Criticality experiments with low enriched UO/sub 2/ fuel rods in water containing dissolved gadolinium
The results obtained in a criticality experiments program performed for British Nuclear Fuels, Ltd. (BNFL) under contract with the United States Department of Energy (USDOE) are presented in this report along with a complete description of the experiments. The experiments involved low enriched UO/sub 2/ and PuO/sub 2/-UO/sub 2/ fuel rods in water containing dissolved gadolinium, and are in direct support of BNFL plans to use soluble compounds of the neutron poison gadolinium as a primary criticality safeguard in the reprocessing of low enriched nuclear fuels. The experiments were designed primarily to provide data for validating a calculation method being developed for BNFL design and safety assessments, and to obtain data for the use of gadolinium as a neutron poison in nuclear chemical plant operations - particularly fuel dissolution. The experiments program covers a wide range of neutron moderation (near optimum to very under-moderated) and a wide range of gadolinium concentration (zero to about 2.5 g Gd/l). The measurements provide critical and subcritical k/sub eff/ data (1 greater than or equal to k/sub eff/ greater than or equal to 0.87) on fuel-water assemblies of UO/sub 2/ rods at two enrichments (2.35 wt % and 4.31 wt % /sup 235/U) and on mixed fuel-water assemblies of UO/sub 2/ and PuO/sub 2/-UO/sub 2/ rods containing 4.31 wt % /sup 235/U and 2 wt % PuO/sub 2/ in natural UO/sub 2/ respectively. Critical size of the lattices was determined with water containing no gadolinium and with water containing dissolved gadolinium nitrate. Pulsed neutron source measurements were performed to determine subcritical k/sub eff/ values as additional amounts of gadolinium were successively dissolved in the water of each critical assembly. Fission rate measurements in /sup 235/U using solid state track recorders were made in each of the three unpoisoned critical assemblies, and in the near-optimum moderated and the close-packed poisoned assemblies of this fuel.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 5319210
- Report Number(s):
- PNL-4976; ON: DE84007968
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions are illegible in microfiche products. Original copy available until stock is exhausted
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Criticality Experiments with Subcritical Clusters of 2.35 Wt% and 4.31 Wt% {sup 235}U Enriched UO{sub 2} Rods in Water with Steel Reflecting Walls
Related Subjects
FUEL REPROCESSING PLANTS
CRITICALITY
PLUTONIUM DIOXIDE
URANIUM DIOXIDE
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FISSION
GADOLINIUM
MIXED OXIDE FUELS
NEUTRON REACTIONS
NUCLEAR POISONS
REPROCESSING
SLIGHTLY ENRICHED URANIUM
SPENT FUELS
URANIUM 235
WATER
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ACTINIDES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BARYON REACTIONS
CHALCOGENIDES
DATA
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENRICHED URANIUM
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FUELS
HADRON REACTIONS
HEAVY NUCLEI
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPE ENRICHED MATERIALS
ISOTOPES
MATERIALS
METALS
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR FUELS
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
NUCLEI
NUCLEON REACTIONS
NUMERICAL DATA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM OXIDES
RADIOISOTOPES
RARE EARTHS
REACTOR MATERIALS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLID FUELS
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM ISOTOPES
URANIUM OXIDES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
050800* - Nuclear Fuels- Spent Fuels Reprocessing