STEAM FORMING NEUTRONIC REACTOR AND METHOD OF OPERATING IT
Abstract
The heterogeneous reactor is liquid moderated and cooled by a steam forming coolant and is designed to produce steam from the coolant directly within the active portion of the reactor while avoiding the formation of bubbles in the liquid moderator. This reactor achieves inherent stability as a result of increased neutron leakage and increased neutron resonance absorption in the U/sup 238/ fuel with the formation of bubbles. The invention produces certain conditions under which the formation of vapor bubbles as a result of a neutron flux excursion from the injection of a reactivity increment into the reactor will operate to nullify the reactivity increment within a sufficiently short period of time to prevent unsafe reactor operating conditions from developing. This is obtained by disposing a plurality of fuel elements within a mass of steam forming coolant in the core with the ratio of the volume of steam forming coolant to the volume of fissionable isotopes being within the range yielding a multiplication factor greater than unity and a negative reactivity to core void coefficient at the boiling temperature of the coolant.
- Inventors:
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- Originating Research Org. not identified
- OSTI Identifier:
- 4169499
- Patent Number(s):
- 2936273
- Assignee:
- U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
G - PHYSICS G21 - NUCLEAR PHYSICS G21C - NUCLEAR REACTORS
G - PHYSICS G21 - NUCLEAR PHYSICS G21D - NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
- NSA Number:
- NSA-14-021922
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-60
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- METALS, CERAMICS, AND OTHER MATERIALS; ABSORPTION; BUBBLES; COOLANTS; FUELS; INJECTION; LEAKS; LIQUIDS; MODERATORS; NEUTRON FLUX; NEUTRONS; STABILITY; STEAM; URANIUM 238; VAPORS
Citation Formats
Untermyer, S. STEAM FORMING NEUTRONIC REACTOR AND METHOD OF OPERATING IT. United States: N. p., 1960.
Web.
Untermyer, S. STEAM FORMING NEUTRONIC REACTOR AND METHOD OF OPERATING IT. United States.
Untermyer, S. Tue .
"STEAM FORMING NEUTRONIC REACTOR AND METHOD OF OPERATING IT". United States.
@article{osti_4169499,
title = {STEAM FORMING NEUTRONIC REACTOR AND METHOD OF OPERATING IT},
author = {Untermyer, S},
abstractNote = {The heterogeneous reactor is liquid moderated and cooled by a steam forming coolant and is designed to produce steam from the coolant directly within the active portion of the reactor while avoiding the formation of bubbles in the liquid moderator. This reactor achieves inherent stability as a result of increased neutron leakage and increased neutron resonance absorption in the U/sup 238/ fuel with the formation of bubbles. The invention produces certain conditions under which the formation of vapor bubbles as a result of a neutron flux excursion from the injection of a reactivity increment into the reactor will operate to nullify the reactivity increment within a sufficiently short period of time to prevent unsafe reactor operating conditions from developing. This is obtained by disposing a plurality of fuel elements within a mass of steam forming coolant in the core with the ratio of the volume of steam forming coolant to the volume of fissionable isotopes being within the range yielding a multiplication factor greater than unity and a negative reactivity to core void coefficient at the boiling temperature of the coolant.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue May 10 00:00:00 EDT 1960},
month = {Tue May 10 00:00:00 EDT 1960}
}