Design and proposed utilization of the Sandia Annular Core Research Reactor (ACRR)
The Sandia ACRR became operational in 1978 and currently serves as the major in-pile fast reactor safety test facility for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The ACRR is an upgrade of the Annular Core Pulse Reactor (ACPR) with the installation of a new flexible control system and a core of uniquely designed BeO-UO/sub 2/ fuel elements for increasing the neutron fluence in the experiment cavity. The reactor is now capable of driving multi-pin advanced reactor test fuel into vapor with a pulse width of 5 msec. In the steady state mode, the reactor can simulate post accident decay heat at prototypic levels in fission heated debris beds up to 10 cm in diameter. A number of programmed operating modes including high power square waves, ramps and pulses can produce a multitude of power profiles in order to simulate the power histories in the various accident scenarios. The reactor capabilities and the reactor safety research test program are discussed.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- EY-76-C-04-0789
- OSTI ID:
- 6117577
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-79-1646C; CONF-790816-53
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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