Neutronics Benchmarks for the Utilization of Mixed-Oxide Fuel: Joint U.S./Russian Progress Report for Fiscal Year 1997, Volume 4, Part 7 - Homogeneous Mixtures of Polystyrene-Moderated Plutonium and Uranium Oxides
In the 1970s at the Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL), a series of critical experiments using a remotely operated Split-Table Machine was performed with homogeneous mixtures of (Pu-U)O{sub 2}-polystyrene fuels in the form of square compacts having different heights. With respect to Pu enrichments and moderation [H/(Pu+U) atomic] ratios (MR), four-different homogeneous (Pu-U)O{sub 2}-polystyrene mixtures were considered: (Mixture 1) 7.6 wt% Pu with 19.5 MR, (Mixture 2) 7.89 wt% Pu with 51.8 MR, (Mixture 3) 14.62 wt% Pu with 30.6 MR, and (Mixture 4) 30.0 wt% Pu with 47.4 MR. The Pu{sup 240} isotopic contents in Pu were 23 wt% for Mixture 1 and 8 wt% for Mixtures 2-4. In all mixtures, the uranium was depleted to about 0.151 wt% U{sup 235}. The critical geometric dimensions for both fully Plexiglas{trademark} reflected and unreflected configurations were reported for Mixture 3 and 4 experiments. The dimensions for Mixture 1 and 2 experiments were given for fully-reflected assemblies. This evaluation contains a total of 39 critical (fully reflected and bare) experimental configurations as well as 3 slab geometry critical dimensions.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Fissile Materials Disposition (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-96OR22464
- OSTI ID:
- 7207
- Report Number(s):
- ORNL/SUB/99-XSZ175V-2; TRN: US0101905
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 1 May 1999
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Neutronics Benchmarks for the Utilization of Mixed-Oxide Fuel: Joint U.S./ Russian Progress Report for Fiscal Year 1997, Volume 4, Part 8 - Neutron Poison Plates in Assemblies Containing Homogeneous Mixtures of Polystyrene-Moderated Plutonium and Uranium Oxides
Critical experiments with low-moderated homogeneous mixtures of plutonium and uranium oxides containing 8, 15, and 30 wt % plutonium