = 0.062 for the same fuel enrichment. Although these two fuelelement container materials produced slightly different power distributions, the over-all peak-to-average power ratio appeared to be the same. In order to complete the comparison, simple one-dimensional radial burnup cal culations were performed. The burnup calculations indicated that the heterogeneous effect of the fuel- element containers on control rod worth would allow a 60% increase in the reactivity lifetime of core I-type fuel elements in Zircaloy fuel-element containers relative to the reactivity lifetimemore » attainable in stainless steel fuel- element containers. (auth)« less

Authors:
; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
4818689
Report Number(s):
ORNL-3261
NSA Number:
NSA-16-018661
DOE Contract Number:  
W-7405-ENG-26
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-62
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
REACTOR TECHNOLOGY; BURNUP; CONFIGURATION; CONTROL ELEMENTS; DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS; DIFFUSION; DISTRIBUTION; ENRICHMENT; FUEL CANS; FUEL ELEMENTS; GROUP THEORY; LIFETIME; MATHEMATICS; POWER; PROPULSION; REACTIVITY; REACTOR CORE; REACTORS; SAVANNAH; SHIPS; STAINLESS STEELS; SURFACES; TRANSPORT THEORY; ZIRCALOY

Citation Formats

Gross, E. E., Colston, B. W., and Winton, M. L. NUCLEAR ANALYSES OF THE N.S. SAVANNAH REACTOR WITH ZIRCALOY OR STAINLESS STEEL AS FUEL-ELEMENT CONTAINERS. United States: N. p., 1962. Web. doi:10.2172/4818689.
Gross, E. E., Colston, B. W., & Winton, M. L. NUCLEAR ANALYSES OF THE N.S. SAVANNAH REACTOR WITH ZIRCALOY OR STAINLESS STEEL AS FUEL-ELEMENT CONTAINERS. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/4818689
Gross, E. E., Colston, B. W., and Winton, M. L. 1962. "NUCLEAR ANALYSES OF THE N.S. SAVANNAH REACTOR WITH ZIRCALOY OR STAINLESS STEEL AS FUEL-ELEMENT CONTAINERS". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/4818689. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/4818689.
@article{osti_4818689,
title = {NUCLEAR ANALYSES OF THE N.S. SAVANNAH REACTOR WITH ZIRCALOY OR STAINLESS STEEL AS FUEL-ELEMENT CONTAINERS},
author = {Gross, E. E. and Colston, B. W. and Winton, M. L.},
abstractNote = {Nuclear comparisons were made of Zircaloy and stainless steel as fuel- element container materials in the N. S. SAVANNAH core I design. In order to make the comparison, a four-group model employing a combination of onedimensional S/sub n/ transport-theory and two-dimensional diffusion-theory calculations was devised. The main features of the analytical model are geometrical detail and the use of the S/sub n/ method to obtain transport-theory equivalent-boundary conditions at the surface of control rods. Application of the four-group model to the N. S. SAVANNAH core I design revealed that, relative to stainless steel fuel-element containers, a Zircaloy fuel-element container structure would increase control rod worth by DELTA k = 0.043 and would increase core reactivity by DELTA k = 0.062 for the same fuel enrichment. Although these two fuelelement container materials produced slightly different power distributions, the over-all peak-to-average power ratio appeared to be the same. In order to complete the comparison, simple one-dimensional radial burnup cal culations were performed. The burnup calculations indicated that the heterogeneous effect of the fuel- element containers on control rod worth would allow a 60% increase in the reactivity lifetime of core I-type fuel elements in Zircaloy fuel-element containers relative to the reactivity lifetime attainable in stainless steel fuel- element containers. (auth)},
doi = {10.2172/4818689},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/4818689}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1962},
month = {Tue May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1962}
}