Validation of Calculations for Systems Using Soluble Boron for Criticality Control

Conference · Sun Nov 16 04:00:00 EST 1986 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society

OSTI ID:6745525

McBroom, R. C. ^[1]

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1. Westinghouse Idaho Nuclear Co., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

To support the operation of nuclear fuel dissolution systems using soluble boron as a neutron poison and to establish the system safety margin, a series of critical experiments performed at the Los Alamos Critical Assemblies Facility was analyzed. The experimental solutions were analyzed by analytical laboratories at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Westinghouse Idaho National Company for excess acid, uranium, and boron. The system was modeled with the MONK6.2 code along with its associated cross-section library and the system k_eff calculated from the experimental critical heights to validate calculations for the fluorinel dissolution process at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant. The results of the chemical analysis are shown. Boron enriched to 50.55 (wt%) in ¹⁰B was used to achieve a wide range of neutron-absorbing conditions without encountering solubility problems with the boric acid in the uranyl nitrate core solution. The k_eff values obtained for the experiments show a general positive bias. The positive bias result supports the conservatism of the fluorinel dissolution process calculations with no bias adjustments necessary. Work is in process to try to determine whether the observed bias can be attributed to the cross-section libraries or calculational methods.

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Idaho Nuclear Co., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
• OSTI ID: 6745525
• Report Number(s): CONF-861102-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society Journal Volume: 53
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

050800 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Spent Fuels Reprocessing
054000* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Health & Safety
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
42 ENGINEERING
420203 -- Engineering-- Handling Equipment & Procedures
97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDES
AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS
BORON
BORON 10
BORON ISOTOPES
CRITICALITY
CROSS SECTIONS
DISPERSIONS
DISSOLUTION
ELEMENTS
FUEL REPROCESSING PLANTS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
IDAHO CHEMICAL PROCESSING PLANT
IMPURITIES
INORGANIC ACIDS
ISOTOPES
LASL
LIGHT NUCLEI
METALS
MIXTURES
MULTIPLICATION FACTORS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NEUTRON ABSORBERS
NITRATES
NITRIC ACID
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEI
Neutron Poison
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
Nuclear Fuel Dissolution Systems
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
Operation
QUANTITY RATIO
REPROCESSING
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SAFETY
SEMIMETALS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLUBILITY
SOLUTIONS
STABLE ISOTOPES
Soluble Boron
System Safety Margin: Critical Experiments
URANIUM
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANYL COMPOUNDS
URANYL NITRATES
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS