Modernization at the Y-12 National Security Complex: A Case for Additional Experimental Benchmarks
- Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Efforts are underway at the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) to modernize the recovery, purification, and consolidation of un-irradiated, highly enriched uranium metal. Successful integration of advanced technology such as Electrorefining (ER) eliminates many of the intermediate chemistry systems and processes that are the current and historical basis of the nuclear fuel cycle at Y-12. The cost of operations, the inventory of hazardous chemicals, and the volume of waste are significantly reduced by ER. It also introduces unique material forms and compositions related to the chemistry of chloride salts for further consideration in safety analysis and engineering. The work herein briefly describes recent investigations of nuclear criticality for 235UO2Cl2 (uranyl chloride) and 6LiCl (lithium chloride) in aqueous solution. Of particular interest is the minimum critical mass of highly enriched uranium as a function of the molar ratio of 6Li to 235U. The work herein also briefly describes recent investigations of nuclear criticality for 235U metal reflected by salt mixtures of 6LiCl or 7LiCl (lithium chloride), KCl (potassium chloride), and 235UCl3 or 238UCl3 (uranium tri-chloride). Computational methods for analysis of nuclear criticality safety and published nuclear data are employed in the absence of directly relevant experimental criticality benchmarks.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant (Y-12), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-NA0001942
- OSTI ID:
- 1375042
- Report Number(s):
- MS/THO-170814
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2017 American Nuclear Society (ANS) Winter Meeting and Nuclear Technology Expo
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Modernization at the Y-12 National Security Complex: A Case for Additional Experimental Benchmarks