Nuclear safety of the ten-well insert for the SRP fuel element dissolver
Abstract
Mass limits are developed and presented for safe dissolution of fissile materials in the Ten-Well Insert, an improved device for limiting the configuration of fuel in SRP dissolvers. This insert permits high-capacity dissolution of SRP fuels, offsite fuels, and scrap fissile materials with adequate margins of nuclear safety. Limits were developed by calculating the safe (subcritical) mass per well as a function of the concentration of fissile material in the dissolver solution. Safe mass values were then selected for use as well-loading limits so as to ensure subcriticality throughout the dissolution. Well-loading limits are presented for uranium metal, uranium-aluminum alloy, U/sub 3/O/sub 8/-aluminum cermet, plutonium-aluminum alloy, and uranium-plutonium-aluminum alloy. With these limits, the maximum k/sub eff/ is 0.95. Nuclear safety is maintained in process operations by conforming to well-loading limits calculated from the safe mass values, conforming to dissolver-loading limits, and maintaining the concentration of fissile material in solution below 4.0 g/l. 9 figures, 14 tables.
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) and Co., Aiken, SC (USA). Savannah River Lab.
- OSTI Identifier:
- 7310958
- Report Number(s):
- DP-1429
TRN: 77-014998
- DOE Contract Number:
- EY-76-C-09-0001
- Resource Type:
- Technical Report
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS; DISSOLVERS; CRITICALITY; SPENT FUEL ELEMENTS; DISSOLUTION; ALUMINIUM ALLOYS; CERMETS; CRITICAL MASS; PLUTONIUM ALLOYS; SAFETY; URANIUM; URANIUM ALLOYS; URANIUM OXIDES U3O8; ACTINIDE ALLOYS; ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS; ACTINIDES; ALLOYS; CHALCOGENIDES; COMPOSITE MATERIALS; ELEMENTS; FUEL ELEMENTS; METALS; OXIDES; OXYGEN COMPOUNDS; REACTOR COMPONENTS; URANIUM COMPOUNDS; URANIUM OXIDES; 050800* - Nuclear Fuels- Spent Fuels Reprocessing
Citation Formats
Perkins, W.C., and Forstner, J.L.. Nuclear safety of the ten-well insert for the SRP fuel element dissolver. United States: N. p., 1977.
Web. doi:10.2172/7310958.
Perkins, W.C., & Forstner, J.L.. Nuclear safety of the ten-well insert for the SRP fuel element dissolver. United States. doi:10.2172/7310958.
Perkins, W.C., and Forstner, J.L.. Wed .
"Nuclear safety of the ten-well insert for the SRP fuel element dissolver". United States.
doi:10.2172/7310958. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/7310958.
@article{osti_7310958,
title = {Nuclear safety of the ten-well insert for the SRP fuel element dissolver},
author = {Perkins, W.C. and Forstner, J.L.},
abstractNote = {Mass limits are developed and presented for safe dissolution of fissile materials in the Ten-Well Insert, an improved device for limiting the configuration of fuel in SRP dissolvers. This insert permits high-capacity dissolution of SRP fuels, offsite fuels, and scrap fissile materials with adequate margins of nuclear safety. Limits were developed by calculating the safe (subcritical) mass per well as a function of the concentration of fissile material in the dissolver solution. Safe mass values were then selected for use as well-loading limits so as to ensure subcriticality throughout the dissolution. Well-loading limits are presented for uranium metal, uranium-aluminum alloy, U/sub 3/O/sub 8/-aluminum cermet, plutonium-aluminum alloy, and uranium-plutonium-aluminum alloy. With these limits, the maximum k/sub eff/ is 0.95. Nuclear safety is maintained in process operations by conforming to well-loading limits calculated from the safe mass values, conforming to dissolver-loading limits, and maintaining the concentration of fissile material in solution below 4.0 g/l. 9 figures, 14 tables.},
doi = {10.2172/7310958},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1977},
month = {Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1977}
}
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