Anisotropic diffusion effects in deterministic pebble-bed lattices

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1993 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States)

OSTI ID:5802745

Mathews, D; Thibulsky, V ^[1]; Chawla, R ^[2]

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1. Kurchatov Institute, Moscow (Russian Federation)
2. Paul Cherrer Institute, Villigen PSI (Switzerland)

New graphite-moderated critical experiments are in progress at the PROTEUS facility of the Paul Scherrer Institute as part of an International Atomic Energy Agency cooperative research program on the validation of safety-related physics calculations for low-enriched, gas-cooled reactors. The experiments, which began in July 1992, use 16.7% enriched uranium, pebble-type fuel originally intended for use in the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Versuchsreaktor in Juelich, Germany. Accurate measurement of changes in k[sub eff] and neutron balance components caused by water ingress into undermoderated high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTRs or HTGRs) is one of the primary objectives of the PROTEUS experimental program. Several different geometric arrangements of the pebbles (deterministic as well as the usually employed stochastic) are planned to provide data on changes caused by different void fractions and void shapes. The deterministic arrangements also serve to provide better experimental access to the interior of the core for the measurement of reaction rates and reactivity worths.

• OSTI ID: 5802745
• Report Number(s): CONF-930601--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States) Journal Volume: 68
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
220600* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Research
Test & Experimental Reactors
663610 -- Neutron Physics-- (1992-)
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
CALCULATION METHODS
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
EQUATIONS
GAS COOLED REACTORS
GRAPHITE MODERATED REACTORS
HOMOGENEOUS REACTORS
MONTE CARLO METHOD
NEUTRON DIFFUSION EQUATION
PEBBLE BED REACTORS
PROTEUS REACTOR
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR CORES
REACTORS
RESEARCH AND TEST REACTORS
RESEARCH REACTORS
SOLID HOMOGENEOUS REACTORS
TEST REACTORS
VOID FRACTION