Computer Simulation of Hypothetical Criticality Accidents in Dilute Plutonium-Water Solutions

Conference · Sun Jun 07 04:00:00 EDT 1992 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society

OSTI ID:7226609

It has recently been noted that plutonium-water solutions may have positive temperature coefficients of reactivity at low fuel concentrations. The author has made some speculative computations of nuclear excursions in dilute solutions of plutonium nitrate, using a methodology developed for water solutions of uranium nitrate and sulphate. The model was discovered to exhibit some intriguing features, most notably a dynamic competition between a positive neutron temperature coefficient of reactivity and the nonlinear negative feedback represented by an equation of state that includes inertial pressure and delayed thermal expansion. As expected, a large positive neutron temperature coefficient can lead to an explosive disassembly. The author did not expect the extreme sensitivity to parameter values that were observed in certain cases.

• Research Organization: University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
• OSTI ID: 7226609
• Report Number(s): CONF-920606--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society Journal Volume: 65
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
ACCIDENTS
ACTINIDES
AQUEOUS HOMOGENEOUS REACTORS
AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS
CRITICALITY
DISPERSIONS
ELEMENTS
EXCURSIONS
EXPANSION
FEEDBACK
FLUID FUELED REACTORS
FUEL REPROCESSING PLANTS
HOMOGENEOUS REACTORS
LIQUID HOMOGENEOUS REACTORS
METALS
MIXTURES
Model
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
PLUTONIUM
Plutonium-Water Solutions
RADIATION ACCIDENTS
REACTIVITY COEFFICIENTS
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
REACTORS
SAFETY
SOLUTIONS
TEMPERATURE COEFFICIENT
THERMAL EXPANSION
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
VOID FRACTION
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS