Self-shielding corrections for the TREAT hodoscope interpretation

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:6135004

Wu, R M

The TREAT hodoscope is the most successful device for observing fuel motion in fast reactor safety experiments. However, the interpretation of hodoscope data is not without ambiguities. One obvious problem of consistent interpretation of hodoscope data is lack of mass conservation, and a major contributor to this phenomenon is self-shielding variation. This work describes a strategy which deals systematically with this significant contributor to ambiguities in hodoscope interpretation. A computer code was developed based on a 91-group integral transport method. Using the code, the effect of self-shielding variations in contributing to the hodoscope detector count rate was quantified. The magnitude of this effect was found to be too large to be ignored in data interpretation, even for a three-pin TREAT test. The magnitude of self-shielding variations depends on the specific state of fuel. A procedure was formally established for consistent hodoscope data interpretation. The feasibility of the developed methods and procedures was demonstrated with applications to one of the TREAT loss-of-flow tests, L7, and the results showed improved consistency. With the corrections due to the effect of self-shielding variations included in the improved methods and procedures in interpreting the hodoscope data, the importance of the TREAT hodoscope tests in the fast reactor safety program is expected to be enhanced.

• Research Organization: Washington Univ., Seattle (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6135004
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220300 -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Fuel Elements
220600* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Research
Test & Experimental Reactors
ACCIDENTS
ACCURACY
AIR COOLED REACTORS
COMPUTER CODES
DETECTION
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
EXPERIMENTAL REACTORS
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUEL MOTION DETECTION
GAS COOLED REACTORS
GRAPHITE MODERATED REACTORS
HODOSCOPES
HOMOGENEOUS REACTORS
LOSS OF FLOW
PERFORMANCE
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR SAFETY
REACTOR SAFETY EXPERIMENTS
REACTORS
RESEARCH AND TEST REACTORS
SAFETY
SELF-SHIELDING
SHIELDING
SOLID HOMOGENEOUS REACTORS
TEST REACTORS
THERMAL REACTORS
TREAT REACTOR