Summary of Critical Experimental Data from the Joint USDOE/PNC Criticality Data Development Program

Conference · Mon Sep 09 04:00:00 EDT 1991

OSTI ID:5654817

Smolen, G. R. ^[1]

---

1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

A joint exchange program on the subject of criticality data development was completed in August 1988. The program was a cooperative effort between the US Department of Energy and the Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation of Japan. The primary purpose of the program was to perform critical experiments to allow validation of computational methods used for safety analyses for facilities that recycle nuclear fuel. The experiments were performed with mixed Pu + U solutions in various geometries (cylinder, annular and slab) and various reflection conditions (bare, water and concrete). Also, critical lattices were assembled with Pu + U mixed-oxide fuel pins immersed in water, organic, Pu + U, and Pu + U + Gd solutions. The experiments spanned the range of neutron spectra from the very under-moderated condition (H/Pu ratio = 22) to the very over-moderated condition (H/Pu ratio = 2220). Using the criticality data provided by this program, computational studies were performed to validate the SCALE computer code system. The good agreement between the calculational and experimental results allows the calculational method to be applied to similar plant conditions.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 5654817
• Report Number(s): CONF-910993-10; ON: DE91016223
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

050800* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Spent Fuels Reprocessing
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
990200 -- Mathematics & Computers
ACTINIDES
BENCHMARKS
COMPUTER CALCULATIONS
COMPUTER CODES
CRITICALITY
Computational Methods Validation
DATA
DISPERSIONS
DISSOLUTION
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
EXTRACTION
FISSILE MATERIALS
FISSIONABLE MATERIALS
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUEL PINS
FUEL REPROCESSING PLANTS
FUELS
INFORMATION
JAPANESE ORGANIZATIONS
Japan and US Cooperation
Joint Exchange Program
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
METALS
MIXTURES
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NEUTRON REFLECTORS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR FUELS
NUMERICAL DATA
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
Nuclear Fuel recycling
PLUTONIUM
PNC
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR MATERIALS
S CODES
SAFETY
SCALE Computer Code system Validation
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLUTIONS
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
SPENT FUELS
STORAGE
Safety Analyses
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
URANIUM
US DOE
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE STORAGE