POWER TESTS WITH THE UO2-2 wt% PuO2 BATCH CORE IN THE PRTR.

Abstract

NORTHWEST PAUFlC lJORTHWEST LABORATURIES BNWL-1383 UC-80, R e a c t o rT e c h n o l o g y POWER TESTS WITH THE U02-2 w t % P u 0 2 BATCH CORE I N THE PRTP J . W . K u t c h e r a n d R . I . S m i t h R e a c t o r P h y s i c s D e p a r t m e n t May 1970BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE PACIFIC NORTHWEST LABORATORIES RICHLAND, WASHINGTON 99352 P r i n t e d i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s of America A v a i l a b l e from C l e a r i n g h o u s e f o r F e d e r a l S c i e n t i f i c and T e c h n i c a l I n f o r m a t i o n N a t i o n a l Bureau of S t a n d a r d s , U.S. Department of Commerce S p r i n g f i e l d , V i r g i n i a 22151 P r i c e : P r i n t e d Copy $ 3 . 0 0 ; M i c r o f i c h e $0.65 ABSTRACT As a p a r t of t h e BATCH CORE EXPERIMENT i n t h e Plutonium Recycle T e s t R e a c t o r (PRTR), a s e r i e s o f power t e s t s was conducted when t h e r e a c t o r l o a d i n g was completed, a t v a r i o u s powers up t o 60 Mi. These t e s t s were d e s i g n e d p r i m a r i l y t o v e r i f y p r e d i c t e d o p e r a t i o n a l c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f t h e PRTR w i t h t h e BATCH CORE l o a d i n g , b u t a l s o i n c l u d e d t h o s e p h y s i c s tests which r e q u i r e dpower o p e r a t i o n .The t e s t s i n c l u d e d f l u x t r a v e r s e s , o p e r a t i o n of t h e t r a v e l i n g f l u x w i r e system, t r a n s i e n t r e s p o n s e o f t h e r e a c t o r t o t h e a d d i t i o n and removal o f boron from t h e D 0 moderator, d e t e r m i n a t i o n o f r e a c t o r power, t e m p e r a t u r e 2 c o e f f i c i e n t s o f r e a c t i v i t y , k i n e t i c s p a r a m e t e r s , and t h e growth and decay of f i s s i o n p r o d u c t p o i s o n i n g . R e s u l t s of t h e s e t e s t s a r e p r e s e n t e d i n t h i s r e p o r t .

Plutonium Recycle Burnup Data and Results From the Batch Core Experiment.

“…These three apparently different burnup paths for the central rod, 6-rod and 12-rod ring locations may be due. in part.…”

“…22~3-u4(.190b-C~) . The major data sets for the central rod (<», 6-rod ri ng (x ) and 12-rod ring (0) locations in an assembly contain 5,6 and 18 data points respectively. An eyeball fit of these three sets of data in Figures 7 through 18 indicates that the three sets should be fitted separately for purposes of determining cross section ratios.…”

Status of Burnup Calculational Technology as Applied to the Nuclear Materials Safeguards Accounting System.

“…BmJL-1599 calculations based on these values gave obviously poor results until the source of the error was isolated and corrected. The long-term solution to this problem is better design on subsequent units (9,10,11). In another instance, a part of a control rod was unknowingly left in the reactor for several operatina weeks.…”