SSTR Dosimetry in Critical Mass Measurements

Conference · Sun Jun 03 04:00:00 EDT 1979

OSTI ID:5765977

Lippincott, E. P. ^[1]; Gold, R. ^[1]; Ruddy, F. H. ^[1]; Long, C. L. ^[1]; Roberts, J. H. ^[2]

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1. Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory, Richland, WA (United States)
2. Macalester College, St. Paul, MN (United States)

As part of the Advanced Fuel Recycle Program, critical mass measurements have been made of several lattices consisting of mixed oxide (PuO₂-UO₂) fuel pin in water. In addition to providing a reliable technological basis for nuclear criticality control, these measurements are designed to provide benchmark data for validation of cross sections and calculational techniques used for mixed plutonium and uranium systems. In order to characterize some of the lattices more thoroughly, spatial fission rate distributions were measured using solid state track recorders (SSTR). These fission rate traverses cannot only be compared with calculated shapes, but since SSTR observations provide absolute fission rates, the data were also used as input to the multiple-foil unfolding code, SAND-II, to derive adjusted neutron spectra. The extremely high sensitivity of the SSTR method affords in-situ dosimetry for critical mass measurements with negligible spatial and spectral perturbations.

• Research Organization: Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory, Richland, WA (United States); Macalester College, St. Paul, MN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-14-2170
• OSTI ID: 5765977
• Report Number(s): HEDL-SA-1762-S; CONF-790602-84(Summ.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220100* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Theory & Calculation
97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
Advanced Fuel Recycle Program
CHALCOGENIDES
CRITICAL MASS
DIELECTRIC TRACK DETECTORS
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUEL PINS
Fuel Pin
Group Neutron Fluxes
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
KENO Monte Carlo Code
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MEASURING METHODS
Mid-Lattice Fission Rates
Mixed Oxide
Neutron Spectra
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM DIOXIDE
PLUTONIUM OXIDES
Plutonium and Uranium Systems
RADIATION DETECTORS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
SAND-II
Solid State Track Recorders (SSTR)
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM DIOXIDE
URANIUM OXIDES
WATER