Advanced energy system with nuclear reactors as an energy source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kato, Y.; Ishizuka, T.; Nikitin, K.

2007-01-01

About two-thirds of the energy generated in a light water reactors (LWRs) core is currently dissipated to the ocean as lukewarm water through steam condensers; more than half the energy in helium (He) gas turbine high temperature gas cooled reactors (HTGRs) is dissipated through pre-coolers and inter coolers. The new waste heat recovery system efficiently recovers the waste heat from reactors using boiling heat transfer of 20 degree C liquid carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) instead of conventional sea water as a cooling medium. The CO 2 gasified in the cooling process is used directly as a working fluid of mechanical heat pumps for hot water supply. In LWRs, the net energy utilization fraction to total heat generation in the core exceeds 85% through the waste heat recovery. This cogeneration system is about 2.5 times more effective than current systems in reducing global warming gas emissions and long half- life radioactive material accumulation. It also increases uranium resource utilization relative to current LWRs. In the HTGR cogeneration system, the waste heat is also useful for cold water supply by introducing an adsorption refrigeration system since the gas temperature is still as high as about 190 degree Celsius. When the heat recovery system is incorporated into the HTGR, the electricity to heat-supply ratio of the HTGR cogeneration system accommodates the demand ratio in cities well; it would be suited to dispersed energy sources. The heat supply cost is expected to be lower than those of conventional fossil-fired boilers beyond operation of about four years. The waste heat recovered is able to be utilized not only for local heat supply but also for methane and methanol production from waste products of cities and farms through high-temperature fermentation, e.g., garbage, waste wood and used paper that are produced in cities, along with excreta produced through farming. The methane and methanol can be used to generate hydrogen for fuel cells. The new waste heat

Sources of gamma radiation in a reactor core

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roos, Matts

1959-05-15

In a thermal reactor the gamma ray sources of importance for shielding calculations and related aspects are 1) fission, 2) decay of fission products, 3) capture processes in fuel, poison and other materials, 4) inelastic scattering in the fuel and 5) decay of capture products. The energy release and the gamma ray spectra of these sources have been compiled or estimated from the latest information available, and the results are presented in a general way to permit application to any thermal reactor, fueled with a mixture of {sup 235}U and {sup 238}U. As an example the total spectrum and the spectrum of radiation escaping from a fuel rod in the Swedish R3-reactor are presented.

Reactor cold neutron source facility, the first in Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Utsuro, Masahiko; Maeda, Yutaka; Kawai, Takeshi; Tashiro, Tameyoshi; Sakakibara, Shoji; Katada, Minoru.

1986-01-01

In the Research Reactor Institute, Kyoto University, the first cold neutron source facility for the reactor in Japan was installed, and various tests are carried out outside the reactor. Nippon Sanso K.K. had manufactured it. After the prescribed tests outside the reactor, this facility will be installed soon in the reactor, and its outline is described on this occasion. Cold neutrons are those having very small energy by being cooled to about-250 deg C. Since the wavelength of the material waves of cold neutrons is long, and their energy is small, they are very advantageous as an experimental means for clarifying the structure of living body molecules and polymers, the atom configuration in alloys, and atomic and molecular movements by neutron scattering and neutron diffraction. The basic principle of the cold neutron source facility is to irradiate thermal neutrons on a cold moderator kept around 20 K, and to moderate and cool the neutrons by nuclear scattering to convert to cold neutrons. The preparatory research on cold neutrons and hydrogen liquefaction, the basic design to put the cold neutron source facility in the graphite moderator facility, the safety countermeasures, the manufacture and quality control, the operation outside the reactor and the performance are reported. The cold neutron source facility comprises a cold moderator tank and other main parts, a deuterium gas tank, a helium refrigerator and instrumentation. (Kako, I.)

An advanced liquid hydrogen cold source for the NIST research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, R.E.; Kopetka, P.; Rowe, J.M.

1999-01-01

A second-generation liquid hydrogen cold neutron source is currently being fabricated and will be installed in the NIST reactor early next year. The existing source has operated very successfully over the last four years, providing a six-fold increase in the cold neutron yield compared to the previous heavy ice source. The design of the new source is based on our operating experience with the existing LH 2 source and extensive neutron transport calculations using improved MCNP modeling and computational capabilities. Enhanced mechanical design and manufacturing tools are exploited in the fabrication of the advanced source, which is expected to nearly double the yield of the existing LH 2 source. (author)

An improvement of source-jerk method for measuring high anti reactivities of reactor system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bosevski, T; Spiric, V [Institut za nuklearne nauke ' Boris Kidric' , Vinca, Belgrade (Yugoslavia)

1966-07-01

In this paper we modified the well known source jerk method (1) thus obtaining a method for experimental determination of negative reactivities of reactor systems by which, based on the basic idea of the source jerk method, a new experimental procedure and an exact analysis were developed. The analysis and numerical preparation allows direct application of the method to heavy water and graphite systems. Compared with the source jerk method the experimental procedure and the interpretation of results is faster, simpler and more exact (author)

Combustion flame-plasma hybrid reactor systems, and chemical reactant sources

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, Peter C

2013-11-26

Combustion flame-plasma hybrid reactor systems, chemical reactant sources, and related methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, a combustion flame-plasma hybrid reactor system comprising a reaction chamber, a combustion torch positioned to direct a flame into the reaction chamber, and one or more reactant feed assemblies configured to electrically energize at least one electrically conductive solid reactant structure to form a plasma and feed each electrically conductive solid reactant structure into the plasma to form at least one product is disclosed. In an additional embodiment, a chemical reactant source for a combustion flame-plasma hybrid reactor comprising an elongated electrically conductive reactant structure consisting essentially of at least one chemical reactant is disclosed. In further embodiments, methods of forming a chemical reactant source and methods of chemically converting at least one reactant into at least one product are disclosed.

Aerosol behavior and light water reactor source terms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abbey, F.; Schikarski, W.O.

1988-01-01

The major developments in nuclear aerosol modeling following the accident to pressurized water reactor Unit 2 at Three Mile Island are briefly reviewed and the state of the art summarized. The importance and implications of these developments for severe accident source terms for light water reactors are then discussed in general terms. The treatment is not aimed at identifying specific source term values but is intended rather to illustrate trends, to assess the adequacy of the understanding of major aspects of aerosol behavior for source term prediction, and demonstrate in qualitative terms the effect of various aspects of reactor design. Areas where improved understanding of aerosol behavior might lead to further reductions in current source terms predictions are also considered

Dynamic modeling of the advanced neutron source reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

March-Leuba, J.; Ibn-Khayat, M.

1990-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to provide a summary description and some applications of a computer model that has been developed to simulate the dynamic behavior of the advanced neutron source (ANS) reactor. The ANS dynamic model is coded in the advanced continuous simulation language (ACSL), and it represents the reactor core, vessel, primary cooling system, and secondary cooling systems. The use of a simple dynamic model in the early stages of the reactor design has proven very valuable not only in the development of the control and plant protection system but also of components such as pumps and heat exchangers that are usually sized based on steady-state calculations

Pulsed TRIGA reactor as substitute for long pulse spallation neutron source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whittemore, W.L.

1999-01-01

TRIGA reactor cores have been used to demonstrate various pulsing applications. The TRIGA reactor fuel (U-ZrH x ) is very robust especially in pulsing applications. The features required to produce 50 pulses per second have been successfully demonstrated individually, including pulse tests with small diameter fuel rods. A partially optimized core has been evaluated for pulses at 50 Hz with peak pulsed power up to 100 MW and an average power up to 10 MW. Depending on the design, the full width at half power of the individual pulses can range between 2000 μsec to 3000 μsec. Until recently, the relatively long pulses (2000 μsec to 3000 μsec) from a pulsed thermal reactor or a long pulse spallation source (LPSS) have been considered unsuitable for time-of-flight measurements of neutron scattering. More recently considerable attention has been devoted to evaluating the performance of long pulse (1000 to 4000 μs) spallation sources for the same type of neutron measurements originally performed only with short pulses from spallation sources (SPSS). Adequate information is available to permit meaningful comparisons between CW, SPSS, and LPSS neutron sources. Except where extremely high resolution is required (fraction of a percent), which does require short pulses, it is demonstrated that the LPSS source with a 1000 msec or longer pulse length and a repetition rate of 50 to 60 Hz gives results comparable to those from the 60 MW ILL (CW) source. For many of these applications the shorter pulse is not necessarily a disadvantage, but it is not an advantage over the long pulse system. In one study, the conclusion is that a 5 MW 2000 μsec LPSS source improves the capability for structural biology studies of macromolecules by at least a factor of 5 over that achievable with a high flux reactor. Recent studies have identified the advantages and usefulness of long pulse neutron sources. It is evident that the multiple pulse TRIGA reactor can produce pulses comparable to

Home brew technetium : clinical scale desktop plasma fusion neutron source to produce Tc99m as an alternative to industrial scale fission reactor sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bosi, S.G.; Khachan, J.; Oborn, B.M.

2011-01-01

Full text: Tc-99m (decay product of Mo-99) accounts for ∼ 90% of world's production of radiopharmaceuticals. Recent unexpected shutdowns of two fission reactors and routine maintenance closures .e created a global shortage of Tc-99m, hence the large global effort to find alternative sources. This project aims to design and produce a novel prototype Mo-99/Tc-99m source. An operational desktop neutron source is available at the University of Sydney, employing a deuterium fusion-plasma to create 2.45 MeV neutrons. These neutrons will be used to activate Mo-98 thin an activation vessel. In one embodiment, the activation vessel contains an aqueous slurry or gel containing Mo-98 which converts to 0-99 upon activation. The decay product Tc-99m could then be milked, similar to existing Tc-99m generators. Monte Carlo will be :ed to assess yield versus size and geometry for various vessel designs. The neutron source filled with deuterium operating at 250 W, produces 3 x 106 neutrons continuously. The neutron flux can be increased ∼ 100-fold if the fill gas is 50% tritium and by another ∼ 100-1000-fold by increasing the power. This is being designed for local use, perhaps on the scale f one or a few hospitals, so the yield would not need to be industrial ;ale as with fission reactor sources. This device is low cost <$300 K) compared with cyclotrons and fission reactors.

The use of neutron sources in nuclear reactors start-up after long shutdown periods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ponzoni Filho, P.; Borges, J.B.

1990-01-01

The reasons for the use of neutron sources in nuclear reactors, the different kinds of sources used and the alternatives to obtain the required minimum neutron counts in the external source range detectors after long maintenance and refueling periods are presented and discussed. The paper presents a formulation based in physics principles and experimental data, to calculate the power and time of reactor operation required to increase the effective fluence of secondary neutron sources. The option of using actinides produced during operation of the reactor as an additional source of neutrons is also discussed in depth to allow similar calculations in other kinds of reactors. The re-utilization of primary sources is considered as a last option. (author)

Sources of radioiodine at pressurized water reactors. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pelletier, C.A.; Cline, J.E.; Barefoot, E.D.; Hemphill, R.T.; Voilleque, P.G.; Emel, W.A.

1978-11-01

The report determines specific components and operations at operating pressurized water reactors that have a potential for being significant emission sources of radioactive iodine. The relative magnitudes of these specific sources in terms of the chemical forms of the radioiodine and the resultant annual averages from major components are established. The data are generalized for broad industry use for predictive purposes. The conclusions of this study indicate that the majority of radioiodine emanating from the primary side of pressurized water reactors comes from a few major areas; in some cases these sources are locally treatable; the interaction of radioiodine with plant interior surfaces is an important phenomenon mediating the source and affecting its release to the atmosphere; the chemical form varies depending on the circumstances of the release

Development of an asymmetric multiple-position neutron source (AMPNS) method to monitor the criticality of a degraded reactor core

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, S.S.; Levine, S.H.

1985-01-01

An analytical/experimental method has been developed to monitor the subcritical reactivity and unfold the k/sub infinity/ distribution of a degraded reactor core. The method uses several fixed neutron detectors and a Cf-252 neutron source placed sequentially in multiple positions in the core. Therefore, it is called the Asymmetric Multiple Position Neutron Source (AMPNS) method. The AMPNS method employs nucleonic codes to analyze the neutron multiplication of a Cf-252 neutron source. An optimization program, GPM, is utilized to unfold the k/sub infinity/ distribution of the degraded core, in which the desired performance measure minimizes the error between the calculated and the measured count rates of the degraded reactor core. The analytical/experimental approach is validated by performing experiments using the Penn State Breazeale TRIGA Reactor (PSBR). A significant result of this study is that it provides a method to monitor the criticality of a damaged core during the recovery period

Recent activities of the international Group on Research Reactors (IGORR) and of the Advanced Neutron Source (ANS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

West, C.D.

1992-01-01

The International Group on Research Reactors (IGORR) was formed in 1990 to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and experience among those institutions and individuals who are actively working to design, build, and promote new research reactors or to make significant upgrades to existing facilities. The Advanced Neutron Source Project expects to complete conceptual design in mid-1992. In the present design concept, the neutron source is a heavy-water-cooled, moderated, and reflected reactor of about 350 MW(f) power. (author)

Research reactors - an overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

West, C.D.

1997-01-01

A broad overview of different types of research and type reactors is provided in this paper. Reactor designs and operating conditions are briefly described for four reactors. The reactor types described include swimming pool reactors, the High Flux Isotope Reactor, the Mark I TRIGA reactor, and the Advanced Neutron Source reactor. Emphasis in the descriptions is placed on safety-related features of the reactors. 7 refs., 7 figs., 2 tabs

Method of judging leak sources in a reactor container

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maeda, Katsuji.

1984-01-01

Purpose: To enable exact judgement for leak sources upon leak accident in a reactor container of BWR type power plants as to whether the sources are present in the steam system or coolant system. Method: If leak is resulted from the main steam system, the hydrogen density in the reactor container is about 170 times as high as the same amount of leak from the reactor water. Accordingly, it can be judged whether the leak source is present in the steam system or reactor water system based on the change in the indication of hydrogen densitometer within the reactor container, and the indication from the drain amount from the sump in the container or the indication of a drain flow meter in the container dehumidifier. Further, I-131, Na-24 and the like as the radioactive nucleides in sump water of the container are measured to determine the density ratio R = (I-131)/(Na-24), and it is judged that the leak is resulted in nuclear water if the density ratio R is equal to that of reactor water and that the leak is resulted from the main steam or like other steam system if the density ratio R is higher than by about 100 times than that of reactor water. (Horiuchi, T.)

Nuclear heat source component design considerations for HTGR process heat reactor plant concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDonald, C.F.; Kapich, D.; King, J.H.; Venkatesh, M.C.

1982-05-01

The coupling of a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) and a chemical process facility has the potential for long-term synthetic fuel production (i.e., oil, gasoline, aviation fuel, hydrogen, etc) using coal as the carbon source. Studies are in progress to exploit the high-temperature capability of an advanced HTGR variant for nuclear process heat. The process heat plant discussed in this paper has a 1170-MW(t) reactor as the heat source and the concept is based on indirect reforming, i.e., the high-temperature nuclear thermal energy is transported [via an intermediate heat exchanger (IHX)] to the externally located process plant by a secondary helium transport loop. Emphasis is placed on design considerations for the major nuclear heat source (NHS) components, and discussions are presented for the reactor core, prestressed concrete reactor vessel (PCRV), rotating machinery, and heat exchangers

A small-scale modular reactor for electric source for remote places

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2002-01-01

Use of a small-scale modular reactor (SMR) as an electric source for remote places is one of scenarios for actual use of SMR parallel to alternative source of present nuclear power stations and co-generation source at urban suburbs, there is not only an actual experience to construct and operate for power source for military use in U.S.A. on 1950s to 1960s, but also four nuclear reactors (LWGR, 12 MW) in Vilyvino Nuclear Power Station in far northern district in Russia are under operation. Recently, Department of Energy in U.S.A. prepared the 'Report to Congress on Small Modular Nuclear Reactors' evaluating on feasibility of SMR as a power source for remote places according to requirement of the Congress. This report evaluated a feasibility study on nine SMRs in the world with 10 to 50 MW of output as electric source for remote places on economical efficiency and so on, together with analysis of their design concepts, to conclude that 'they could perform beginning of operations on 2000s because of no large technical problems and keeping a level capable of competing with power generation cost at remote place on its present economical efficiency'. Here was introduced on outlines of this report. (G.K.)

Solar energy as an alternate energy source to mixed oxide fuels in light-water cooled reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bertini, H.W.

1977-01-01

Supplemental information pertaining to the generic environmental impact statement on the Pu recycling process for mixed oxide light-water cooled reactors (GESMO) was requested from several sources. In particular, the role of alternate sources of energy was to be explored and the implications of these alternate sources to the question of Pu recycle in LWRs were to be investigated. In this vein, solar energy as an alternate source is the main subject of this report, along with other information related to solar energy. The general conclusion is that solar energy should have little effect on the decisions concerning GESMO

Revised reactor accident source terms in the U.S. and implementation for light water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soffer, L.; Lee, J.Y.

1992-01-01

Current NRC reactor accident source terms used for licensing are contained in Regulatory Guides 1.3 and 1.4 and specify that 100 % of the core inventory of noble gases and 25 % of the iodine fission products are assumed to be instantaneously available for release from the containment. The chemical form of the iodine fission products is also assumed to be predominantly elemental (I 2 ) iodine. These assumptions have strongly affected present nuclear plant designs. Severe accident research results have confirmed that although the current source term is very substantial and has resulted in a very high level of plant capability, the present source term is no longer compatible with a realistic understanding of severe accidents. The NRC has issued a proposed revision of the reactor accident source terms as part of several regulatory activities to incorporate severe accident insights for future plants. A revision to 10 CFR 100 is also being proposed to specify site criteria directly and to eliminate source terms and doses for site evaluation. Reactor source terms will continue to be important in evaluating plant designs. Although intended primarily for future plants, existing and evolutionary power plants may voluntarily apply revised accident source term insights as well in licensing. The proposed revised accident source terms are presented in terms of fission product composition, magnitude, timing and iodine chemical form. Some implications for light water reactors are discussed. (author)

Source term determination from subcritical multiplication measurements at Koral-1 reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blazquez, J.B.; Barrado, J.M.

1978-01-01

By using an AmBe neutron source two independent procedures have been settled for the zero-power experimental fast-reactor Coral-1 in order to measure the source term which appears in the point kinetical equations. In the first one, the source term is measured when the reactor is just critical with source by taking advantage of the wide range of the linear approach to critical for Coral-1. In the second one, the measurement is made in subcritical state by making use of the previous calibrated control rods. Several applications are also included such as the measurement of the detector dead time, the determinations of the reactivity of small samples and the shape of the neutron importance of the source. (author)

Nuclear heat source component design considerations for HTGR process heat reactor plant concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDonald, C.F.; Kapich, D.; King, J.H.; Venkatesh, M.C.

1982-01-01

Using alternate energy sources abundant in the U.S.A. to help curb foreign oil imports is vitally important from both national security and economic standpoints. Perhaps the most forwardlooking opportunity to realize national energy goals involves the integrated use of two energy sources that have an established technology base in the U.S.A., namely nuclear energy and coal. The coupling of a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) and a chemical process facility has the potential for long-term synthetic fuel production (i.e., oil, gasoline, aviation fuel, hydrogen, etc.) using coal as the carbon source. Studies are in progress to exploit the high-temperature capability of an advanced HTGR variant for nuclear process heat. The process heat plant discussed in this paper has a 1170-MW(t) reactor as the heat source and the concept is based on indirect reforming, i.e., the high-temperature nuclear thermal energy is transported (via an intermediate heat exchanger (IHX)) to the externally located process plant by a secondary helium transport loop. Emphasis is placed on design considerations for the major nuclear heat source (NHS) components, and discussions are presented for the reactor core, prestressed concrete reactor vessel (PCRV), rotating machinery, and heat exchangers

Regulatory Technology Development Plan - Sodium Fast Reactor: Mechanistic Source Term - Trial Calculation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grabaskas, David

2016-01-01

The potential release of radioactive material during a plant incident, referred to as the source term, is a vital design metric and will be a major focus of advanced reactor licensing. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has stated an expectation for advanced reactor vendors to present a mechanistic assessment of the potential source term in their license applications. The mechanistic source term presents an opportunity for vendors to realistically assess the radiological consequences of an incident, and may allow reduced emergency planning zones and smaller plant sites. However, the development of a mechanistic source term for advanced reactors is not without challenges, as there are often numerous phenomena impacting the transportation and retention of radionuclides. This project sought to evaluate U.S. capabilities regarding the mechanistic assessment of radionuclide release from core damage incidents at metal fueled, pool-type sodium fast reactors (SFRs). The purpose of the analysis was to identify, and prioritize, any gaps regarding computational tools or data necessary for the modeling of radionuclide transport and retention phenomena. To accomplish this task, a parallel-path analysis approach was utilized. One path, led by Argonne and Sandia National Laboratories, sought to perform a mechanistic source term assessment using available codes, data, and models, with the goal to identify gaps in the current knowledge base. The second path, performed by an independent contractor, performed sensitivity analyses to determine the importance of particular radionuclides and transport phenomena in regards to offsite consequences. The results of the two pathways were combined to prioritize gaps in current capabilities.

Preliminary design concepts for the advanced neutron source reactor systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peretz, F.J.

1988-01-01

This paper describes the initial design work to develop the reactor systems hardware concepts for the advanced neutron source (ANS) reactor. This project has not yet entered the conceptual design phase; thus, design efforts are quite preliminary. This paper presents the collective work of members of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., Engineering Division, and other participating organizations. The primary purpose of this effort is to show that the ANS reactor concept is realistic from a hardware standpoint and to show that project objectives can be met. It also serves to generate physical models for use in neutronic and thermal-hydraulic core design efforts and defines the constraints and objectives for the design. Finally, this effort will develop the criteria for use in the conceptual design of the reactor

Source driven breeding thermal power reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greenspan, E.; Schneider, A.; Misulovin, A.; Gilai, D.; Levin, P.; Ben-Gurion Univ. of the Negev, Beersheba

1978-03-01

Improvements in the performance of fission power reactors made possible by designing them subcritical driven by D-T neutron sources are investigated. Light-water thermal systems are found to be most promising, neutronically and energetically, for the source driven mode of operation. The range of performance characteristics expected from breeding Light Water Hybrid Reactors (LWHR) is defined. Several promising types of LWHR blankets are identified. Options opened for the nuclear energy strategy by four types of the LWHRs are examined, and the potential contribution of these LWHRs to the nuclear energy economy are discussed. The power systems based on these LWHRs are found to enable a high utilization of the energy content of the uranium resources in all forms available - including depleted uranium and spent fuel from LWRs, while being free from the need for uranium enrichment and plutonium separation capabilities. (author)

Characterization of noise sources in nuclear power reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andhill, Gustav

2004-03-01

Algorithms for unfolding noise sources in nuclear power reactors are investigated. No preliminary knowledge of the functional form of the space dependence is assumed in contrast to the usual methods. The advantage of this is that the algorithms can be applied to various noise sources and the results can be interpreted without expert knowledge. The results can therefore be directly displayed to the plant operators. The precision will however be lower than that of the traditional methods because of the arbitrariness in the type of the noise source. Two different reactor models are studied. First a simple one-dimensional and homogeneous core is considered. Three methods for finding the noise source from the measured flux noise are investigated here. The first one is based on the inversion of an appropriate pre-calculated noise source-to-measured induced neutron noise transfer function. The second one relies on the use of the measured neutron noise as the solution of the equations giving the neutron noise induced by a given noise source. The advantage of this second method is that the noise source can be determined directly, i.e., without any Inversion of a transfer function. The second method is thus called the direct method. The last method is based on a reconstruction of the noise source by spatial Fourier expansion. The two latter techniques are found usable for different locations of the actual noise source in the 1D core. They are therefore tried on more sophisticated two-dimensional models of cores. The direct method is able both to determine the nature of the noise source and its location in 2D

Characterization of noise sources in nuclear power reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andhill, Gustav

2004-03-01

Algorithms for unfolding noise sources in nuclear power reactors are investigated. No preliminary knowledge of the functional form of the space dependence is assumed in contrast to the usual methods. The advantage of this is that the algorithms can be applied to various noise sources and the results can be interpreted without expert knowledge. The results can therefore be directly displayed to the plant operators. The precision will however be lower than that of the traditional methods because of the arbitrariness in the type of the noise source. Two different reactor models are studied. First a simple one-dimensional and homogeneous core is considered. Three methods for finding the noise source from the measured flux noise are investigated here. The first one is based on the inversion of an appropriate pre-calculated noise source-to-measured induced neutron noise transfer function. The second one relies on the use of the measured neutron noise as the solution of the equations giving the neutron noise induced by a given noise source. The advantage of this second method is that the noise source can be determined directly, i.e., without any Inversion of a transfer function. The second method is thus called the direct method. The last method is based on a reconstruction of the noise source by spatial Fourier expansion. The two latter techniques are found usable for different locations of the actual noise source in the 1D core. They are therefore tried on more sophisticated two-dimensional models of cores. The direct method is able both to determine the nature of the noise source and its location in 2D.

TOF powder diffractometer on a reactor source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bleif, H.J.; Wechsler, D.; Mezei, F.

1999-01-01

Complete text of publication follows. The performance of time-of-flight (TOF) methods on Long Pulse Spallation Sources can be studied at a reactor source. For this purpose a prototype TOF monochromator instrument will be installed at the KFKI reactor in Budapest. The initial setup will be a powder diffractometer with a resolution of δd/d down to 2 x 10 -3 at a wavelength of 1 A. The instrument uses choppers to produce neutron pulses of down to 10 μs FWHM. The optimal neutron source for a chopper instrument is a Long Pulse Spallation Source, but even on a continuous source simulations have shown that this instrument outperforms a conventional crystal monochromator powder diffractometer at high resolution. The main components of the TOF instrument are one double chopper defining the time resolution and two single choppers to select the wavelength range and to prevent frame overlap. For inelastic experiments a further chopper can be added in front of the sample. The neutron guide has a super-mirror coating and a curvature of 3500m. The total flight path is 20m and there are 24 single detectors in backscattering geometry. (author)

The advanced neutron source - A world-class research reactor facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thompson, P.B.; Meek, W.E.

1993-01-01

The advanced neutron source (ANS) is a new facility being designed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory that is based on a heavy-water-moderated reactor and extensive experiment and user-support facilities. The primary purpose of the ANS is to provide world-class facilities for neutron scattering research, isotope production, and materials irradiation in the United States. The neutrons provided by the reactor will be thermalized to produce sources of hot, thermal, cold, very cold, and ultracold neutrons usable at the experiment stations. Beams of cold neutrons will be directed into a large guide hall using neutron guide technology, greatly enhancing the number of research stations possible in the project. Fundamental and nuclear physics, materials analysis, and other research pro- grams will share the neutron beam facilities. Sufficient laboratory and office space will be provided to create an effective user-oriented environment

Regulatory Technology Development Plan - Sodium Fast Reactor: Mechanistic Source Term – Trial Calculation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grabaskas, David [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Nuclear Engineering Division; Bucknor, Matthew [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Nuclear Engineering Division; Jerden, James [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Nuclear Engineering Division; Brunett, Acacia J. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Nuclear Engineering Division; Denman, Matthew [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Nuclear Engineering Division; Clark, Andrew [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Nuclear Engineering Division; Denning, Richard S. [Consultant, Columbus, OH (United States)

2016-10-01

The potential release of radioactive material during a plant incident, referred to as the source term, is a vital design metric and will be a major focus of advanced reactor licensing. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has stated an expectation for advanced reactor vendors to present a mechanistic assessment of the potential source term in their license applications. The mechanistic source term presents an opportunity for vendors to realistically assess the radiological consequences of an incident, and may allow reduced emergency planning zones and smaller plant sites. However, the development of a mechanistic source term for advanced reactors is not without challenges, as there are often numerous phenomena impacting the transportation and retention of radionuclides. This project sought to evaluate U.S. capabilities regarding the mechanistic assessment of radionuclide release from core damage incidents at metal fueled, pool-type sodium fast reactors (SFRs). The purpose of the analysis was to identify, and prioritize, any gaps regarding computational tools or data necessary for the modeling of radionuclide transport and retention phenomena. To accomplish this task, a parallel-path analysis approach was utilized. One path, led by Argonne and Sandia National Laboratories, sought to perform a mechanistic source term assessment using available codes, data, and models, with the goal to identify gaps in the current knowledge base. The second path, performed by an independent contractor, performed sensitivity analyses to determine the importance of particular radionuclides and transport phenomena in regards to offsite consequences. The results of the two pathways were combined to prioritize gaps in current capabilities.

Revised accident source terms for light-water reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soffer, L. [Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States)

1995-02-01

This paper presents revised accident source terms for light-water reactors incorporating the severe accident research insights gained in this area over the last 15 years. Current LWR reactor accident source terms used for licensing date from 1962 and are contained in Regulatory Guides 1.3 and 1.4. These specify that 100% of the core inventory of noble gases and 25% of the iodine fission products are assumed to be instantaneously available for release from the containment. The chemical form of the iodine fission products is also assumed to be predominantly elemental iodine. These assumptions have strongly affected present nuclear air cleaning requirements by emphasizing rapid actuation of spray systems and filtration systems optimized to retain elemental iodine. A proposed revision of reactor accident source terms and some im implications for nuclear air cleaning requirements was presented at the 22nd DOE/NRC Nuclear Air Cleaning Conference. A draft report was issued by the NRC for comment in July 1992. Extensive comments were received, with the most significant comments involving (a) release fractions for both volatile and non-volatile species in the early in-vessel release phase, (b) gap release fractions of the noble gases, iodine and cesium, and (c) the timing and duration for the release phases. The final source term report is expected to be issued in late 1994. Although the revised source terms are intended primarily for future plants, current nuclear power plants may request use of revised accident source term insights as well in licensing. This paper emphasizes additional information obtained since the 22nd Conference, including studies on fission product removal mechanisms, results obtained from improved severe accident code calculations and resolution of major comments, and their impact upon the revised accident source terms. Revised accident source terms for both BWRS and PWRS are presented.

ANSL-V: ENDF/B-V based multigroup cross-section libraries for Advanced Neutron Source (ANS) reactor studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ford, W.E. III; Arwood, J.W.; Greene, N.M.; Petrie, L.M.; Primm, R.T. III; Waddell, M.W.; Webster, C.C.; Westfall, R.M.; Wright, R.Q.

1987-01-01

Multigroup P3 neutron, P0-P3 secondary gamma ray production (SGRP), and P6 gamma ray interaction (GRI) cross section libraries have been generated to support design work on the Advanced Neutron Source (ANS) reactor. The libraries, designated ANSL-V (Advanced Neutron Source Cross-Section Libraries), are data bases in a format suitable for subsequent generation of problem dependent cross sections. The ANSL-V libraries are available on magnetic tape from the Radiation Shielding Information Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

The Chernobyl reactor accident source term: development of a consensus view

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devell, L.; Guntay, S.; Powers, D.A.

1995-11-01

Ten years after the reactor accident at Chernobyl, a great deal more data is available concerning the events, phenomena, and processes that took place. The purpose of this document is to examine what is known about the radioactive materials released during the accident, a task that is substantially more difficult than it might first appear to be. The Chernobyl station, like other nuclear power plants, was not instrumented to characterize a disastrous accident. The accident was peculiar in the sense that radioactive materials were released, at least initially, in an exceptionally energetic plume and were transported far from the reactor site. Release of radioactivity from the plant continued for several days. Characterization of the contamination caused by the releases of radioactivity has had a much lower priority than remediation of the contamination. Consequently, an assessment of the Chernobyl accident source term must rely to a significant extent on inferential evidence. The assessment presented here begins with an examination of the core inventories of radioactive materials. In subsequent sections of the report, the magnitude and timing of the releases of radioactivity are described. Then, the composition, chemical forms, and physical forms of the releases are discussed. A number of more recent publications and results from scientists in Russia and elsewhere have significantly improved the understanding of the Chernobyl source term. Because of the special features of the reactor design and the peculiarities of the Chernobyl accident, the source term for the Chernobyl accident is of limited applicability to the safety analysis of other types of reactors

Ultracold neutron source at the PULSTAR reactor: Engineering design and cryogenic testing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Korobkina, E., E-mail: ekorobk@ncsu.edu [Department of Nuclear Engineering, North Carolina State University, 2500 Stinson Drive, Box 7909, Raleigh, NC 27695 (United States); Medlin, G. [Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, 2401 Stinson Drive, Box 8202, Raleigh, NC 27695 (United States); Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory, 116 Science Drive, Box 90308, Durham, NC 27708 (United States); Wehring, B.; Hawari, A.I. [Department of Nuclear Engineering, North Carolina State University, 2500 Stinson Drive, Box 7909, Raleigh, NC 27695 (United States); Huffman, P.R.; Young, A.R. [Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, 2401 Stinson Drive, Box 8202, Raleigh, NC 27695 (United States); Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory, 116 Science Drive, Box 90308, Durham, NC 27708 (United States); Beaumont, B. [Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, 2401 Stinson Drive, Box 8202, Raleigh, NC 27695 (United States); Palmquist, G. [Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, 2401 Stinson Drive, Box 8202, Raleigh, NC 27695 (United States); Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory, 116 Science Drive, Box 90308, Durham, NC 27708 (United States)

2014-12-11

Construction is completed and commissioning is in progress for an ultracold neutron (UCN) source at the PULSTAR reactor on the campus of North Carolina State University. The source utilizes two stages of neutron moderation, one in heavy water at room temperature and the other in solid methane at ∼40K, followed by a converter stage, solid deuterium at 5 K, that allows a single down scattering of cold neutrons to provide UCN. The UCN source rolls into the thermal column enclosure of the PULSTAR reactor, where neutrons will be delivered from a bare face of the reactor core by streaming through a graphite-lined assembly. The source infrastructure, i.e., graphite-lined assembly, heavy-water system, gas handling system, and helium liquefier cooling system, has been tested and all systems operate as predicted. The research program being considered for the PULSTAR UCN source includes the physics of UCN production, fundamental particle physics, and material surface studies of nanolayers containing hydrogen. In the present paper we report details of the engineering and cryogenic design of the facility as well as results of critical commissioning tests without neutrons.

Source-to-incident flux relation for a tokamak fusion test reactor blanket module

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Imel, G.R.

1982-01-01

The source-to-incident 14-MeV flux relation for a blanket module on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor is derived. It is shown that assumptions can be made that allow an analytical expression to be derived, using point kernel methods. In addition, the effect of a nonuniform source distribution is derived, again by relatively simple point kernel methods. It is thought that the methodology developed is valid for a variety of blanket modules on tokamak reactors

Fabrication development for the Advanced Neutron Source Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pace, B.W.; Copeland, G.L.

1995-08-01

This report presents the fuel fabrication development for the Advanced Neutron Source (ANS) reactor. The fuel element is similar to that successfully fabricated and used in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) for many years, but there are two significant differences that require some development. The fuel compound is U 3 Si 2 rather than U 3 O 8 , and the fuel is graded in the axial as well as the radial direction. Both of these changes can be accomplished with a straightforward extension of the HFIR technology. The ANS also requires some improvements in inspection technology and somewhat more stringent acceptance criteria. Early indications were that the fuel fabrication and inspection technology would produce a reactor core meeting the requirements of the ANS for the low volume fraction loadings needed for the highly enriched uranium design (up to 1.7 Mg U/m 3 ). Near the end of the development work, higher volume fractions were fabricated that would be required for a lower- enrichment uranium core. Again, results look encouraging for loadings up to ∼3.5 Mg U/m 3 ; however, much less evaluation was done for the higher loadings

Optimizing a three-element core design for the Advanced Neutron Source Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

West, C.D.

1995-01-01

Source of neutrons in the proposed Advanced Neutron Source facility is a multipurpose research reactor providing 5-10 times the flux, for neutron beams, of the best existing facilities. Baseline design for the reactor core, based on the ''no new inventions'' rule, was an assembly of two annular fuel elements similar to those used in the Oak Ridge and Grenoble high flux reactors, containing highly enriched U silicide particles. DOE commissioned a study of the use of medium- or low-enriched U; a three-element core design was studied as a means to provide extra volume to accommodate the additional U compound required when the fissionable 235 U has to be diluted with 238 U to reduce the enrichment. This paper describes the design and optimization of that three-element core

Power Burst Reactor Facility as an epithermal neutron source for brain cancer therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wheeler, F.J.

1986-01-01

The Power Burst Facility (PBF) reactor is considered for modification to provide an intense, clean source of intermediate-energy (epithermal) neutrons desirable for clinical studies of neutron capture therapy (NCT) for malignant tumors. The modifications include partial replacement of the reflector, installation of a neutron-moderating, shifting region, additional shielding, and penetration of the present concrete shield with a collimating (and optionally) filtering region. The studies have indicated that the reactor, after these modifications, will be safely operable at full power (28 MW) within the acceptable limits of the plant protection systems. The neutron beam exiting from the collimator port is predicted to be of sufficient intensity (approx.10 10 neutrons/cm 2 -s) to provide therapeutic doses in very short irradiation times. The beam would be relatively free of undesirable fast neutrons, thermal neutrons and gamma rays. The calculated neutron energy spectrum and associated gamma rays in the beam were provided as input in simulation studies that used a computer model of a patient with a brain tumor to determine predicted dose rates to the tumor and healthy tissue. The results of this conceptual study indicate an intense, clean beam of epithermal neutrons for NCT clinical trials is attainable in the PBF facility with properly engineered design modifications. 9 refs., 11 figs., 3 tabs

Investigating The Integral Control Rod Worth Of The Miniature Neutron Source Reactor MNSR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen Hoang Hai; Do Quang Binh

2011-01-01

Determining control rod characteristics is an essential problem of nuclear reactor analysis. In this research, the integral control rod worth of the miniature neutron source reactor MNSR is investigated. Some other parameters of the nuclear reactor, such as core excess reactivity, shut down margin, are also calculated. Group constants for all reactor components are generated by the WIMSD code and then are used in the CITATION code to solve the neutron diffusion equations. The maximum relative error of the calculated results compared with the measurement data is about 3.5%. (author)

Localization of Vibrating Noise Sources in Nuclear Reactor Cores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hultqvist, Pontus

2004-09-01

In this thesis the possibility of locating vibrating noise sources in a nuclear reactor core from the neutron noise has been investigated using different localization methods. The influence of the vibrating noise source has been considered to be a small perturbation of the neutron flux inside the reactor. Linear perturbation theory has been used to construct the theoretical framework upon which the localization methods are based. Two different cases have been considered: one where a one-dimensional one-group model has been used and another where a two-dimensional two-energy group noise simulator has been used. In the first case only one localization method is able to determine the position with good accuracy. This localization method is based on finding roots of an equation and is sensitive to other perturbations of the neutron flux. It will therefore work better with the assistance of approximative methods that reconstruct the noise source to determine if the results are reliable or not. In the two-dimensional case the results are more promising. There are several different localization techniques that reproduce both the vibrating noise source position and the direction of vibration with enough precision. The approximate methods that reconstruct the noise source are substantially better and are able to support the root finding method in a more constructive way. By combining the methods, the results will be more reliable

Advanced Neutron Source Cross Section Libraries (ANSL-V): ENDF/B-V based multigroup cross-section libraries for advanced neutron source (ANS) reactor studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ford, W.E. III; Arwood, J.W.; Greene, N.M.; Moses, D.L.; Petrie, L.M.; Primm, R.T. III; Slater, C.O.; Westfall, R.M.; Wright, R.Q.

1990-09-01

Pseudo-problem-independent, multigroup cross-section libraries were generated to support Advanced Neutron Source (ANS) Reactor design studies. The ANS is a proposed reactor which would be fueled with highly enriched uranium and cooled with heavy water. The libraries, designated ANSL-V (Advanced Neutron Source Cross Section Libraries based on ENDF/B-V), are data bases in AMPX master format for subsequent generation of problem-dependent cross-sections for use with codes such as KENO, ANISN, XSDRNPM, VENTURE, DOT, DORT, TORT, and MORSE. Included in ANSL-V are 99-group and 39-group neutron, 39-neutron-group 44-gamma-ray-group secondary gamma-ray production (SGRP), 44-group gamma-ray interaction (GRI), and coupled, 39-neutron group 44-gamma-ray group (CNG) cross-section libraries. The neutron and SGRP libraries were generated primarily from ENDF/B-V data; the GRI library was generated from DLC-99/HUGO data, which is recognized as the ENDF/B-V photon interaction data. Modules from the AMPX and NJOY systems were used to process the multigroup data. Validity of selected data from the fine- and broad-group neutron libraries was satisfactorily tested in performance parameter calculations

Advanced neutron source reactor probabilistic flow blockage assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramsey, C.T.

1995-08-01

The Phase I Level I Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) of the conceptual design of the Advanced Neutron Source (ANS) Reactor identified core flow blockage as the most likely internal event leading to fuel damage. The flow blockage event frequency used in the original ANS PRA was based primarily on the flow blockage work done for the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) PRA. This report examines potential flow blockage scenarios and calculates an estimate of the likelihood of debris-induced fuel damage. The bulk of the report is based specifically on the conceptual design of ANS with a 93%-enriched, two-element core; insights to the impact of the proposed three-element core are examined in Sect. 5. In addition to providing a probability (uncertainty) distribution for the likelihood of core flow blockage, this ongoing effort will serve to indicate potential areas of concern to be focused on in the preliminary design for elimination or mitigation. It will also serve as a loose-parts management tool

Research reactor of the future: The advanced neutron source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Appleton, B.; West, C.

1994-01-01

Agents for cancer detection and treatment, stronger materials, better electronic gadgets, and other consumer and industrial products - these are assured benefits of a research reactor project proposed for Oak Ridge. Just as American companies have again assumed world leadership in producing semiconductor chips as well as cars and trucks, the United States is poised to retake the lead in neutron science by building and operating the $2.9 billion Advanced Neutron Source (ANS) research reactor by the start of the next century. In 1985, the neutron community, led by ORNL researchers, proposed a pioneering project, later called the ANS. Scheduled to begin operation in 2003, the ANS is seen not only as a replacement for the aging HFIR and HFBR but also as the best laboratory in the world for conducting neutron-based research

The Chernobyl reactor accident source term: Development of a consensus view

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guntay, S.; Powers, D.A.; Devell, L.

1997-01-01

In August 1986, scientists from the former Soviet Union provided the nuclear safety community with an impressively detailed account of what was then known about the Chernobyl accident. This included assessments of the magnitudes, rates, and compositions of radionuclide releases during the ten days following initiation of the accident. A summary report based on the Soviet report, the oral presentations, and the discussions with scientists from various countries was issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency shortly thereafter. Ten years have elapsed since the reactor accident at Chernobyl. A great deal more data is now available concerning the events, phenomena, and processes that took place. The purpose of this document is to examine what is known about the radioactive materials released during the accident. The accident was peculiar in the sense that radioactive materials were released, at least initially, in an exceptionally energetic plume and were transported far from the reactor site. Release of radioactivity from the plant continued for about ten days. A number of more recent publications and results from scientists in Russia and elsewhere have significantly improved our understanding of the Chernobyl source term. Because of the special features of the reactor design and the pecularities of the Chernobyl accident, the source term for the Chernobyl accident is of limited applicability of the safety analysis of other types of reactors

A Mechanistic Source Term Calculation for a Metal Fuel Sodium Fast Reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grabaskas, David; Bucknor, Matthew; Jerden, James

2017-06-26

A mechanistic source term (MST) calculation attempts to realistically assess the transport and release of radionuclides from a reactor system to the environment during a specific accident sequence. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has repeatedly stated its expectation that advanced reactor vendors will utilize an MST during the U.S. reactor licensing process. As part of a project to examine possible impediments to sodium fast reactor (SFR) licensing in the U.S., an analysis was conducted regarding the current capabilities to perform an MST for a metal fuel SFR. The purpose of the project was to identify and prioritize any gaps in current computational tools, and the associated database, for the accurate assessment of an MST. The results of the study demonstrate that an SFR MST is possible with current tools and data, but several gaps exist that may lead to possibly unacceptable levels of uncertainty, depending on the goals of the MST analysis.

Scope of activities and organization of an interuniversity reactor institute

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

de Bruin, M.

1990-01-01

The Reactor Instituut Delft was founded in 1958 and was at that time part of the Delft University of Technology. In 1969, the institute was converted into an interuniversity institute, owned and directed by the combined Dutch universities. Since 1987, the institute has again constituted part of the Delft University of Technology, still continuing its role as an interuniversity institute and with provisions in the organizational structure to secure this role. The major facility of the institute is the Hoger Onderwijs reactor, a 2-MW swimming pool reactor operated 24 h/day, 5 days/week. The reactor is used in neutron beam studies, reactor physics research, and for isotope production, neutron activation analysis (NAA), and commercial irradiation. The institute's 3-MeV Van de Graaff electron accelerator is mainly used for radiation chemistry. It can deliver subnanosecond high-current pulses and is provided with fast optical and conductivity measuring equipment. The variable energy positron source is being used for the study of defects at metal surfaces and interfaces. The experience obtained with this source is used in the development of a much stronger source as the basis of a positron microbeam in one of the reactor beam tubes

The encapsulated nuclear heat source reactor for proliferation-resistant nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, N.W.; Hossain, Q.; Carelli, M.D.; Conway, L.; Dzodzo, M.; Greenspan, E.; Saphier, D.

2001-01-01

The encapsulated nuclear heat source (ENHS) is a modular reactor that was selected by the 1999 DOE NERI program as a candidate ''Generation-IV'' reactor concept. It is a fast neutron spectrum reactor cooled by Pb-Bi using natural circulation. It is designed for passive load following, for high level of passive safety, and for 15 years without refueling. One of the unique features of the ENHS is that the fission-generated heat is transferred from the primary coolant to the secondary coolant across the reactor vessel wall by conduction-providing for an essentially sealed module that is easy to install and replace. Because the fuel is encapsulated within a heavy steel container throughout its life it provides a unique improvement to the proliferation resistance of the nuclear fuel cycle. This paper presents the innovative technology of the ENHS. (author)

Capabilities of a DT tokamak fusion neutron source for driving a spent nuclear fuel transmutation reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stacey, W.M.

2001-01-01

The capabilities of a DT fusion neutron source for driving a spent nuclear fuel transmutation reactor are characterized by identifying limits on transmutation rates that would be imposed by tokamak physics and engineering limitations on fusion neutron source performance. The need for spent nuclear fuel transmutation and the need for a neutron source to drive subcritical fission transmutation reactors are reviewed. The likely parameter ranges for tokamak neutron sources that could produce an interesting transmutation rate of 100s to 1000s of kg/FPY (where FPY stands for full power year) are identified (P fus ∼ 10-100 MW, β N ∼ 2-3, Q p ∼ 2-5, R ∼ 3-5 m, I ∼ 6-10 MA). The electrical and thermal power characteristics of transmutation reactors driven by fusion and accelerator spallation neutron sources are compared. The status of fusion development vis-a-vis a neutron source is reviewed. (author)

Small-angle neutron scattering at pulsed sources compared to reactor sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hjelm, R.P. Jr.; Seeger, P.A.; Thiyagarajan, P.

1990-01-01

Detailed comparisons of measurements made on small-angle neutron scattering instruments at pulsed spallation and reactor sources show that the results from the two types of instruments are comparable. It is further demonstrated that spallation instruments are preferable for measurements in the mid-momentum transfer domain or when a large domain is needed. 8 refs., 2 figs

A hybrid source-driven method to compute fast neutron fluence in reactor pressure vessel - 017

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ren-Tai, Chiang

2010-01-01

A hybrid source-driven method is developed to compute fast neutron fluence with neutron energy greater than 1 MeV in nuclear reactor pressure vessel (RPV). The method determines neutron flux by solving a steady-state neutron transport equation with hybrid neutron sources composed of peripheral fixed fission neutron sources and interior chain-reacted fission neutron sources. The relative rod-by-rod power distribution of the peripheral assemblies in a nuclear reactor obtained from reactor core depletion calculations and subsequent rod-by-rod power reconstruction is employed as the relative rod-by-rod fixed fission neutron source distribution. All fissionable nuclides other than U-238 (such as U-234, U-235, U-236, Pu-239 etc) are replaced with U-238 to avoid counting the fission contribution twice and to preserve fast neutron attenuation for heavy nuclides in the peripheral assemblies. An example is provided to show the feasibility of the method. Since the interior fuels only have a marginal impact on RPV fluence results due to rapid attenuation of interior fast fission neutrons, a generic set or one of several generic sets of interior fuels can be used as the driver and only the neutron sources in the peripheral assemblies will be changed in subsequent hybrid source-driven fluence calculations. Consequently, this hybrid source-driven method can simplify and reduce cost for fast neutron fluence computations. This newly developed hybrid source-driven method should be a useful and simplified tool for computing fast neutron fluence at selected locations of interest in RPV of contemporary nuclear power reactors. (authors)

Inverse kinetics method with source term for subcriticality measurements during criticality approach in the IPEN/MB-01 research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loureiro, Cesar Augusto Domingues; Santos, Adimir dos

2009-01-01

In reactor physics tests which are performed at the startup after refueling the commercial PWRs, it is important to monitor subcriticality continuously during criticality approach. Reactivity measurements by the inverse kinetics method are widely used during the operation of a nuclear reactor and it is possible to perform an online reactivity measurement based on the point reactor kinetics equations. This technique is successful applied at sufficiently high power level or to a core without an external neutron source where the neutron source term in point reactor kinetics equations may be neglected. For operation at low power levels, the contribution of the neutron source must be taken into account and this implies the knowledge of a quantity proportional to the source strength, and then it should be determined. Some experiments have been performed in the IPEN/MB-01 Research Reactor for the determination of the Source Term, using the Least Square Inverse Kinetics Method (LSIKM). A digital reactivity meter which neglects the source term is used to calculate the reactivity and then the source term can be determined by the LSIKM. After determining the source term, its value can be added to the algorithm and the reactivity can be determined again, considering the source term. The new digital reactivity meter can be used now to monitor reactivity during the criticality approach and the measured value for the reactivity is more precise than the meter which neglects the source term. (author)

Review of the accident source terms for aluminide fuel: Application to the BR2 reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joppen, F.

2005-01-01

A major safety review of the BR2, a material test reactor, is to be conducted for the year 2006. One of the subjects selected for the safety review is the definition of source terms for emergency planning and in particular the development of accident scenarios. For nuclear power plants the behaviour of fuel under accident conditions is a well studied object. In case of non-power reactors this basic knowledge is rather scarce. The usefulness of information from power plant fuels is limited due to the differences in fuel type, power level and thermohydraulical conditions. First investigation indicates that using data from power plant fuel leads to an overestimation of the source terms. Further research on this subject could be very useful for the research reactor community, in order to define more realistic source terms and to improve the emergency preparedness. (author)

Development of source term evaluation method for Korean Next Generation Reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Keon Jae; Cheong, Jae Hak; Park, Jin Baek; Kim, Guk Gee [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1997-10-15

This project had investigate several design features of radioactive waste processing system and method to predict nuclide concentration at primary coolant basic concept of next generation reactor and safety goals at the former phase. In this project several prediction methods of source term are evaluated conglomerately and detailed contents of this project are : model evaluation of nuclide concentration at Reactor Coolant System, evaluation of primary and secondary coolant concentration of reference Nuclear Power Plant(NPP), investigation of prediction parameter of source term evaluation, basic parameter of PWR, operational parameter, respectively, radionuclide removal system and adjustment values of reference NPP, suggestion of source term prediction method of next generation NPP.

Consideration of emergency source terms for pebble-bed high temperature gas-cooled reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tao, Liu; Jun, Zhao; Jiejuan, Tong; Jianzhu, Cao

2009-01-01

Being the last barrier in the nuclear power plant defense-in-depth strategy, emergency planning (EP) is an integrated project. One of the key elements in this process is emergency source terms selection. Emergency Source terms for light water reactor (LWR) nuclear power plant (NPP) have been introduced in many technical documents, and advanced NPP emergency planning is attracting attention recently. Commercial practices of advanced NPP are undergoing in the world, pebble-bed high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) power plant is under construction in China which is considered as a representative of advanced NPP. The paper tries to find some pieces of suggestion from our investigation. The discussion of advanced NPP EP will be summarized first, and then the characteristics of pebble-bed HTGR relating to EP will be described. Finally, PSA insights on emergency source terms selection and current pebble-bed HTGR emergency source terms suggestions are proposed

Cold neutron source conceptual designing for Tehran Research Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khajvand, N.; Mirvakili, S.M.; Faghihi, F.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Cold neutron source conceptual designing for Tehran research reactor is carried out. • Type and geometry of moderator and dimensions of cold neutron source are analyzed. • Liquid hydrogen with more ortho-concentration can be better option as moderator. - Abstract: A cold neutron source (CNS) conceptual designing for the Tehran Research Reactor (TRR) were carried out using MCNPX code. In this study, a horizontal beam tube of the core which has appropriate the highest thermal flux is selected and parametric analysis to choose the type and geometry of the moderator, and the required CNS dimensions for maximizing the cold neutron production was performed. In this design the moderator cell has a spherical annulus structure, and the cold neutron flux and its brightness are calculated together with the nuclear heat load of the CNS for a variety of materials including liquid hydrogen, liquid deuterium, and solid methane. Based on our study, liquid hydrogen with more ortho-concentration than para and solid methane are the best options.

Toward a Mechanistic Source Term in Advanced Reactors: Characterization of Radionuclide Transport and Retention in a Sodium Cooled Fast Reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brunett, Acacia J.; Bucknor, Matthew; Grabaskas, David

2016-04-17

A vital component of the U.S. reactor licensing process is an integrated safety analysis in which a source term representing the release of radionuclides during normal operation and accident sequences is analyzed. Historically, source term analyses have utilized bounding, deterministic assumptions regarding radionuclide release. However, advancements in technical capabilities and the knowledge state have enabled the development of more realistic and best-estimate retention and release models such that a mechanistic source term assessment can be expected to be a required component of future licensing of advanced reactors. Recently, as part of a Regulatory Technology Development Plan effort for sodium cooled fast reactors (SFRs), Argonne National Laboratory has investigated the current state of knowledge of potential source terms in an SFR via an extensive review of previous domestic experiments, accidents, and operation. As part of this work, the significant sources and transport processes of radionuclides in an SFR have been identified and characterized. This effort examines all stages of release and source term evolution, beginning with release from the fuel pin and ending with retention in containment. Radionuclide sources considered in this effort include releases originating both in-vessel (e.g. in-core fuel, primary sodium, cover gas cleanup system, etc.) and ex-vessel (e.g. spent fuel storage, handling, and movement). Releases resulting from a primary sodium fire are also considered as a potential source. For each release group, dominant transport phenomena are identified and qualitatively discussed. The key product of this effort was the development of concise, inclusive diagrams that illustrate the release and retention mechanisms at a high level, where unique schematics have been developed for in-vessel, ex-vessel and sodium fire releases. This review effort has also found that despite the substantial range of phenomena affecting radionuclide release, the

Acceleration of relativistic electrons in plasma reactors and non-linear spectra of cosmic radio sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaplan, S.A.; Lomadze, R.D.

1978-01-01

A second approximation to the theory of turbulent plasma reactors in connection with the problem of interpretation of the non-linear spectra of cosmic radio sources has been investigated by the authors (Kaplan and Lomadze, 1977; Lomadze, 1977). The present paper discusses the basic results received for a Compton reactor with plasma waves of phase velocities smaller than the velocity of light, as well as for the synchrotron reactor. The distortion of the distribution function of relativistic electrons caused by their diffusion from the reactor is also presented as an example. (Auth.)

Productivity of a nuclear chemical reactor with gamma radioisotopic sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anguis T, C.

1975-01-01

According to an established mathematical model of successive Compton interaction processes the made calculations for major distances are extended checking the acceptability of the spheric geometry model for the experimental data for radioisotopic sources of Co-60 and Cs-137. Parameters such as the increasing factor and the absorbed dose served as comparative base. calculations for the case of a punctual source succession inside a determined volume cylinder are made to obtain the total dose, the deposited energy by each photons energetic group and the total absorbed energy inside the reactor. Varying adequately the height/radius relation for different cylinders, the distinct energy depositions are compared in each one of them once a time standardized toward a standard value of energy emitted by the reactor volume. A relation between the quantity of deposited energy in each point of the reactor and the conversion values of chemical species is established. They are induced by electromagnetic radiation and that are reported as ''G'' in the scientific literature (number of molecules formed or disappeared by each 100 e.v. of energy). Once obtained the molecular performance inside the reactor for each type of geometry, it is optimized the height/radius relation according to the maximum production of molecules by unity of time. It is completed a bibliographical review of ''G'' values reported by different types of aqueous solutions with the purpose to determine the maximum performance of molecular hydrogen as a function of pH of the solution and of the used type of solute among other factors. Calculations for the ethyl bromide production as an example of one of the industrial processes which actually work using the gamma radiation as reactions inductor are realized. (Author)

Steady-state thermal-hydraulic design analysis of the Advanced Neutron Source reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoder, G.L. Jr.; Dixon, J.R.; Elkassabgi, Y.; Felde, D.K.; Giles, G.E.; Harrington, R.M.; Morris, D.G.; Nelson, W.R.; Ruggles, A.E.; Siman-Tov, M.; Stovall, T.K.

1994-05-01

The Advanced Neutron Source (ANS) is a research reactor that is planned for construction at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This reactor will be a user facility with the major objective of providing the highest continuous neutron beam intensities of any reactor in the world. Additional objectives for the facility include providing materials irradiation facilities and isotope production facilities as good as, or better than, those in the High Flux Isotope Reactor. To achieve these objectives, the reactor design uses highly subcooled heavy water as both coolant and moderator. Two separate core halves of 67.6-L total volume operate at an average power density of 4.5 MW(t)/L, and the coolant flows upward through the core at 25 m/s. Operating pressure is 3.1 MPa at the core inlet with a 1.4-MPa pressure drop through the core region. Finally, in order to make the resources available for experimentation, the fuel is designed to provide a 17-d fuel cycle with an additional 4 d planned in each cycle for the refueling process. This report examines the codes and models used to develop the thermal-hydraulic design for ANS, as well as the correlations and physical data; evaluates thermal-hydraulic uncertainties; reports on thermal-hydraulic design and safety analysis; describes experimentation in support of the ANS reactor design and safety analysis; and provides an overview of the experimental plan

Advanced CANDU reactor: an optimized energy source of oil sands application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hopwood, J.M.; Bock, D.; Miller, A.; Kuran, S.; Keil, H.; Fiorino, L.; Duffey, R.; Dunbar, R.B.

2003-01-01

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) is developing the ACR-700 TM (Advanced CANDU Reactor-700 TM ) to meet customer needs for reduced capital cost, shorter construction schedule, high capacity factor while retaining the benefits of the CANDU experience base. The ACR-700 is based on the concept of CANDU horizontal fuel channels surrounded by heavy water moderator. The major innovation of this design is the use of slightly enriched uranium fuel in a CANFLEX bundle that is cooled by light water. This ensures: higher main steam pressures and temperatures providing higher thermal efficiency; a compact and simpler reactor design with reduced capital costs and shorter construction schedules; and reduced heavy water inventory compared to existing CANDU reactors. ACR-700 is not only a technically advanced and cost effective solution for electricity generating utilities, but also a low-cost, long-life and sustainable steam source for increasing Alberta's Oil Sand production rates. Currently practiced commercial surface mining and extraction of Oil Sand resources has been well established over the last three decades. But a majority of the available resources are somewhat deeper underground require in-situ extraction. Economic removal of such underground resources is now possible through the Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) process developed and proto-type tested in-site. SAGD requires the injection of large quantities of high-pressure steam into horizontal wells to form reduced viscosity bitumen and condensate mixture that is then collected at the surface. This paper describes joint AECL studies with CERI (Canadian Energy Research Institute) for the ACR, supplying both electricity and medium-pressure steam to an oil sands facility. The extensive oil sands deposits in northern Alberta are a very large energy resource. Currently, 30% of Canda's oil production is from the oil sands and this is expected to expand greatly over the coming decade. The bitumen deposits in the

Determination of Source Term for an Annual Stack Release of Gas Reactor G.A. Siwabessy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sudiyati; Syahrir; Unggul Hartoyo; Nugraha Luhur

2008-01-01

Releases of radionuclide from the reactor are noble gases, halogenides and particulates. The measurements were carried out directly on the air monitoring system of the stack. The results of these measurements are compared with the annual Source-Term data from the Safety Analyses report (SAR) of RSG-GAS. The measurement results are smaller than the data reported in SAR document. (author)

Determination of noise sources and space-dependent reactor transfer functions from measured output signals only

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoogenboom, J.E.; van Dam, H.; Kleiss, E.B.J.; van Uitert, G.C.; Veldhuis, D.

1982-01-01

The measured cross power spectral densities of the signals from three neutron detectors and the displacement of the control rod of the 2 MW research reactor HOR at Delft have been used to determine the space-dependent reactor transfer function, the transfer function of the automatic reactor control system and the noise sources influencing the measured signals. From a block diagram of the reactor with control system and noise sources expressions were derived for the measured cross power spectral densities, which were adjusted to satisfy the requirements following from the adopted model. Then for each frequency point the required transfer functions and noise sources could be derived. The results are in agreement with those of autoregressive modelling of the reactor control feed-back loop. A method has been developed to determine the non-linear characteristics of the automatic reactor control system by analysing the non-gaussian probability density function of the power fluctuations.

Determination of noise sources and space-dependent reactor transfer functions from measured output signals only

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoogenboom, J.E.

1982-01-01

The measured cross power spectral densities of the signals from three neutron detectors and the displacement of the control rod of the 2 MW research reactor HOR at Delft have been used to determine the space-dependent reactor transfer function, the transfer function of the automatic reactor control system and the noise sources influencing the measured signals. From a block diagram of the reactor with control system and noise sources expressions were derived for the measured cross power spectral densities, which were adjusted to satisfy the requirements following from the adopted model. Then for each frequency point the required transfer functions and noise sources could be derived. The results are in agreement with those of autoregressive modelling of the reactor control feed-back loop. A method has been developed to determine the non-linear characteristics of the automatic reactor control system by analysing the non-gaussian probability density function of the power fluctuations. (author)

The law for the regulations of nuclear source materials, nuclear fuel materials and reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-01-01

The law aims to perform regulations on enterprises of refining, processing and reprocessing of nuclear source and fuel materials and on establishment and operation of reactors to realize the peaceful and deliberate utilization of atomic energy according to the principle of the atomic energy basic law. Regulations of use of internationally regulated substances are also envisaged to observe international agreements. Basic concepts and terms are defined, such as: atomic energy; nuclear fuel material; nuclear source material; reactor; refining; processing; reprocessing and internationally regulated substance. Any person besides the Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Material Developing Corporation who undertakes refining shall be designated by the Prime Minister and the Minister of International Trade and Industry. An application shall be filed to the ministers concerned, listing name and address of the person, name and location of the refining works, equipment and method of refining, etc. The permission of the Prime Minister is necessary for any person who engages in processing. An application shall be filed to the Prime Minister, listing name and address of the person, name and location of the processing works and equipment and method of processing, etc. Permission of the Prime Minister, the Minister of International Trade and Industry or the Minister of Transport is necessary for any person who sets up reactors. An application shall be filed to the minister concerned, listing name and address of the person, purpose of operation, style, thermal output of reactor and number of units, etc. (Okada, K.)

Encapsulated nuclear heat source reactors for energy security

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greenspan, E.; Susplugas, A.; Hong, S.G.; Monti, L.; Sumini, M.; Okawa, T.

2006-01-01

A spectrum of Encapsulated Nuclear Heat Source (ENHS) reactors have been conceptually designed over the last few years; they span a power range from 10 MWe to -200 MWe and consider a number of coolants and fuel types. Common features of all these designs include very long life cores - exceeding 20 effective full power years; nearly zero burnup reactivity swing; natural circulation; superb safety; autonomous load following capability; simplicity of operation and maintenance. ENHS reactors could be of particular interest for providing electricity, thermal energy and, possibly, desalinated water to communities that are not connected to a central electricity grid such as to many pacific islands and to remote communities in the mainland of different countries. ENHS reactors provide energy security by virtue of a couple of features: (1) Once an ENHS reactor is commissioned, the community has assured clean energy supply for at least 20 years without needing fuel supply. (2) The energy value of the fuel loaded (in the factory) in the ENHS module is preserved; what is needed for generating energy for additional 20+ years is to remove the fission products, add depleted uranium for makeup fuel, refabricate fuel rods and load into a new module. This fuel recycling is envisioned done by either the supplier country or by a regional or international fuel cycle centre. As the ENHS module is replaced at its entirety at the end of the core life - that is brought about by radiation damage, the ENHS plant life is likely to last for over 100 years. The above features also offer exceptional stability in the price of energy generated by the ENHS reactor. The reference ENHS design will be described followed by a brief description of the design options developed and a summary of their performance characteristics

Preparation and benchmarking of ANSL-V cross sections for advanced neutron source reactor studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arwood, J.W.; Ford, W.E. III; Greene, N.M.; Petrie, L.M.; Primm, R.T. III; Waddell, M.W.; Webster, C.C.; Westfall, R.M.; Wright, R.Q.

1987-01-01

Research and development for the advanced neutron source (ANS) reactor is being funded by the US Dept. of Energy. This reactor is to provide the world's most intense steady-state source of low-energy neutrons for a national experimental user facility. Pseudo-problem-independent, multigroup cross-section libraries were generated to support ANS design work. The libraries, designated ANSL-V, are data bases in AMPX master format for subsequent generation of problem-dependent cross sections for use with codes such as KENO, ANISN, XSDRNPM, VENTURE, DOT, and MORSE. Included in ANSL-V are 123-material P 3 neutron, 46-material P 0 or P 6 secondary gamma-ray production (SGRP), and 34-material P 6 gamma-ray interaction (GRI) libraries

Development of source term evaluation method for Korean Next Generation Reactor(III)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Geon Jae; Park, Jin Baek; Lee, Yeong Il; Song, Min Cheonl; Lee, Ho Jin [Korea Advanced Institue of Science and Technology, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1998-06-15

This project had investigated irradiation characteristics of MOX fuel method to predict nuclide concentration at primary and secondary coolant using a core containing 100% of all MOX fuel and development of source term evaluation tool. In this study, several prediction methods of source term are evaluated. Detailed contents of this project are : an evaluation of model for nuclear concentration at Reactor Coolant System, evaluation of primary and secondary coolant concentration of reference Nuclear Power Plant using purely MOX fuel, suggestion of source term prediction method of NPP with a core using MOX fuel.

Estimation of the sub-criticality of the sodium-cooled fast reactor Monju using the modified neutron source multiplication method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Truchet, G.; Van Rooijen, W. F. G.; Shimazu, Y.; Yamaguchi, K.

2012-01-01

The Modified Neutron Source Method (MNSM) is applied to the Monju reactor. This static method to estimate sub-criticality has already given good results on commercial Pressurized Water Reactors. The MNSM consists both in the extraction of the fundamental mode seen by a detector to avoid the effect of higher modes near sources, and the correction of flux distortion effects due to control rod movement. Among Monju's particularities that have a big influence on MNSM factors are: the presence of two californium sources and the position of the detector which is located far from the core outside of the reactor vessel. The importance of spontaneous fission and (α, n) reactions which have increased during the shutdown period of 15 years will also be discussed. The relative position of detectors and sources deeply affect the correction factors in some regions. In order to evaluate the detector count rate, an analytical propagation has been conducted from the reactor vessel. For two subcritical states, an estimation of the reactivity has been made and compared to experimental data obtained in the restart experiments at Monju (2010). (authors)

Reactor physics experiments in PURNIMA sub critical facility coupled with 14 MeV neutron source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, Rajeev; Degweker, S.B.; Patel, Tarun; Bishnoi, Saroj; Adhikari, P.S.

2011-01-01

Accelerator Driven Sub-critical Systems (ADSS) are attracting increasing worldwide attention due to their superior safety characteristics and their potential for burning actinide and fission product waste and energy production. A number of countries around the world have drawn up roadmaps/programs for development of ADSS. Indian interest in ADSS has an additional dimension, which is related to the planned utilization of our large thorium reserves for future nuclear energy generation. A programme for development of ADSS is taken up at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in India. This includes R and D activities for high current proton accelerator development, target development and Reactor Physics studies. As part of the ADSS Reactor Physics research programme, a sub-critical facility is coming up in BARC which will be coupled with an existing D-D/D-T neutron generator. Two types of cores are planned. In one of these, the sub-critical reactor assembly consists of natural uranium moderated by high density polyethylene (HDP) and reflected by BeO. The other consists of natural uranium moderated by light water. The maximum neutron yield of the neutron source with tritium target is around 10 10 neutron per sec. Various reactor physics experiments like measurement of the source strength, neutron flux distribution, buckling estimation and sub-critical source multiplication are planned. Apart from this, measurement of the total fission power and neutron spectrum will also be carried out. Mainly activation detectors will be used in all in-core neutron flux measurement. Measurement of the degree of sub-criticality by various deterministic and noise methods is planned. Helium detectors with advanced data acquisition card will be used for the neutron noise experiments. Noise characteristics of ADSS are expected to be different from that of traditional reactors due to the non-Poisson statistical features of the source. A new theory incorporating these features has been

Reactor installation and maintenance for the Advanced Neutron Source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, B.R.

1993-01-01

Advanced Neutron Source (ANS) reactor assembly components have been modeled in great detail in IGRIP in order to realistically simulate preliminary installation and maintenance processes. Animation of these processes has been captured in a 15-minute video with narration. Approximately 90% of the parts were initially translated from CADAM (a two-dimensional drawing package) to IGRIP and then revolved or extruded. IGRIP's IGES translator greatly reduced the time required to perform this operation. The interfacing of devices in the work cell has identified numerous design inconsistencies. Most of the modeled reactor components are devices with a single degree of freedom (DOF) however, some of the slanted experiments required 6 DOF so that they could be removed at an angle in order to clear the reflector vessel flanges. IGRIP's collision detection feature proved to be extremely helpful in determining interferences when removing the experiments. The combination of three-dimensional visualization and collision detection allows engineers to clearly and easily visualize potential design problems before the construction phase of the project

Advanced Reactor PSA Methodologies for System Reliability Analysis and Source Term Assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grabaskas, D.; Brunett, A.; Passerini, S.; Grelle, A.; Bucknor, M.

2017-06-26

Beginning in 2015, a project was initiated to update and modernize the probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) of the GE-Hitachi PRISM sodium fast reactor. This project is a collaboration between GE-Hitachi and Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne), and funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy. Specifically, the role of Argonne is to assess the reliability of passive safety systems, complete a mechanistic source term calculation, and provide component reliability estimates. The assessment of passive system reliability focused on the performance of the Reactor Vessel Auxiliary Cooling System (RVACS) and the inherent reactivity feedback mechanisms of the metal fuel core. The mechanistic source term assessment attempted to provide a sequence specific source term evaluation to quantify offsite consequences. Lastly, the reliability assessment focused on components specific to the sodium fast reactor, including electromagnetic pumps, intermediate heat exchangers, the steam generator, and sodium valves and piping.

Researches at the University of Tokyo fast neutron sources reactor, YAYOI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koshizuka, S.; Oka, Y.; Saito, I.

1992-01-01

The Fast neutron source reactor YAYOI was critical in 1971 at the Nuclear Engineering Research Laboratory, the Faculty of Engineering, the University of Tokyo (UTNL). The core is fueled with the enriched uranium surrounded by the depleted uranium. YAYOI is the first fast reactor in Japan. Many types of studies have been carried out by the researchers of the University of Tokyo in these 20 years. It also contributed to the Japan's national project of developing fast breeder reactors. The reactor is opened to the visiting researchers from universities and research institutes. YAYOI has also been utilized for education of undergraduate and graduate students of the Department of Nuclear Engineering of the University of Tokyo. The present paper briefly summerizes past and present researchers. (author)

The low power miniature neutron source reactors: Design, safety and applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmed, Y.A.; Ewa, I.O.B.; Umar, M.; Bezboruah, T.; Johri, M.; Akaho, E.H.K.

2006-04-01

The Chinese Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR) is a low power research reactor with maximum thermal neutron flux of 1 x 10 12 n.cm -2 .s -1 in one of its inner irradiation channels and thermal power of approximately 30kW. The MNSR is designed based on the Canadian SLOWPOKE reactor and is one of the smallest commercial research reactors presently available in the world. Its commercial versions currently in operation in China, Ghana, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan and Syria, is considered as an excellent tool for Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA), training of Scientist, and Engineers in nuclear science and technology and small scale radioisotope production. The paper highlights the basic design and theory of the commercial MNSR, its safety features, applications and advantages over the Chinese Prototype. The experimental flux characteristics determined in this work and in similar studies by other authors reveal that the commercial MNSR has more flux stability, longer life span, higher negative temperature coefficient of reactivity and low under-moderation compared to its prototype in China. The result shows that the facility is safe for reactor physics experiments, teaching and training of students and also ideal for application of NAA for the determination of elemental composition of biological and environmental samples. It can also be a useful tool for geochemical and soil fertility mapping. (author)

Modelling and simulation the radioactive source-term of fission products in PWR type reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Porfirio, Rogilson Nazare da Silva

1996-01-01

The source-term was defined with the purpose the quantify all radioactive nuclides released the nuclear reactor in the case of accidents. Nowadays the source-term is limited to the coolant of the primary circuit of reactors and may be measured or modelled with computer coders such as the TFP developed in this work. The calculational process is based on the linear chain techniques used in the CINDER-2 code. The TFP code considers forms of fission products release from the fuel pellet: Recoil, Knockout and Migration. The release from the gap to the coolant fluid is determined from the ratio between activity measured in the coolant and calculated activity in the gap. Considered the operational data of SURRY-1 reactor, the TFP code was run to obtain the source=term of this reactor. From the measured activities it was verified the reliability level of the model and the employed computational logic. The accuracy of the calculated quantities were compared to the measured data was considered satisfactory. (author)

Reactor performances and microbial communities of biogas reactors: effects of inoculum sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Sheng; Liu, Yafeng; Zhang, Shicheng; Luo, Gang

2016-01-01

Anaerobic digestion is a very complex process that is mediated by various microorganisms, and the understanding of the microbial community assembly and its corresponding function is critical in order to better control the anaerobic process. The present study investigated the effect of different inocula on the microbial community assembly in biogas reactors treating cellulose with various inocula, and three parallel biogas reactors with the same inoculum were also operated in order to reveal the reproducibility of both microbial communities and functions of the biogas reactors. The results showed that the biogas production, volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations, and pH were different for the biogas reactors with different inocula, and different steady-state microbial community patterns were also obtained in different biogas reactors as reflected by Bray-Curtis similarity matrices and taxonomic classification. It indicated that inoculum played an important role in shaping the microbial communities of biogas reactor in the present study, and the microbial community assembly in biogas reactor did not follow the niche-based ecology theory. Furthermore, it was found that the microbial communities and reactor performances of parallel biogas reactors with the same inoculum were different, which could be explained by the neutral-based ecology theory and stochastic factors should played important roles in the microbial community assembly in the biogas reactors. The Bray-Curtis similarity matrices analysis suggested that inoculum affected more on the microbial community assembly compared to stochastic factors, since the samples with different inocula had lower similarity (10-20 %) compared to the samples from the parallel biogas reactors (30 %).

Experimental determination of the neutron source for the Argonauta reactor subcritical assembly

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Renke, Carlos A.C.; Furieri, Rosanne C.A.A.; Pereira, Joao C.S.; Voi, Dante L.; Barbosa, Andre L.N., E-mail: renke@ien.gov.b [Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear (IEN/CNEN-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2011-07-01

The utilization of a subcritical assembly for the determination of nuclear parameters in a multiplier medium requires a well defined neutron source to carry out the experiments necessary for the acquisition of the desired data. The Argonauta research reactor installed at the Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear has a subcritical assembly, under development, to be coupled at the upper part of the reactor core that will provide the needed neutrons emerging from its internal thermal column made of graphite. In order to perform neutronic calculations to compare with the experimental results, it is necessary a precise knowledge of the emergent neutron flux that will be used as neutron source in the subcritical assembly. In this work, we present the thermal neutron flux profile determined experimentally via the technique of neutron activation analysis, using dysprosium wires uniformly distributed at the top of the internal thermal neutron column of the Argonauta reactor and later submitted to a detection system using Geiger-Mueller detector. These experimental data were then compared with those obtained through neutronic calculation using HAMMER and CITATION codes in order to validate this calculation system and to define a correct neutron source distribution to be used in the subcritical assembly. This procedure avoids a coupled neutronic calculation of the subcritical assembly and the reactor core. It has also been determined the dimension of the graphite pedestal to be used in the bottom of the subcritical assembly tank in order to smooth the emergent neutron flux at the reactor top. Finally, it is estimated the thermal neutron flux inside the assembly tank when filled with water. (author)

Advanced Neutron Source (ANS) Project progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McBee, M.R.; Chance, C.M.

1990-04-01

This report discusses the following topics on the advanced neutron source: quality assurance (QA) program; reactor core development; fuel element specification; corrosion loop tests and analyses; thermal-hydraulic loop tests; reactor control concepts; critical and subcritical experiments; material data, structural tests, and analysis; cold source development; beam tube, guide, and instrument development; hot source development; neutron transport and shielding; I ampersand C research and development; facility concepts; design; and safety

Nuclear reactors sources of contamination - RA reactor in Vinca as an example; Nuklearni reaktori kao izvori kontaminacije - Primer reaktora RA u Vinci -

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mitrovic, S; Djukic, Z; Dobrosavljevic, N [Institute of nuclear sciences Boris Kidric, Vinca, Beograd (Yugoslavia)

1966-03-15

This study contains an analysis of possible contamination caused by reactor accidents. In addition to description of maximum credible accident impacts on the environment it covers the prevention and procedures to be undertaken in case of accident. The RA reactor was taken as an example. Since the probability of maximum credible accident is very low minor accident that could cause fission products release were analyzed. Analysis of the spent fuel storage pool at the RA reactor is included as well.

The design of the cold neutron source of the OPAL reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rechiman, L.M.; Bonetto, Fabian J.; Buscaglia, Gustavo C.

2007-01-01

The present work describes the conceptual design process of the first cold neutron source developed by INVAP for the nuclear research reactor OPAL. The analysis begins from the requirements given by the client and continues with the chosen solutions. Furthermore, we studied how impact in the design the fully illuminated constraint with the finite remote source model. (author) [es

Production of the sealed gamma-radiation sources of with iridium-192 radionuclide at the WWR-K research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petukhov, V.K.; Chernayev, V.P.; Chabeyev, N.T.; Ermakov, E.L.; Chakrov, P.V.

2005-01-01

Full text: Conversion orientation of the WWR-K research reactor activity was established after renewal of its operation in 1997. A priority in reactor works was determined in the decision of tasks of practical use of nuclear technologies in a national economy in the next directions: in an industry, public health services and agriculture. The items of prime tasks: development and introduction of radiation technologies and manufacturing of radioisotopes for industry. This task included both scientific and technical program in the list of works of the Republican goals. At the WWR-K reactor within the framework of the this task solution the works on pilot production of the sealed sources of radioactive radiations (SSRR) with Ir-192 radionuclide for an industry of Republic of Kazakhstan were made. Organizational questions related to the Kazakhstan authority body and the regulating documentation were solved the first of all. The second stage was the development of the techniques of creating of devices providing an samples irradiation in reactor, control of sources sealing, measurements of the equivalent radiation doze from sources and high-quality support of SSRR manufacture over all technological way. At the third stage was made a little quantity SSRR with Ir-192 radionuclide, such as GIID-A1 (G6), for 'TEKOPS-660' Gammaray Projectors. This work served as experimental check of the decisions correctness, and has allowed to remove those lacks, to find out which it was possible only during direct manufacturing of radioactive sources. During performance of all these works the following was carried out: development and release of the documents and specifications regulating work on SSRR manufacture at the Institute of Nuclear Physics; personnel preparation and certification; preparation and equipment providing of reactor hot chambers by additional devices for work with irradiated iridium samples; development and manufacturing of the devices for iridium samples irradiation in

The High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) cold source project at ORNL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Selby, D.L.; Lucas, A.T.; Chang, S.J.; Freels, J.D. . E-mail-yb2@ornl.gov

1998-01-01

Following the decision to cancel the Advanced Neutron Source (ANS) Project at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), it was determined that a hydrogen cold source should be retrofitted into an existing beam tube of the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at ORNL. The preliminary design of this system has been completed and an 'approval in principle' of the design has been obtained from the internal ORNL safety review committees and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) safety review committee. The cold source concept is basically a closed loop forced flow supercritical hydrogen system. The supercritical approach was chosen because of its enhanced stability in the proposed high heat flux regions. Neutron and gamma physics of the moderator have been analyzed using the 3D Monte Carlo code MCNP 1 A D structural analysis model of the moderator vessel, vacuum tube, and beam tube was completed to evaluate stress loadings and to examine the impact of hydrogen detonations in the beam tube. A detailed ATHENA 2 system model of the hydrogen system has been developed to simulate loop performance under normal and off-normal transient conditions. Semi-prototypic hydrogen loop tests of the system have been performed at the Arnold Engineering Design Center (AEDC) located in Tullahoma, Tennessee to verify the design and benchmark the analytical system model. A 3.5 kW refrigerator system has been ordered and is expected to be delivered to ORNL by the end of this calendar year. Our present schedule shows the assembling of the cold source loop on site during the fall of 1999 for final testing before insertion of the moderator plug assembly into the reactor beam tube during the end of the year 2000. (author)

Reactor Core Design and Analysis for a Micronuclear Power Source

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hao Sun

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Underwater vehicle is designed to ensure the security of country sea boundary, providing harsh requirements for its power system design. Conventional power sources, such as battery and Stirling engine, are featured with low power and short lifetime. Micronuclear reactor power source featured with higher power density and longer lifetime would strongly meet the demands of unmanned underwater vehicle power system. In this paper, a 2.4 MWt lithium heat pipe cooled reactor core is designed for micronuclear power source, which can be applied for underwater vehicles. The core features with small volume, high power density, long lifetime, and low noise level. Uranium nitride fuel with 70% enrichment and lithium heat pipes are adopted in the core. The reactivity is controlled by six control drums with B4C neutron absorber. Monte Carlo code MCNP is used for calculating the power distribution, characteristics of reactivity feedback, and core criticality safety. A code MCORE coupling MCNP and ORIGEN is used to analyze the burnup characteristics of the designed core. The results show that the core life is 14 years, and the core parameters satisfy the safety requirements. This work provides reference to the design and application of the micronuclear power source.

Loss-of-coolant accident analyses of the Advanced Neutron Source Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, N.C.J.; Yoder, G.L.; Wendel, M.W.

1991-01-01

Currently in the conceptual design stage, the Advanced Neutron Source Reactor (ANSR) will operate at a high heat flux, a high mass flux, an a high degree of coolant subcooling. Loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) analyses using RELAP5 have been performed as part of an early evaluation of ANSR safety issues. This paper discusses the RELAP5 ANSR conceptual design system model and preliminary LOCA simulation results. Some previous studies were conducted for the preconceptual design. 12 refs., 7 figs

A new oxidation flow reactor for measuring secondary aerosol formation of rapidly changing emission sources

Science.gov (United States)

Simonen, Pauli; Saukko, Erkka; Karjalainen, Panu; Timonen, Hilkka; Bloss, Matthew; Aakko-Saksa, Päivi; Rönkkö, Topi; Keskinen, Jorma; Dal Maso, Miikka

2017-04-01

Oxidation flow reactors (OFRs) or environmental chambers can be used to estimate secondary aerosol formation potential of different emission sources. Emissions from anthropogenic sources, such as vehicles, often vary on short timescales. For example, to identify the vehicle driving conditions that lead to high potential secondary aerosol emissions, rapid oxidation of exhaust is needed. However, the residence times in environmental chambers and in most oxidation flow reactors are too long to study these transient effects ( ˜ 100 s in flow reactors and several hours in environmental chambers). Here, we present a new oxidation flow reactor, TSAR (TUT Secondary Aerosol Reactor), which has a short residence time ( ˜ 40 s) and near-laminar flow conditions. These improvements are achieved by reducing the reactor radius and volume. This allows studying, for example, the effect of vehicle driving conditions on the secondary aerosol formation potential of the exhaust. We show that the flow pattern in TSAR is nearly laminar and particle losses are negligible. The secondary organic aerosol (SOA) produced in TSAR has a similar mass spectrum to the SOA produced in the state-of-the-art reactor, PAM (potential aerosol mass). Both reactors produce the same amount of mass, but TSAR has a higher time resolution. We also show that TSAR is capable of measuring the secondary aerosol formation potential of a vehicle during a transient driving cycle and that the fast response of TSAR reveals how different driving conditions affect the amount of formed secondary aerosol. Thus, TSAR can be used to study rapidly changing emission sources, especially the vehicular emissions during transient driving.

Updated pipe break analysis for Advanced Neutron Source Reactor conceptual design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wendel, M.W.; Chen, N.C.J.; Yoder, G.L.

1994-01-01

The Advanced Neutron Source Reactor (ANSR) is a research reactor to be built at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory that will supply the highest continuous neutron flux levels of any reactor in the world. It uses plate-type fuel with high-mass-flux and highly subcooled heavy water as the primary coolant. The Conceptual Safety Analysis for the ANSR was completed in June 1992. The thermal-hydraulic pipe-break safety analysis (performed with a specialized version of RELAP5/MOD3) focused primarily on double-ended guillotine breaks of the primary piping and some core-damage mitigation options for such an event. Smaller, instantaneous pipe breaks in the cold- and hot-leg piping were also analyzed to a limited extent. Since the initial analysis for the conceptual design was completed, several important changes to the RELAP5 input model have been made reflecting improvements in the fuel grading and changes in the elevation of the primary coolant pumps. Also, a new philosophy for pipe-break safety analysis (similar to that adopted for the New Production Reactor) accentuates instantaneous, limited flow area pipe-break accidents in addition to finite-opening-time, double-ended guillotine breaks of the major coolant piping. This paper discloses the results of the most recent instantaneous pipe-break calculations

A method for measuring power signal background and source strength in a fission reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baers, B.; Kall, L.; Visuri, P.

1977-01-01

Theory and experimental verification of a novel method for measuring power signal bias and source strength in a fission reactor are reported. A minicomputer was applied in the measurements. The method is an extension of the inverse kinetics method presented by Mogilner et al. (Auth.)

Subcriticality calculation in nuclear reactors with external neutron sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva, Adilson Costa da; Martinez, Aquilino Senra; Silva, Fernando Carvalho da [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-graduacao de Engenharia (COPPE). Programa de Engenharia Nuclear]. E-mails: asilva@con.ufrj.br; aquilino@lmp.ufrj.br; fernando@con.ufrj.br

2007-07-01

The main objective of this paper consists on the development of a methodology to monitor subcriticality. We used the inverse point kinetic equation with 6 precursor groups and external neutron sources for the calculation of reactivity. The input data for the inverse point kinetic equation was adjusted, in order to use the neutron counting rates obtained from the subcritical multiplication (1/M) in a nuclear reactor. In this paper, we assumed that the external neutron sources strength is constant and we define it in terms of a known initial condition. The results obtained from inverse point kinetic equation with external neutron sources were compared with the results obtained with a benchmark calculation, and showed good accuracy (author)

Subcriticality calculation in nuclear reactors with external neutron sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, Adilson Costa da; Martinez, Aquilino Senra; Silva, Fernando Carvalho da

2007-01-01

The main objective of this paper consists on the development of a methodology to monitor subcriticality. We used the inverse point kinetic equation with 6 precursor groups and external neutron sources for the calculation of reactivity. The input data for the inverse point kinetic equation was adjusted, in order to use the neutron counting rates obtained from the subcritical multiplication (1/M) in a nuclear reactor. In this paper, we assumed that the external neutron sources strength is constant and we define it in terms of a known initial condition. The results obtained from inverse point kinetic equation with external neutron sources were compared with the results obtained with a benchmark calculation, and showed good accuracy (author)

The source term and waste optimization of molten salt reactors with processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gat, U.; Dodds, H.L.

1993-01-01

The source term of a molten salt reactor (MSR) with fuel processing is reduced by the ratio of processing time to refueling time as compared to solid fuel reactors. The reduction, which can be one to two orders of magnitude, is due to removal of the long-lived fission products. The waste from MSRs can be optimized with respect to its chemical composition, concentration, mixture, shape, and size. The actinides and long-lived isotopes can be separated out and returned to the reactor for transmutation. These features make MSRs more acceptable and simpler in operation and handling

Productivity of a nuclear chemical reactor with gamma radioisotopic sources; Rendimiento de un reactor quimico-nuclear con fuentes radioisotopicas gamma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anguis T, C

1975-07-01

According to an established mathematical model of successive Compton interaction processes the made calculations for major distances are extended checking the acceptability of the spheric geometry model for the experimental data for radioisotopic sources of Co-60 and Cs-137. Parameters such as the increasing factor and the absorbed dose served as comparative base. calculations for the case of a punctual source succession inside a determined volume cylinder are made to obtain the total dose, the deposited energy by each photons energetic group and the total absorbed energy inside the reactor. Varying adequately the height/radius relation for different cylinders, the distinct energy depositions are compared in each one of them once a time standardized toward a standard value of energy emitted by the reactor volume. A relation between the quantity of deposited energy in each point of the reactor and the conversion values of chemical species is established. They are induced by electromagnetic radiation and that are reported as ''G'' in the scientific literature (number of molecules formed or disappeared by each 100 e.v. of energy). Once obtained the molecular performance inside the reactor for each type of geometry, it is optimized the height/radius relation according to the maximum production of molecules by unity of time. It is completed a bibliographical review of ''G'' values reported by different types of aqueous solutions with the purpose to determine the maximum performance of molecular hydrogen as a function of pH of the solution and of the used type of solute among other factors. Calculations for the ethyl bromide production as an example of one of the industrial processes which actually work using the gamma radiation as reactions inductor are realized. (Author)

Productivity of a nuclear chemical reactor with gamma radioisotopic sources; Rendimiento de un reactor quimico-nuclear con fuentes radioisotopicas gamma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anguis T, C

1975-07-01

According to an established mathematical model of successive Compton interaction processes the made calculations for major distances are extended checking the acceptability of the spheric geometry model for the experimental data for radioisotopic sources of Co-60 and Cs-137. Parameters such as the increasing factor and the absorbed dose served as comparative base. calculations for the case of a punctual source succession inside a determined volume cylinder are made to obtain the total dose, the deposited energy by each photons energetic group and the total absorbed energy inside the reactor. Varying adequately the height/radius relation for different cylinders, the distinct energy depositions are compared in each one of them once a time standardized toward a standard value of energy emitted by the reactor volume. A relation between the quantity of deposited energy in each point of the reactor and the conversion values of chemical species is established. They are induced by electromagnetic radiation and that are reported as ''G'' in the scientific literature (number of molecules formed or disappeared by each 100 e.v. of energy). Once obtained the molecular performance inside the reactor for each type of geometry, it is optimized the height/radius relation according to the maximum production of molecules by unity of time. It is completed a bibliographical review of ''G'' values reported by different types of aqueous solutions with the purpose to determine the maximum performance of molecular hydrogen as a function of pH of the solution and of the used type of solute among other factors. Calculations for the ethyl bromide production as an example of one of the industrial processes which actually work using the gamma radiation as reactions inductor are realized. (Author)

Neutron and gamma ray streaming experiments at the fast neutron source reactor 'YAYOI'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oka, Yoshiaki; Yanagisawa, Ichiro; Akiyama, Masatsugu; An, Shigehiro

1979-07-01

Neutron and gamma ray streaming experiments were performed in the ducts and cavities that were located in the heavy concrete shields of the fast neutron source reactor YAYOI of University of Tokyo. The configurations have the feature that the streaming through the ducts are occurred following the scattering in the cavity. The axes of the ducts are perpendicular to the source radiation from the core. The spectrum of the source was modified by putting a plug in the beam hole of the core. An aluminum plug and the plug which contains paraffin were used. The decay in the ducts, however, hardly depends on the source spectrum. The decay in the ducts is nearly exponential. (author)

Integral Fast Reactor: A future source of nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Southon, R.

1993-01-01

Argonne National Laboratory is developing a reactor concept that would be an important part of the worlds energy future. This report discusses the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) concept which provides significant improvements over current generation reactors in reactor safety, plant complexity, nuclear proliferation, and waste generation. Two major facilities, a reactor and a fuel cycle facility, make up the IFR concept. The reactor uses fast neutrons and metal fuel in a sodium coolant at atmospheric pressure that relies on laws of physics to keep it safe. The fuel cycle facility is a hot cell using remote handling techniques for fabricating reactor fuel. The fuel feed stock includes spent fuel from the reactor, and potentially, spent light water reactor fuel and plutonium from weapons. This paper discusses the unique features of the IFR concept and the differences the quality assurance program has from current commercial practices. The IFR concept provides an opportunity to design a quality assurance program that makes use of the best contemporary ideas on management and quality

Regulatory Technology Development Plan - Sodium Fast Reactor. Mechanistic Source Term - Metal Fuel Radionuclide Release

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grabaskas, David; Bucknor, Matthew; Jerden, James

2016-01-01

The development of an accurate and defensible mechanistic source term will be vital for the future licensing efforts of metal fuel, pool-type sodium fast reactors. To assist in the creation of a comprehensive mechanistic source term, the current effort sought to estimate the release fraction of radionuclides from metal fuel pins to the primary sodium coolant during fuel pin failures at a variety of temperature conditions. These release estimates were based on the findings of an extensive literature search, which reviewed past experimentation and reactor fuel damage accidents. Data sources for each radionuclide of interest were reviewed to establish release fractions, along with possible release dependencies, and the corresponding uncertainty levels. Although the current knowledge base is substantial, and radionuclide release fractions were established for the elements deemed important for the determination of offsite consequences following a reactor accident, gaps were found pertaining to several radionuclides. First, there is uncertainty regarding the transport behavior of several radionuclides (iodine, barium, strontium, tellurium, and europium) during metal fuel irradiation to high burnup levels. The migration of these radionuclides within the fuel matrix and bond sodium region can greatly affect their release during pin failure incidents. Post-irradiation examination of existing high burnup metal fuel can likely resolve this knowledge gap. Second, data regarding the radionuclide release from molten high burnup metal fuel in sodium is sparse, which makes the assessment of radionuclide release from fuel melting accidents at high fuel burnup levels difficult. This gap could be addressed through fuel melting experimentation with samples from the existing high burnup metal fuel inventory.

Regulatory Technology Development Plan - Sodium Fast Reactor. Mechanistic Source Term - Metal Fuel Radionuclide Release

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grabaskas, David [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Bucknor, Matthew [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Jerden, James [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

2016-02-01

The development of an accurate and defensible mechanistic source term will be vital for the future licensing efforts of metal fuel, pool-type sodium fast reactors. To assist in the creation of a comprehensive mechanistic source term, the current effort sought to estimate the release fraction of radionuclides from metal fuel pins to the primary sodium coolant during fuel pin failures at a variety of temperature conditions. These release estimates were based on the findings of an extensive literature search, which reviewed past experimentation and reactor fuel damage accidents. Data sources for each radionuclide of interest were reviewed to establish release fractions, along with possible release dependencies, and the corresponding uncertainty levels. Although the current knowledge base is substantial, and radionuclide release fractions were established for the elements deemed important for the determination of offsite consequences following a reactor accident, gaps were found pertaining to several radionuclides. First, there is uncertainty regarding the transport behavior of several radionuclides (iodine, barium, strontium, tellurium, and europium) during metal fuel irradiation to high burnup levels. The migration of these radionuclides within the fuel matrix and bond sodium region can greatly affect their release during pin failure incidents. Post-irradiation examination of existing high burnup metal fuel can likely resolve this knowledge gap. Second, data regarding the radionuclide release from molten high burnup metal fuel in sodium is sparse, which makes the assessment of radionuclide release from fuel melting accidents at high fuel burnup levels difficult. This gap could be addressed through fuel melting experimentation with samples from the existing high burnup metal fuel inventory.

An accelerator based steady state neutron source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burke, R.J.; Johnson, D.L.

1985-01-01

Using high current, c.w. linear accelerator technology, a spallation neutron source can achieve much higher average intensities than existing or proposed pulsed spallation sources. With about 100 mA of 300 MeV protons or deuterons, the Accelerator Based Neutron Research Facility (ABNR) would initially achieve the 10 16 n/cm 2 .s thermal flux goal of the advanced steady state neutron source, and upgrading could provide higher steady state fluxes. The relatively low ion energy compared to other spallation sources has an important impact on R and D requirements as well as capital cost, for which a range of $300-450M is estimated by comparison to other accelerator-based neutron source facilities. The source is similar to a reactor source in most respects. It has some higher energy neutrons but fewer gamma rays, and the moderator region is free of many of the design constraints of a reactor, which helps to implement sources for various neutron energy spectra, many beam tubes, etc. With the development of multi-beam concept and the basis for currents greater than 100 mA that is assumed in the R and D plan, the ABNR would serve many additional uses, such as fusion materials development, production of proton-rich isotopes, and other energy and defense program needs

Some preliminary design considerations for the ANS [Advanced Neutron Source] reactor cold source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henderson, D.L.

1988-01-01

Two areas concerned with the design of the Advanced Neutron Source (ANS) cold source have been investigated by simple one-dimensional calculations. The gain factors computed for a possible liquid nitrogen-15 cold source moderator are considerably below those computed for the much colder liquid deuterium moderator, as is reasonable considering the difference in moderator temperature. Nevertheless, nitrogen-15 does represent a viable option should safety related issues prohibit the use of deuterium as a moderating material. The slab geometry calculations have indicated that reflection of neutrons may be the dominant moderating mechanism and should be a consideration in the design of the cold source. 9 refs., 2 figs

Optimization study of ultracold neutron sources at TRIGA reactors using MCNP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pokotilovskij, Yu.N.; Rogov, A.D.

1997-01-01

Monte Carlo simulation for the optimization of ultracold and very cold neutron sources for TRIGA reactors is performed. The calculations of thermal and cold neutron fluxes from the TRIGA reactor for different positions and configurations of a very cold solid methane moderator were performed with using the MCNP program. The production of neutrons in the ultracold and very cold energy range was calculated for the most promising final moderators (converters): very cold solid deuterium and heavy methane. The radiation energy deposition was calculated for the optimized solid methane-heavy methane cold neutron moderator

INR TRIGA Research Reactors: A Neutron Source for Radioisotopes and Materials Investigation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbos, D.; Ciocanescu, M.; Paunoiu, C.; Bucsa, A.F.

2013-01-01

At the INR there are 2 high intensity neutron sources. These sources are in fact the two nuclear TRIGA reactors: TRIGA SSR 14 MW and TRIGA ACPR. TRIGA stationary reactor is provided with several in-core irradiation channels. Other several out-of-core irradiation channels are located in the vertical channels in the beryllium reflector blocks. The maximum value of the thermal neutron flux (E 14 cm -2 s -1 and of fast neutron flux (E>1 MeV) is 6.89×10 13 cm -2 s -1 . For neutron activation analysis both reactors are used and k0-NAA method has been implemented. At INR Pitesti a prompt gamma ray neutron activation analysis devices has been designed, manufactured ant put into operation. For nuclear materials properties investigation neutron radiography methods was developed in INR. For these purposes two neutron radiography devices were manufacture, one of them underwater and other one dry. The neutron beams are used for investigation of materials properties and components produced or under development for applications in the energy sector (fission and fusion). At TRIGA 14 MW reactor a neutron difractormeter and a SANS devices are available for material residual stress and texture measurements. TRIGA 14 MW reactor is used for medical and industrial radioisotopes production ( 131 I, 125 I, 192 Ir, etc) and a method for 99 Mo- 99 Tc production from fission is under developing. At INR Pitesti several special programmes for new types of nuclear fuel behavior characterization are under development. (author)

Utilization of vinasse effluents from an anaerobic reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Costa, F J.C.B.; Rocha, B B.M.; Viana, C E; Toledo, A C

1986-01-01

An anaerobic reactor was developed to biodigest alcohol distillery wastes. A further post-treatment of the effluent reduced the level of pollution to the point of eventually discharging into streams and rivers. The present work also analyses the use of biodigested vinasse as a source of food for fish. Very high efficiencies were obtained during primary and secondary treatment of vinasse effluent, as demonstrated by the greatly reduced organic load. The utilization of the treated effluent as a source of fish food presents an excellent alternative for the Brazilian alcohol industry. (Refs. 6).

WWER type reactors used as multipurpose nuclear power sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fiala, J.; Mulak, J.

1976-01-01

Safety aspects are assessed of the siting of nuclear power installations in the vicinity of large housing estates and in areas with a high population density, mainly the aspect of the liquidation of the consequences of the maximum credible accident, i.e., the transversal rupture of the primary coolant circuit. The application of WWER type reactors as multipurpose nuclear power sources in Czechoslovakia is justified. It is shown that such a multipurpose nuclear power source differs from a purely condensation nuclear power plant mainly in the design of the secondary stage. The possibilities of such projects are indicated with a view to power and heat operation. (F.M.)

High Flux Isotope Reactor cold neutron source reference design concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Selby, D.L.; Lucas, A.T.; Hyman, C.R.

1998-05-01

In February 1995, Oak Ridge National Laboratory's (ORNL's) deputy director formed a group to examine the need for upgrades to the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) system in light of the cancellation of the Advanced neutron Source Project. One of the major findings of this study was that there was an immediate need for the installation of a cold neutron source facility in the HFIR complex. In May 1995, a team was formed to examine the feasibility of retrofitting a liquid hydrogen (LH 2 ) cold source facility into an existing HFIR beam tube. The results of this feasibility study indicated that the most practical location for such a cold source was the HB-4 beam tube. This location provides a potential flux environment higher than the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) vertical cold source and maximizes the space available for a future cold neutron guide hall expansion. It was determined that this cold neutron beam would be comparable, in cold neutron brightness, to the best facilities in the world, and a decision was made to complete a preconceptual design study with the intention of proceeding with an activity to install a working LH 2 cold source in the HFIR HB-4 beam tube. During the development of the reference design the liquid hydrogen concept was changed to a supercritical hydrogen system for a number of reasons. This report documents the reference supercritical hydrogen design and its performance. The cold source project has been divided into four phases: (1) preconceptual, (2) conceptual design and testing, (3) detailed design and procurement, and (4) installation and operation. This report marks the conclusion of the conceptual design phase and establishes the baseline reference concept

Safety and Environment aspects of Tokamak- type Fusion Power Reactor- An Overview

Science.gov (United States)

Doshi, Bharat; Reddy, D. Chenna

2017-04-01

Naturally occurring thermonuclear fusion reaction (of light atoms to form a heavier nucleus) in the sun and every star in the universe, releases incredible amounts of energy. Demonstrating the controlled and sustained reaction of deuterium-tritium plasma should enable the development of fusion as an energy source here on Earth. The promising fusion power reactors could be operated on the deuterium-tritium fuel cycle with fuel self-sufficiency. The potential impact of fusion power on the environment and the possible risks associated with operating large-scale fusion power plants is being studied by different countries. The results show that fusion can be a very safe and sustainable energy source. A fusion power plant possesses not only intrinsic advantages with respect to safety compared to other sources of energy, but also a negligible long term impact on the environment provided certain precautions are taken in its design. One of the important considerations is in the selection of low activation structural materials for reactor vessel. Selection of the materials for first wall and breeding blanket components is also important from safety issues. It is possible to fully benefit from the advantages of fusion energy if safety and environmental concerns are taken into account when considering the conceptual studies of a reactor design. The significant safety hazards are due to the tritium inventory and energetic neutron fluence induced activity in the reactor vessel, first wall components, blanket system etc. The potential of release of radioactivity under operational and accident conditions needs attention while designing the fusion reactor. Appropriate safety analysis for the quantification of the risk shall be done following different methods such as FFMEA (Functional Failure Modes and Effects Analysis) and HAZOP (Hazards and operability). Level of safety and safety classification such as nuclear safety and non-nuclear safety is very important for the FPR (Fusion

Impact of source terms on distances to which reactor accident consequences occur

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ostmeyer, R.M.

1982-01-01

Estimates of the distances over which reactor accident consequences might occur are important for development of siting criteria and for emergency response planning. This paper summarizes the results of a series of CRAC2 calculations performed to estimate these distances. Because of the current controversy concerning the magnitude of source terms for severe accidents, the impact of source term reductions upon distance estimates is also examined

An Account of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Thirteen Research Reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosenthal, Murray Wilford

2009-01-01

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory has built and operated 13 nuclear reactors in its 66-year history. The first was the graphite reactor, the world's first operational nuclear reactor, which served as a plutonium production pilot plant during World War II. It was followed by two aqueous-homogeneous reactors and two red-hot molten-salt reactors that were parts of power-reactor development programs and by eight others designed for research and radioisotope production. One of the eight was an all-metal fast burst reactor used for health physics studies. All of the others were light-water cooled and moderated, including the famous swimming-pool reactor that was copied dozens of times around the world. Two of the reactors were hoisted 200 feet into the air to study the shielding needs of proposed nuclear-powered aircraft. The final reactor, and the only one still operating today, is the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) that was built particularly for the production of californium and other heavy elements. With the world's highest flux and recent upgrades that include the addition of a cold neutron source, the 44-year-old HFIR continues to be a valuable tool for research and isotope production, attracting some 500 scientific visitors and guests to Oak Ridge each year. This report describes all of the reactors and their histories.

High Flux Isotope Reactor cold neutron source reference design concept

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Selby, D.L.; Lucas, A.T.; Hyman, C.R. [and others

1998-05-01

In February 1995, Oak Ridge National Laboratory`s (ORNL`s) deputy director formed a group to examine the need for upgrades to the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) system in light of the cancellation of the Advanced neutron Source Project. One of the major findings of this study was that there was an immediate need for the installation of a cold neutron source facility in the HFIR complex. In May 1995, a team was formed to examine the feasibility of retrofitting a liquid hydrogen (LH{sub 2}) cold source facility into an existing HFIR beam tube. The results of this feasibility study indicated that the most practical location for such a cold source was the HB-4 beam tube. This location provides a potential flux environment higher than the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) vertical cold source and maximizes the space available for a future cold neutron guide hall expansion. It was determined that this cold neutron beam would be comparable, in cold neutron brightness, to the best facilities in the world, and a decision was made to complete a preconceptual design study with the intention of proceeding with an activity to install a working LH{sub 2} cold source in the HFIR HB-4 beam tube. During the development of the reference design the liquid hydrogen concept was changed to a supercritical hydrogen system for a number of reasons. This report documents the reference supercritical hydrogen design and its performance. The cold source project has been divided into four phases: (1) preconceptual, (2) conceptual design and testing, (3) detailed design and procurement, and (4) installation and operation. This report marks the conclusion of the conceptual design phase and establishes the baseline reference concept.

Investigating The Neutron Flux Distribution Of The Miniature Neutron Source Reactor MNSR Type

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen Hoang Hai; Do Quang Binh

2011-01-01

Neutron flux distribution is the important characteristic of nuclear reactor. In this article, four energy group neutron flux distributions of the miniature neutron source reactor MNSR type versus radial and axial directions are investigated in case the control rod is fully withdrawn. In addition, the effect of control rod positions on the thermal neutron flux distribution is also studied. The group constants for all reactor components are generated by the WIMSD code, and the neutron flux distributions are calculated by the CITATION code. The results show that the control rod positions only affect in the planning area for distribution in the region around the control rod. (author)

Nuclear heat source design for an advanced HTGR process heat plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDonald, C.F.; O'Hanlon, T.W.

1983-01-01

A high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) coupled with a chemical process facility could produce synthetic fuels (i.e., oil, gasoline, aviation fuel, methanol, hydrogen, etc.) in the long term using low-grade carbon sources (e.g., coal, oil shale, etc.). The ultimate high-temperature capability of an advanced HTGR variant is being studied for nuclear process heat. This paper discusses a process heat plant with a 2240-MW(t) nuclear heat source, a reactor outlet temperature of 950 0 C, and a direct reforming process. The nuclear heat source outputs principally hydrogen-rich synthesis gas that can be used as a feedstock for synthetic fuel production. This paper emphasizes the design of the nuclear heat source and discusses the major components and a deployment strategy to realize an advanced HTGR process heat plant concept

Cylindrical IEC neutron source design for driven research reactor operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miley, G.H.; Ulmen, B.; Amadio, G.; Leon, H.; Hora, H.

2009-01-01

A resurgence in nuclear power use is now underway worldwide. However, due many university research reactors shutdown, they must rely on using subcritical assemblies which employs a cylindrical Inertial Electrostatic Confinement (IEC) device to provide a fusion neutron source. The source is inserted in a fuel element position, with its power input controlled externally at a control panel. This feature opens the way to use of the critical assembly for a number of transient experiments such as sub-critical pulsing and neutron wave propagation. That in turn adds important new insights and excitement for the student teaching laboratory. (author)

A conceptual design of neutron tumor therapy reactor facility with a YAYOI based fast neutron source reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wakabayashi, Hiroaki; An, Shigehiro.

1983-01-01

Fast neutron is known as one of useful radiations for radiation therapy of tumors. Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) of tumors which makes use of 10 B(n, α) 7 Li reaction of 10 B compounds selectively attached to tumor cells with thermal and intermediate neutrons is another way of neutron based radiation therapy which is, above all, attractive enough to kill tumor cells selectively sparing normal tissue. In Japan, BNCT has already been applied and leaned to be effective. After more than a decade operational experiences and the specific experiments designed for therapeutical purposes, in this paper, a conceptual design of a special neutron therapy reactor facility based on YAYOI - fast neutron source reactor of Nuclear Engineering Research Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering, the University of Tokyo - modified to provide an upward beam of fast and intermediate neutrons is presented. Emphasis is placed on the in-house nature of facility and on the coordinating capability of biological and physical researches as well as maintenances of the facility. (author)

High flux isotope reactor cold source preconceptual design study report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Selby, D.L.; Bucholz, J.A.; Burnette, S.E.

1995-12-01

In February 1995, the deputy director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) formed a group to examine the need for upgrades to the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) system in light of the cancellation of the Advanced Neutron Source Project. One of the major findings of this study was that there was an immediate need for the installation of a cold neutron source facility in the HFIR complex. The anticipated cold source will consist of a cryogenic LH 2 moderator plug, a cryogenic pump system, a refrigerator that uses helium gas as a refrigerant, a heat exchanger to interface the refrigerant with the hydrogen loop, liquid hydrogen transfer lines, a gas handling system that includes vacuum lines, and an instrumentation and control system to provide constant system status monitoring and to maintain system stability. The scope of this project includes the development, design, safety analysis, procurement/fabrication, testing, and installation of all of the components necessary to produce a working cold source within an existing HFIR beam tube. This project will also include those activities necessary to transport the cold neutron beam to the front face of the present HFIR beam room. The cold source project has been divided into four phases: (1) preconceptual, (2) conceptual design and research and development (R and D), (3) detailed design and procurement, and (4) installation and operation. This report marks the conclusion of the preconceptual phase and establishes the concept feasibility. The information presented includes the project scope, the preliminary design requirements, the preliminary cost and schedule, the preliminary performance data, and an outline of the various plans for completing the project

Derivation of the source term, dose results and associated radiological consequences for the Greek Research Reactor – 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pappas, Charalampos, E-mail: chpappas@ipta.demokritos.gr; Ikonomopoulos, Andreas; Sfetsos, Athanasios; Andronopoulos, Spyros; Varvayanni, Melpomeni; Catsaros, Nicolas

2014-07-01

Highlights: • Source term derivation of postulated accident sequences in a research reactor. • Various containment ventilation scenarios considered for source term calculations. • Source term parametric analysis performed in case of lack of ventilation. • JRODOS employed for dose calculations under eighteen modeled scenarios. • Estimation of radiological consequences during typical and adverse weather scenarios. - Abstract: The estimated source term, dose results and radiological consequences of selected accident sequences in the Greek Research Reactor – 1 are presented and discussed. A systematic approach has been adopted to perform the necessary calculations in accordance with the latest computational developments and IAEA recommendations. Loss-of-coolant, reactivity insertion and fuel channel blockage accident sequences have been selected to derive the associated source terms under three distinct containment ventilation scenarios. Core damage has been conservatively assessed for each accident sequence while the ventilation has been assumed to function within the efficiency limits defined at the Safety Analysis Report. In case of lack of ventilation a parametric analysis is also performed to examine the dependency of the source term on the containment leakage rate. A typical as well as an adverse meteorological scenario have been defined in the JRODOS computational platform in order to predict the effective, lung and thyroid doses within a region defined by a 15 km radius downwind from the reactor building. The radiological consequences of the eighteen scenarios associated with the accident sequences are presented and discussed.

Promising design options for the encapsulated nuclear heat source reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conway, L.; Carelli, M.D.; Dzodzo, M.; Hossain, Q.; Brown, N.W.; Wade, D.C.; Sienick, J.J.; Greenspan, E.; Kastenberg, W.E.; Saphier, D.

2001-01-01

Promising design options for the Encapsulated Nuclear Heat Source (ENHS) liquid-metal cooled fast reactor were identified during the first year of the DOE NERI program sponsored feasibility study. Many opportunities for incorporation of innovations in design and fabrication were identified. Three of the innovations are hereby described: a novel IHX (intermediate heat exchanger) made of a relatively small number of rectangular channels, an ENHS module design featuring 100% natural circulation, and a novel conceptual design of core support and fuelling. As a result of the first year study the ENHS concept appears more practical and more promising than perceived at the outset of this study. (authors)

Promising design options for the encapsulated nuclear heat source reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Conway, L.; Carelli, M.D.; Dzodzo, M. [Westinghouse Science and Technology, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Hossain, Q.; Brown, N.W. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States); Wade, D.C.; Sienick, J.J. [Argonne National Lab., IL (United States); Greenspan, E.; Kastenberg, W.E.; Saphier, D. [University of California Dept of Nuclear Engineering, Berkeley, CA (United States)

2001-07-01

Promising design options for the Encapsulated Nuclear Heat Source (ENHS) liquid-metal cooled fast reactor were identified during the first year of the DOE NERI program sponsored feasibility study. Many opportunities for incorporation of innovations in design and fabrication were identified. Three of the innovations are hereby described: a novel IHX (intermediate heat exchanger) made of a relatively small number of rectangular channels, an ENHS module design featuring 100% natural circulation, and a novel conceptual design of core support and fuelling. As a result of the first year study the ENHS concept appears more practical and more promising than perceived at the outset of this study. (authors)

Efficiency factor of a chemical nuclear reactor with gamma sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anguis T, C.

1975-01-01

A chemonuclear reactor is simulated in order to calculate the efficiency factor of molecular species in chemical reactions induced by gamma radiation, with the purpose to obtain information for its design and consider the electromagnetic energy as a possible solution to the present problem of energy. The research is based on a mathematical model of succesive Compton processes applied to spherical and cylindrical geometry and corroborated through the absorbed dose and the experimental date of the increase factor, for the radioisotopic sources Co-60 and Cs-137 relating the quantity of energy deposited into various cylinders with the G value, the relation radius/height of the reactor is optimized according to the molecular production. This is illustrated with the radiolysis of a solution of CH 3 OH/H 2 O which forms H 2 and with the obtainment of C 2 H 5 Br that represents and industrial process induced radioactively. The results show a greater energy deposition with Cs-137 but a larger production of H 2 /hr with Co-60, and besides we can find high production values of C 2 H 5 Br. The cylinder with more advantages is that whose relation R/H is of 0.5. It can be concluded that the final selection of the reactor should be made after a more intense study of the used isotope and the source activity. The efficiency factor of H 2 can be increased selecting the appropriate type and concentration of solute of the irradiated aqueous solutions

Fukushima - calculation of the reactor core inventory and storage pools Dai-ichi 1 to Dai-ichi 4, an estimation of a source term

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krpelanova, M.; Carny, P.

2011-01-01

Inventory of the reactor core and spent fuel storage pool of the reactors at Dai-ichi 1 to Dai-ichi 4 was determined to need a realistic estimate of the source (released into the atmosphere environment) and modelling of radiological impact of the events in Fukushima NPP. Calculations of inventories were carried out by the methodology that is used in systems to support emergency response and crisis management anymore. Calculations were made based on a model that respects knowledge of real fuels and fuel cycles for individual reactors Dai-ichi. Necessary input data for training the model and calculate inventories are obtained from the IAEA PRIS database.

Serious reactor accidents reconsidered

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-12-01

The chance is determined for damage of the reactor core and that sequel events will cause excursion of radioactive materials into the environment. The gravity of such an accident is expressed by the source term. It appears that the chance for such an accident varies with the source term. In general it is valid that how larger the source term how smaller the chance is for it and vice versa. The chance for excursion is related to two complexes of events: serious damage (meltdown) of the reactor core, and the escape of the liberated radionuclides into the environment. The results are an order of magnitude consideration of the relation between the extent of the source term and the chance for it. From the spectrum of possible source terms three representative ones have been chosen: a large, a medium and a relative small source term. This choice is in accordance with international considerations. The hearth of this study is the estimation of the chance for occurrence of the three chosen source terms for new light-water reactors. refs.; figs.; tabs

Effect of hypoiodous acid volatility on the iodine source term in reactor accidents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Routamo, T [Imatran Voima Oy, Vantaa (Finland)

1996-12-01

A FORTRAN code ACT WATCH has been developed to establish an improved understanding of essential radionuclide behaviour mechanisms, especially related to iodine chemistry, in reactor accidents. The accident scenarios calculated in this paper are based on the Loss of Coolant accident at the Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant. The effect of different airborne species, especially HIO, on the iodine source term has been studied. The main cause of the high HIO release in the system modelled is the increase of I{sub 2} hydrolysis rate along with the temperature increase, which accelerates HIO production. Due to the high radiation level near the reactor core, I{sub 2} is produced from I{sup -}very rapidly. High temperature in the reactor coolant causes I{sub 2} to be transformed into HIO and through the boiling of the coolant volatile I{sub 2} and HIO are transferred efficiently into the gas phase. High filtration efficiency for particulate iodine causes I{sup -} release to be much lower than those of I{sub 2} and HIO. (author) 15 figs., 1 tab., refs.

Effect of hypoiodous acid volatility on the iodine source term in reactor accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Routamo, T.

1996-01-01

A FORTRAN code ACT WATCH has been developed to establish an improved understanding of essential radionuclide behaviour mechanisms, especially related to iodine chemistry, in reactor accidents. The accident scenarios calculated in this paper are based on the Loss of Coolant accident at the Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant. The effect of different airborne species, especially HIO, on the iodine source term has been studied. The main cause of the high HIO release in the system modelled is the increase of I 2 hydrolysis rate along with the temperature increase, which accelerates HIO production. Due to the high radiation level near the reactor core, I 2 is produced from I - very rapidly. High temperature in the reactor coolant causes I 2 to be transformed into HIO and through the boiling of the coolant volatile I 2 and HIO are transferred efficiently into the gas phase. High filtration efficiency for particulate iodine causes I - release to be much lower than those of I 2 and HIO. (author) 15 figs., 1 tab., refs

Regulatory Technology Development Plan Sodium Fast Reactor. Mechanistic Source Term Development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grabaskas, David S. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Brunett, Acacia Joann [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Bucknor, Matthew D. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Sienicki, James J. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Sofu, Tanju [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

2015-02-28

Construction and operation of a nuclear power installation in the U.S. requires licensing by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). A vital part of this licensing process and integrated safety assessment entails the analysis of a source term (or source terms) that represents the release of radionuclides during normal operation and accident sequences. Historically, nuclear plant source term analyses have utilized deterministic, bounding assessments of the radionuclides released to the environment. Significant advancements in technical capabilities and the knowledge state have enabled the development of more realistic analyses such that a mechanistic source term (MST) assessment is now expected to be a requirement of advanced reactor licensing. This report focuses on the state of development of an MST for a sodium fast reactor (SFR), with the intent of aiding in the process of MST definition by qualitatively identifying and characterizing the major sources and transport processes of radionuclides. Due to common design characteristics among current U.S. SFR vendor designs, a metal-fuel, pool-type SFR has been selected as the reference design for this work, with all phenomenological discussions geared toward this specific reactor configuration. This works also aims to identify the key gaps and uncertainties in the current knowledge state that must be addressed for SFR MST development. It is anticipated that this knowledge state assessment can enable the coordination of technology and analysis tool development discussions such that any knowledge gaps may be addressed. Sources of radionuclides considered in this report include releases originating both in-vessel and ex-vessel, including in-core fuel, primary sodium and cover gas cleanup systems, and spent fuel movement and handling. Transport phenomena affecting various release groups are identified and qualitatively discussed, including fuel pin and primary coolant retention, and behavior in the cover gas and

Analytical solution of neutron transport equation in an annular reactor with a rotating pulsed source; Resolucao analitica da equacao de transporte de neutrons em um reator anelar com fonte pulsada rotativa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Teixeira, Paulo Cleber Mendonca

2002-12-01

In this study, an analytical solution of the neutron transport equation in an annular reactor is presented with a short and rotating neutron source of the type S(x) {delta} (x- Vt), where V is the speed of annular pulsed reactor. The study is an extension of a previous study by Williams [12] carried out with a pulsed source of the type S(x) {delta} (t). In the new concept of annular pulsed reactor designed to produce continuous high flux, the core consists of a subcritical annular geometry pulsed by a rotating modulator, producing local super prompt critical condition, thereby giving origin to a rotating neutron pulse. An analytical solution is obtained by opening up of the annular geometry and applying one energy group transport theory in one dimension using applied mathematical techniques of Laplace transform and Complex Variables. The general solution for the flux consists of a fundamental mode, a finite number of harmonics and a transient integral. A condition which limits the number of harmonics depending upon the circumference of the annular geometry has been obtained. Inverse Laplace transform technique is used to analyse instability condition in annular reactor core. A regenerator parameter in conjunction with perimeter of the ring and nuclear properties is used to obtain stable and unstable harmonics and to verify if these exist. It is found that the solution does not present instability in the conditions stated in the new concept of annular pulsed reactor. (author)

Plant protection system optimization studies to mitigate consequences of large breaks in the Advanced Neutron Source Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khayat, M.I.; March-Leuba, J.

1993-01-01

This paper documents some of the optimization studies performed to maximize the performance of the engineered safety features and scram systems to mitigate the consequences of large breaks in the primary cooling system of the Advanced Neutron Source (ANS) Reactor

A comparison of world-wide uses of severe reactor accident source terms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ang, M.L.; Frid, W.; Kersting, E.J.; Friederichs, H.G.; Lee, R.Y.; Meyer-Heine, A.; Powers, D.A.; Soda, K.; Sweet, D.

1994-09-01

The definitions of source terms to reactor containments and source terms to the environment are discussed. A comparison is made between the TID-14844 example source term and the alternative source term described in NUREG-1465. Comparisons of these source terms to the containments and those used in France, Germany, Japan, Sweden, and the United Kingdom are made. Source terms to the environment calculated in NUREG-1500 and WASH-1400 are discussed. Again, these source terms are compared to those now being used in France, Germany, Japan, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. It is concluded that source terms to the containment suggested in NUREG-1465 are not greatly more conservative than those used in other countries. Technical bases for the source terms are similar. The regulatory use of the current understanding of radionuclide behavior varies among countries

Toward a Mechanistic Source Term in Advanced Reactors: A Review of Past U.S. SFR Incidents, Experiments, and Analyses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bucknor, Matthew; Brunett, Acacia J.; Grabaskas, David

2016-04-17

In 2015, as part of a Regulatory Technology Development Plan (RTDP) effort for sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs), Argonne National Laboratory investigated the current state of knowledge of source term development for a metal-fueled, pool-type SFR. This paper provides a summary of past domestic metal-fueled SFR incidents and experiments and highlights information relevant to source term estimations that were gathered as part of the RTDP effort. The incidents described in this paper include fuel pin failures at the Sodium Reactor Experiment (SRE) facility in July of 1959, the Fermi I meltdown that occurred in October of 1966, and the repeated melting of a fuel element within an experimental capsule at the Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II) from November 1967 to May 1968. The experiments described in this paper include the Run-Beyond-Cladding-Breach tests that were performed at EBR-II in 1985 and a series of severe transient overpower tests conducted at the Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) in the mid-1980s.

A completely automatic operation type super-safe fast reactor, RAPID. Its application to dispersion source on lunar and earth surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanbe, Mitsuru; Tsunoda, Hirokazu; Mishima, Kaichiro; Kawasaki, Akira; Iwamura, Takamichi

2002-01-01

At a viewpoint of flexible measures to future electric power demands, expectation onto a small-scale reactor for dispersion source is increasing gradually. This is thought to increase its importance not only for a source at proximity of its market in advanced nations but also for the one in developing nations. A study on development of the completely automatic operation type super-safe fast reactor, RAPID (refueling by all pins integrated design) has been carried out as a part of the nuclear energy basic research promoting system under three years project since 1999 by a trust of the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute to a group of the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI) and so on. As the reactor is a lithium cooled fast reactor with 200 Kw of electric output supposing to use at lunar surface, it can be applied to a super-small scale nuclear reactor on the earth, and has feasibility to become a new option of future nuclear power generation. On the other hand, CRIEPI has investigated on various types of fast reactors (RAPID series) for fast reactor for dispersion source on the earth. Here was introduced on such super-safe fast reactors at a center of RAPID-L. (G.K.)

Reactor units for power supply to the Russian Arctic regions: Priority assessment of nuclear energy sources

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mel'nikov N. N.

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Under conditions of competitiveness of small nuclear power plants (SNPP and feasibility of their use to supply power to remote and inaccessible regions the competition occurs between nuclear energy sources, which is caused by a wide range of proposals for solving the problem of power supply to different consumers in the decentralized area of the Russian Arctic power complex. The paper suggests a methodological approach for expert assessment of the priority of small power reactor units based on the application of the point system. The priority types of the reactor units have been determined based on evaluation of the unit's conformity to the following criteria: the level of referentiality and readiness degree of reactor units to implementation; duration of the fuel cycle, which largely determines an autonomy level of the nuclear energy source; the possibility of creating a modular block structure of SNPP; the maximum weight of a transported single equipment for the reactor unit; service life of the main equipment. Within the proposed methodological approach the authors have performed a preliminary ranking of the reactor units according to various criteria, which allows quantitatively determining relative difference and priority of the small nuclear power plants projects aimed at energy supply to the Russian Arctic. To assess the sensitivity of the ranking results to the parameters of the point system the authors have observed the five-point and ten-point scales under variations of importance (weights of different criteria. The paper presents the results of preliminary ranking, which have allowed distinguishing the following types of the reactor units in order of their priority: ABV-6E (ABV-6M, "Uniterm" and SVBR-10 in the energy range up to 20 MW; RITM-200 (RITM-200M, KLT-40S and SVBR-100 in the energy range above 20 MW.

Regulatory impact of nuclear reactor accident source term assumptions. Technical report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pasedag, W.F.; Blond, R.M.; Jankowski, M.W.

1981-06-01

This report addresses the reactor accident source term implications on accident evaluations, regulations and regulatory requirements, engineered safety features, emergency planning, probabilistic risk assessment, and licensing practice. Assessment of the impact of source term modifications and evaluation of the effects in Design Basis Accident analyses, assuming a change of the chemical form of iodine from elemental to cesium iodide, has been provided. Engineered safety features used in current LWR designs are found to be effective for all postulated combinations of iodine source terms under DBA conditions. In terms of potential accident consequences, it is not expected that the difference in chemical form between elemental iodine and cesium iodide would be significant. In order to account for the current information on source terms, a spectrum of accident scenerios is discussed to realistically estimate the source terms resulting from a range of potential accident conditions

Structure shielding from cloud and fallout gamma ray sources for assessing the consequences of reactor accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burson, Z.G.; Profio, A.E.

1975-12-01

Radiation shielding provided by transportation vehicles and structures typical of where people live and work were estimated for cloud and fallout gamma-ray sources resulting from a hypothetical reactor accident. Dose reduction factors are recommended for a variety of situations for realistically assessing the consequences of reactor accidents

Reactor science and technology: operation and control of reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qiu Junlong

1994-01-01

This article is a collection of short reports on reactor operation and research in China in 1991. The operation of and research activities linked with the Heavy Water Research Reactor, Swimming Pool Reactor and Miniature Neutron Source Reactor are briefly surveyed. A number of papers then follow on the developing strategies in Chinese fast breeder reactor technology including the conceptual design of an experimental fast reactor (FFR), theoretical studies of FFR thermo-hydraulics and a design for an immersed sodium flowmeter. Reactor physics studies cover a range of topics including several related to work on zero power reactors. The section on reactor safety analysis is concerned largely with the assessment of established, and the presentation of new, computer codes for use in PWR safety calculations. Experimental and theoretical studies of fuels and reactor materials for FBRs, PWRs, BWRs and fusion reactors are described. A final miscellaneous section covers Mo-Tc isotope production in the swimming pool reactor, convective heat transfer in tubes and diffusion of tritium through plastic/aluminium composite films and Li 2 SiO 3 . (UK)

An assessment of the radiological consequences of accidents in research reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferreira, N.L.D.

1992-01-01

This work analyses the radiological consequences of accidents in two types of research reactors: a 5 MWt open pool reactor and a 50 MWt PWR reactor. Two siting cases have been considered: the reactor located near to a large population center and sited in a rural area. The influence of several factors such as source term, meteorological conditions and population distribution have been considered in the present analysis. (author)

Source-term reevaluation for US commercial nuclear power reactors: a status report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herzenberg, C.L.; Ball, J.R.; Ramaswami, D.

1984-12-01

Only results that had been discussed publicly, had been published in the open literature, or were available in preliminary reports as of September 30, 1984, are included here. More than 20 organizations are participating in source-term programs, which have been undertaken to examine severe accident phenomena in light-water power reactors (including the chemical and physical behavior of fission products under accident conditions), update and reevaluate source terms, and resolve differences between predictions and observations of radiation releases and related phenomena. Results from these source-term activities have been documented in over 100 publications to date

Analysis of core-concrete interaction event with flooding for the Advanced Neutron Source reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, S.H.; Taleyarkhan, R.P.; Georgevich, V.; Navarro-Valenti, S.

1993-01-01

This paper discusses salient aspects of the methodology, assumptions, and modeling of various features related to estimation of source terms from an accident involving a molten core-concrete interaction event (with and without flooding) in the Advanced Neutron Source (ANS) reactor at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Various containment configurations are considered for this postulated severe accident. Several design features (such as rupture disks) are examined to study containment response during this severe accident. Also, thermal-hydraulic response of the containment and radionuclide transport and retention in the containment are studied. The results are described as transient variations of source terms, which are then used for studying off-site radiological consequences and health effects for the support of the Conceptual Safety Analysis Report for ANS. The results are also to be used to examine the effectiveness of subpile room flooding during this type of severe accident

Containment performance analyses for the Advanced Neutron Source Reactor at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, S.H.; Taleyarkhan, R.P.; Georgevich, V.

1992-10-01

This paper discusses salient aspects of methodology, assumptions, and modeling of various features related to estimation of source terms from two conservatively scoped severe accident scenarios in the Advanced Neutron Source (ANS) reactor at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Various containment configurations are considered for steaming-pool-type accidents and an accident involving molten core-concrete interaction. Several design features (such as rupture disks) are examined to study containment response during postulated severe accidents. Also, thermal-hydraulic response of the containment and radionuclide transport and retention in the containment are studied. The results are described as transient variations of source terms for each scenario, which are to be used for studying off-site radiological consequences and health effects for these postulated severe accidents. Also highlighted will be a comparison of source terms estimated by two different versions of the MELCOR code

Fuel, structural material and coolant for an advanced fast micro-reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nascimento, Jamil A. do; Guimaraes, Lamartine N.F.; Ono, Shizuca

2011-01-01

The use of nuclear reactors in space, seabed or other Earth hostile environment in the future is a vision that some Brazilian nuclear researchers share. Currently, the USA, a leader in space exploration, has as long-term objectives the establishment of a permanent Moon base and to launch a manned mission to Mars. A nuclear micro-reactor is the power source chosen to provide energy for life support, electricity for systems, in these missions. A strategy to develop an advanced micro-reactor technologies may consider the current fast reactor technologies as back-up and the development of advanced fuel, structural and coolant materials. The next generation reactors (GEN-IV) for terrestrial applications will operate with high output temperature to allow advanced conversion cycle, such as Brayton, and hydrogen production, among others. The development of an advanced fast micro-reactor may create a synergy between the GEN-IV and space reactor technologies. Considering a set of basic requirements and materials properties this paper discusses the choice of advanced fuel, structural and coolant materials for a fast micro-reactor. The chosen candidate materials are: nitride, oxide as back-up, for fuel, lead, tin and gallium for coolant, ferritic MA-ODS and Mo alloys for core structures. The next step will be the neutronic and burnup evaluation of core concepts with this set of materials. (author)

Fast reactor physics - an overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, S.M.

2004-01-01

An introduction to the basic features of fast neutron reactors is made, highlighting the differences from the more conventional thermal neutron reactors. A discussion of important feedback reactivity mechanisms is given. Then an overview is presented of the methods of fast reactor physics, which play an important role in the successful design and operation of fast reactors. The methods are based on three main elements, namely (i) nuclear data bases, (ii) numerical methods and computer codes, and (iii) critical experiments. These elements are reviewed and the present status and future trends are summarized. (author)

Sources of radioactive waste from light-water reactors and their physical and chemical properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bell, M.J.; Collins, J.T.

1979-01-01

The general physical and chemical properties of waste streams in light-water reactors (LWRs) are described. The principal mechanisms for release and the release pathways to the environment are discussed. The calculation of liquid and gaseous source terms using one of the available models is presented. These calculated releases are compared with observed releases from operating LWRs. The computerized mathematical model used is the GALE Code which is the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff's model for calculating source terms for effluents from LWRs (USNRC76a, USNRC76b). Programs currently being conducted at operating reactors by the NRC, Electric Power Research Institute, and various utilities to better define the characteristics of waste streams and the performance of radwaste process equipment are described

A Liquid Deuterium Cold Neutron Source for the NIST Research Reactor - Conceptual Design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, R. E.; Middleton, M.; Kopetka, P.; Rowe, J. M.; Brand, P. C.

2013-01-01

The NBSR is a 20 MW research reactor operated by the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) as a neutron source providing beams of thermal and cold neutrons for research in materials science, fundamental physics and nuclear chemistry. A large, 550 mm diameter beam port was included in the design for the installation of a cold neutron source, and the NCNR has been steadily improving its cold neutron facilities for more than 25 years. Monte Carlo Simulations have shown that a liquid deuterium (LD 2 ) source will provide a gain of 1.5 to 2 for neutron wavelengths between 4 A and 10 A with respect to the existing liquid hydrogen cold source. The conceptual design for the LD 2 source will be presented. To achieve these gains, a large volume (35 litres) of LD 2 is required. The expected nuclear heat load in this moderator and vessel is 4000 W. A new, 7 kW helium refrigerator is being built to provide the necessary cooling capacity; it will be completely installed and tested early in 2014. The source will operate as a naturally circulating thermosiphon, very similar to the horizontal cold source in the High Flux Reactor at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) in Grenoble. A condenser will be mounted on the reactor face about 2 m above the source providing the gravitational head to supply the source with LD 2 . The system will always be open to a 16 m3 ballast tank to store the deuterium at 500 kPa when the refrigerator is not operating, and providing a passively safe response to a refrigerator trip. It is expected the source will operate at 23 K, the boiling point of LD 2 at 100 kPa. All components will be surrounded by a blanket of helium to prevent the possibility of creating a flammable mixture of deuterium and air. A design for the cryostat assembly, consisting of the moderator chamber, vacuum jacket, helium containment and a heavy water cooling water jacket, has been completed and sent to procurement to solicit bids. It is expected that installation of the LD 2 cold

A Liquid Deuterium Cold Neutron Source for the NIST Research Reactor - Conceptual Design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Williams, R. E.; Middleton, M.; Kopetka, P.; Rowe, J. M.; Brand, P. C. [NIST Center for Neutron Research, Gaithersburg (United States)

2013-07-01

The NBSR is a 20 MW research reactor operated by the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) as a neutron source providing beams of thermal and cold neutrons for research in materials science, fundamental physics and nuclear chemistry. A large, 550 mm diameter beam port was included in the design for the installation of a cold neutron source, and the NCNR has been steadily improving its cold neutron facilities for more than 25 years. Monte Carlo Simulations have shown that a liquid deuterium (LD{sub 2}) source will provide a gain of 1.5 to 2 for neutron wavelengths between 4 A and 10 A with respect to the existing liquid hydrogen cold source. The conceptual design for the LD{sub 2} source will be presented. To achieve these gains, a large volume (35 litres) of LD{sub 2} is required. The expected nuclear heat load in this moderator and vessel is 4000 W. A new, 7 kW helium refrigerator is being built to provide the necessary cooling capacity; it will be completely installed and tested early in 2014. The source will operate as a naturally circulating thermosiphon, very similar to the horizontal cold source in the High Flux Reactor at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) in Grenoble. A condenser will be mounted on the reactor face about 2 m above the source providing the gravitational head to supply the source with LD{sub 2}. The system will always be open to a 16 m3 ballast tank to store the deuterium at 500 kPa when the refrigerator is not operating, and providing a passively safe response to a refrigerator trip. It is expected the source will operate at 23 K, the boiling point of LD{sub 2} at 100 kPa. All components will be surrounded by a blanket of helium to prevent the possibility of creating a flammable mixture of deuterium and air. A design for the cryostat assembly, consisting of the moderator chamber, vacuum jacket, helium containment and a heavy water cooling water jacket, has been completed and sent to procurement to solicit bids. It is expected that

A Study on Conjugate Heat Transfer Analysis of Reactor Vessel including Irradiated Structural Heat Source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yi, Kunwoo; Cho, Hyuksu; Im, Inyoung; Kim, Eunkee [KEPCO EnC, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-10-15

Though Material reliability programs (MRPs) have a purpose to provide the evaluation or management methodologies for the operating RVI, the similar evaluation methodologies can be applied to the APR1400 fleet in the design stage for the evaluation of neutron irradiation effects. The purposes of this study are: to predict the thermal behavior whether or not irradiated structure heat source; to evaluate effective thermal conductivity (ETC) in relation to isotropic and anisotropic conductivity of porous media for APR1400 Reactor Vessel. The CFD simulations are performed so as to evaluate thermal behavior whether or not irradiated structure heat source and effective thermal conductivity for APR1400 Reactor Vessel. In respective of using irradiated structure heat source, the maximum temperature of fluid and core shroud for isotropic ETC are 325.8 .deg. C, 341.5 .deg. C. The total amount of irradiated structure heat source is about 5.41 MWth and not effect to fluid temperature.

Modular High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor heat source for coal conversion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schleicher, R.W. Jr.; Lewis, A.C.

1992-09-01

In the industrial nations, transportable fuels in the form of natural gas and petroleum derivatives constitute a primary energy source nearly equivalent to that consumed for generating electric power. Nations with large coal deposits have the option of coal conversion to meet their transportable fuel demands. But these processes themselves consume huge amounts of energy and produce undesirable combustion by-products. Therefore, this represents a major opportunity to apply nuclear energy for both the environmental and energy conservation reasons. Because the most desirable coal conversion processes take place at 800 degree C or higher, only the High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors (HTGRs) have the potential to be adapted to coal conversion processes. This report provides a discussion of this utilization of HTGR reactors

Fusion reactors as a future energy source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seifritz, W.

A detailed update of fusion research concepts is given. Discussions are given for the following areas: (1) the magnetic confinement principle, (2) UWMAK I: conceptual design for a fusion reactor, (3) the inertial confinement principle, (4) the laser fusion power plant, (5) electron-induced fusion, (6) the long-term development potential of fusion reactors, (7) the symbiosis between fusion and fission reactors, (8) fuel supply for fusion reactors, (9) safety and environmental impact, and (10) accidents, and (11) waste removal and storage

Reactor-building-basement radionuclide and source distribution studies. Volume 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cox, T.E.; Horan, J.T.; Worku, G.

1983-06-01

The Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2) Reactor Building basement has been sampled several times since August 1979. This report compiles the analytical results and sample history for the liquid and solid samples obtained to date. In addition, basement radiation levels were also obtained using thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs). The data obtained will provide information to support ongoing mass balance and source term studies and will aid in characterizing the 282-ft elevation for decontamination planning and dose reduction

Fast breeder reactors an engineering introduction

CERN Document Server

Judd, A M

1981-01-01

Fast Breeder Reactors: An Engineering Introduction is an introductory text to fast breeder reactors and covers topics ranging from reactor physics and design to engineering and safety considerations. Reactor fuels, coolant circuits, steam plants, and control systems are also discussed. This book is comprised of five chapters and opens with a brief summary of the history of fast reactors, with emphasis on international and the prospect of making accessible enormous reserves of energy. The next chapter deals with the physics of fast reactors and considers calculation methods, flux distribution,

Ion source development for a photoneutralization based NBI system for fusion reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Simonin, A.; Esch, H. P. L. de; Garibaldi, P.; Grand, C.; Bechu, S.; Bès, A.; Lacoste, A. [CEA-Cadarache, IRFM, F-13108 St. Paul-lez-Durance (France); LPSC, Grenoble-Alpes University, F-38026 Grenoble France (France)

2015-04-08

The next step after ITER is to demonstrate the viability and generation of electricity by a future fusion reactor (DEMO). The specifications required to operate an NBI system on DEMO are very demanding. The system has to provide a very high level of power and energy, ~100MW of D° beam at 1MeV, including high wall-plug efficiency (η > 60%). For this purpose, a new injector concept, called Siphore, is under investigation between CEA and French universities. Siphore is based on the stripping of the accelerated negative ions by photo-detachment provided by several Fabry-Perot cavities (3.5MW of light power per cavity) implemented along the D{sup −} beam. The beamline is designed to be tall and narrow in order that the photon flux overlaps the entire negative ion beam. The paper will describe the present R and D at CEA which addresses the development of an ion source and pre-accelerator prototypes for Siphore, the main goal being to produce an intense negative ion beam sheet. The negative ion source Cybele is based on a magnetized plasma column where hot electrons are emitted from the source center. Parametric studies of the source are performed using Langmuir probes in order to characterize the plasma and to compare with numerical models being developed in French universities.

Ion source development for a photoneutralization based NBI system for fusion reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simonin, A.; Esch, H. P. L. de; Garibaldi, P.; Grand, C.; Bechu, S.; Bès, A.; Lacoste, A.

2015-01-01

The next step after ITER is to demonstrate the viability and generation of electricity by a future fusion reactor (DEMO). The specifications required to operate an NBI system on DEMO are very demanding. The system has to provide a very high level of power and energy, ~100MW of D° beam at 1MeV, including high wall-plug efficiency (η > 60%). For this purpose, a new injector concept, called Siphore, is under investigation between CEA and French universities. Siphore is based on the stripping of the accelerated negative ions by photo-detachment provided by several Fabry-Perot cavities (3.5MW of light power per cavity) implemented along the D − beam. The beamline is designed to be tall and narrow in order that the photon flux overlaps the entire negative ion beam. The paper will describe the present R and D at CEA which addresses the development of an ion source and pre-accelerator prototypes for Siphore, the main goal being to produce an intense negative ion beam sheet. The negative ion source Cybele is based on a magnetized plasma column where hot electrons are emitted from the source center. Parametric studies of the source are performed using Langmuir probes in order to characterize the plasma and to compare with numerical models being developed in French universities

An Account of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Thirteen Research Reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rosenthal, Murray Wilford [ORNL

2009-08-01

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory has built and operated 13 nuclear reactors in its 66-year history. The first was the graphite reactor, the world's first operational nuclear reactor, which served as a plutonium production pilot plant during World War II. It was followed by two aqueous-homogeneous reactors and two red-hot molten-salt reactors that were parts of power-reactor development programs and by eight others designed for research and radioisotope production. One of the eight was an all-metal fast burst reactor used for health physics studies. All of the others were light-water cooled and moderated, including the famous swimming-pool reactor that was copied dozens of times around the world. Two of the reactors were hoisted 200 feet into the air to study the shielding needs of proposed nuclear-powered aircraft. The final reactor, and the only one still operating today, is the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) that was built particularly for the production of californium and other heavy elements. With the world's highest flux and recent upgrades that include the addition of a cold neutron source, the 44-year-old HFIR continues to be a valuable tool for research and isotope production, attracting some 500 scientific visitors and guests to Oak Ridge each year. This report describes all of the reactors and their histories.

Feasible reactor power cutback logic development for an integral reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, Soon-Kyoo; Lee, Chung-Chan; Choi, Suhn; Kang, Han-Ok

2013-01-01

Major features of integral reactors that have been developed around the world recently are simplified operating systems and passive safety systems. Even though highly simplified control system and very reliable components are utilized in the integral reactor, the possibility of major component malfunction cannot be ruled out. So, feasible reactor power cutback logic is required to cope with the malfunction of components without inducing reactor trip. Simplified reactor power cutback logic has been developed on the basis of the real component data and operational parameters of plant in this study. Due to the relatively high rod worth of the integral reactor the control rod assembly drop method which had been adapted for large nuclear power plants was not desirable for reactor power cutback of the integral reactor. Instead another method, the control rod assembly control logic of reactor regulating system controls the control rod assembly movements, was chosen as an alternative. Sensitivity analyses and feasibility evaluations were performed for the selected method by varying the control rod assembly driving speed. In the results, sensitivity study showed that the performance goal of reactor power cutback system could be achieved with the limited range of control rod assembly driving speed. (orig.)

Advanced Neutron Source (ANS) Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Campbell, J.H.; Thompson, P.B.

1994-01-01

This report covers the progress made in 1993 in the following sections: (1) project management; (2) research and development; (3) design and (4) safety. The section on research and development covers the following: (1) reactor core development; (2) fuel development; (3) corrosion loop tests and analysis; (4) thermal-hydraulic loop tests; (5) reactor control and shutdown concepts; (6) critical and subcritical experiments; (7) material data, structure tests, and analysis; (8) cold source development; (9) beam tube, guide, and instrument development; (10) neutron transport and shielding; (11) I and C research and development; and (12) facility concepts

STAR: The Secure Transportable Autonomous Reactor System - Encapsulated Fission Heat Source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ehud Greenspan

2003-01-01

OAK-B135 The Encapsulated Nuclear Heat Source (ENHS) is a novel 125 MWth fast spectrum reactor concept that was selected by the 1999 DOE NERI program as a candidate ''Generation-IV'' reactor. It uses Pb-Bi or other liquid-metal coolant and is intended to be factory manufactured in large numbers to be economically competitive. It is anticipated to be most useful to developing countries. The US team studying the feasibility of the ENHS reactor concept consisted of the University of California, Berkeley, Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Westinghouse. Collaborating with the US team were three Korean organizations: Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), Korean Advanced Institute for Science and Technology (KAIST) and the University of Seoul, as well as the Central Research Institute of the Electrical Power Industry (CRIEPI) of Japan. Unique features of the ENHS include at least 20 years of operation without refueling; no fuel handling in the host country; no pumps and valves; excess reactivity does not exceed 1$; fully passive removal of the decay heat; very small probability of core damaging accidents; autonomous operation and capability of load-following over a wide range; very long plant life. In addition it offers a close match between demand and supply, large tolerance to human errors, is likely to get public acceptance via demonstration of superb safety, lack of need for offsite response, and very good proliferation resistance. The ENHS reactor is designed to meet the requirements of Generation IV reactors including sustainable energy supply, low waste, high level of proliferation resistance, high level of safety and reliability, acceptable risk to capital and, hopefully, also competitive busbar cost of electricity

Nuclear Forensics Attributing the Source of Spent Fuel Used in an RDD Event

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott, M.R.

2005-01-01

An RDD attack against the U.S. is something America needs to prepare against. If such an event occurs the ability to quickly identify the source of the radiological material used in an RDD would aid investigators in identifying the perpetrators. Spent fuel is one of the most dangerous possible radiological sources for an RDD. In this work, a forensics methodology was developed and implemented to attribute spent fuel to a source reactor. The specific attributes determined are the spent fuel burnup, age from discharge, reactor type, and initial fuel enrichment. It is shown that by analyzing the post-event material, these attributes can be determined with enough accuracy to be useful for investigators. The burnup can be found within a 5% accuracy, enrichment with a 2% accuracy, and age with a 10% accuracy. Reactor type can be determined if specific nuclides are measured. The methodology developed was implemented into a code call NEMASYS. NEMASYS is easy to use and it takes a minimum amount of time to learn its basic functions. It will process data within a few minutes and provide detailed information about the results and conclusions

Nuclear Forensics Attributing the Source of Spent Fuel Used in an RDD Event

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scott, Mark Robert [Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)

2005-05-01

An RDD attack against the U.S. is something America needs to prepare against. If such an event occurs the ability to quickly identify the source of the radiological material used in an RDD would aid investigators in identifying the perpetrators. Spent fuel is one of the most dangerous possible radiological sources for an RDD. In this work, a forensics methodology was developed and implemented to attribute spent fuel to a source reactor. The specific attributes determined are the spent fuel burnup, age from discharge, reactor type, and initial fuel enrichment. It is shown that by analyzing the post-event material, these attributes can be determined with enough accuracy to be useful for investigators. The burnup can be found within a 5% accuracy, enrichment with a 2% accuracy, and age with a 10% accuracy. Reactor type can be determined if specific nuclides are measured. The methodology developed was implemented into a code call NEMASYS. NEMASYS is easy to use and it takes a minimum amount of time to learn its basic functions. It will process data within a few minutes and provide detailed information about the results and conclusions.

Condensed matter and materials research using neutron diffraction and spectroscopy: reactor and pulsed neutron sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bisanti, Paola; Lovesey, S.W.

1987-05-01

The paper provides a short, and partial view of the neutron scattering technique applied to condensed matter and materials research. Reactor and accelerator-based neutron spectrometers are discussed, together with examples of research projects that illustrate the puissance and modern applications of neutron scattering. Some examples are chosen to show the range of facilities available at the medium flux reactor operated by Casaccia ENEA, Roma and the advanced, pulsed spallation neutron source at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxfordshire. (author)

Comparison of xenon-135 and samarium-149 poisoning in the Miniature Neutron Source Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khattab, K.

2005-05-01

The Xe-135 equilibrium reactivity was calculated previously using the WIMSD4 and CITATION codes to estimate the fission product poisoning factor in the Syrian Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR). The fission product poisoning factor was used to calculate the Xe-135 concentrations and reactivities during the reactor operation, at saturation, and after shutdown. The fission product poisoning factor is used in this study to calculate the Sm-149 concentrations and reactivities during the reactor operation, at saturation, and after shutdown. The results are compared with Xe-135 concentrations and reactivities which were calculated before. The Xe-135 concentration increases versus the reactor operation time and reaches 2.836*10 13 atoms/cm 3 after 6 hours, where the Sm-149 concentration reaches 0.745*10 12 atoms/cm 3 . The Xe-135 and Sm-149 reactivities reach -0.451 and -0.256*10 -3 mk respectively after 6 hours of the reactor operation time. It is found that the Xe-135 and Sm-149 reactivities do not reach the equilibrium reactivities during typical reactor daily operating time. The Xe-235 concentration and reactivity are increased and reach to maximum values after 30000 second from the reactor shut down. Its maximum reactivity is -0.903 mk. Hence, the Xe-235 generates -0.452 mk extra reactivity after the reactor shutdown. The Sm-149 concentration and reactivates are increased after the reactor shut down. The Sm-149 reactivity reaches -0.249*10 -2 mk after 100000 second from the reactor shut down, and the Sm-149 introduces -2.231*10 -3 mk extra reactivity after the reactor shut down. Finally, the amount of Sm-149 accumulated in the reactor core after 1, 2, 5, and 10 years of the reactor operation time are: 3.995*10 -3 , 7.694*10 -3 , 17.226*10 -3 , and 2.892*10 -2 grams respectively. (Author)

A safe private nuclear tool-the miniature neutron source reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Yongmao

1987-01-01

The prototype miniature neutron source reactor (MNSR) designed by China Institute of Atomic Energy has been operated successfully for more than 3 years and the practical experience enriches the original design idea. The commercial MNSR is under study design and develop in following aspects: 1. Prolonging the control rod cycle duration and core burn-up life; 2. Increasing the neutron flux per unit power. Obviously, the MNSR will show more advantages in extending application area and in providing the core using low envichment fuel. (Liu)

Efficiency of an LBE spallation target in an accelerator-driven molten salt subcritical reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bak, Sang-In [Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon (Korea, Republic of); Hong, Seung-Woo [Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon (Korea, Republic of); Kadi, Yacine [CERN, Geneva (Switzerland)

2016-10-15

An Accelerator-Driven System (ADS) combined with a subcritical Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) is a type of hybrid reactor originally designed to breed uranium from thorium or to incinerate long-lived minor actinides in nuclear wastes. In an MSR, the salt material is used not only as a nuclear fuel but also as a primary coolant. In addition, this material is used as a target for inducing spallation neutrons in most AD-MSR concepts. A high energy proton beam impinges on a heavy metal target to induce spallation reactions and produces neutrons. Accordingly, a reliable proton accelerator is needed to feed the source neutrons. As ADSs have been criticized for requiring high power accelerators, minimization of beam power is an important aspect of ADS design. A primary concern associated with ADS development is stable high-power accelerators. We therefore studied the neutron source efficiencies of an AD-MSR involving chloride fuels by including a Pb-Bi eutectic (LBE) spallation target. The proton source efficiency and the accelerator beam power required have been studied for an AD-MSR. Adoption of an LBE spallation target induces an increase in proton source efficiencies in comparison to the case without a spallation target. Thus the presence of an efficient spallation target is useful in the reduction of the beam power of an accelerator. Almost 33 % of the beam power can be reduced in comparison to the case without the target for NaCl-Th/{sup 233}U fuel, and about 16 % for NaCl-U/TRU fuel. The beam power amplifications increase by 1.5 times for NaCl-Th/{sup 233}U and 1.2 times for NaCl-U/TRU in comparison with the no target AD-MSR.

Kinetic calculations for miniature neutron source reactor using analytical and numerical techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ampomah-Amoako, E.

2008-06-01

The analytical methods, step change in reactivity and ramp change in reactivity as well as numerical methods, fixed point iteration and Runge Kutta-gill were used to simulate the initial build up of neutrons in a miniature neutron source reactor with and without temperature feedback effect. The methods were modified to include photo neutron concentration. PARET 7.3 was used to simulate the transients behaviour of Ghana Research Reactor-1. The PARET code was capable of simulating the transients for 2.1 mk and 4 mk insertions of reactivity with peak powers of 49.87 kW and 92.34 kW, respectively. PARET code however failed to simulate 6.71 mk of reactivity which was predicted by Akaho et al through TEMPFED. (au)

Fusion-fission hybrid reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greenspan, E.

1984-01-01

This chapter discusses the range of characteristics attainable from hybrid reactor blankets; blanket design considerations; hybrid reactor designs; alternative fuel hybrid reactors; multi-purpose hybrid reactors; and hybrid reactors and the energy economy. Hybrid reactors are driven by a fusion neutron source and include fertile and/or fissile material. The fusion component provides a copious source of fusion neutrons which interact with a subcritical fission component located adjacent to the plasma or pellet chamber. Fissile fuel and/or energy are the main products of hybrid reactors. Topics include high F/M blankets, the fissile (and tritium) breeding ratio, effects of composition on blanket properties, geometrical considerations, power density and first wall loading, variations of blanket properties with irradiation, thermal-hydraulic and mechanical design considerations, safety considerations, tokamak hybrid reactors, tandem-mirror hybrid reactors, inertial confinement hybrid reactors, fusion neutron sources, fissile-fuel and energy production ability, simultaneous production of combustible and fissile fuels, fusion reactors for waste transmutation and fissile breeding, nuclear pumped laser hybrid reactors, Hybrid Fuel Factories (HFFs), and scenarios for hybrid contribution. The appendix offers hybrid reactor fundamentals. Numerous references are provided

Development of Coupled Interface System between the FADAS Code and a Source-term Evaluation Code XSOR for CANDU Reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Son, Han Seong; Song, Deok Yong; Kim, Ma Woong; Shin, Hyeong Ki; Lee, Sang Kyu; Kim, Hyun Koon

2006-01-01

An accident prevention system is essential to the industrial security of nuclear industry. Thus, the more effective accident prevention system will be helpful to promote safety culture as well as to acquire public acceptance for nuclear power industry. The FADAS(Following Accident Dose Assessment System) which is a part of the Computerized Advisory System for a Radiological Emergency (CARE) system in KINS is used for the prevention against nuclear accident. In order to enhance the FADAS system more effective for CANDU reactors, it is necessary to develop the various accident scenarios and reliable database of source terms. This study introduces the construction of the coupled interface system between the FADAS and the source-term evaluation code aimed to improve the applicability of the CANDU Integrated Safety Analysis System (CISAS) for CANDU reactors

Measurement of Relative Biological Effectiveness (RBE) for the Radiation Beam from Neutron Source Reactor YAYOI -Comparisons with Cyclotron Neutron and 60Co Gamma Ray-

OpenAIRE

HIROAKI, WAKABAYASHI; SHOZO, SUZUKI; AKIRA, ITO; Nuclear Engineering Research Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering, the University of Tokyo; Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo; Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo

1983-01-01

Radiation biology and/or therapy research and development for a research reactor beam need specific RBEs of neutrons as well as of specific reactions. RBEs for reactor beams measured in situ condition are interesting because actual radiation effects on each biological system are different depending on detailed conditions of irradiation. A small powered research reactor (Fast Neutron Source Reactor: YAYOI) was examined here as a neutron beam source for obtaining survival curves in a manner usu...

Jet flow analysis of liquid poison injection in a CANDU reactor using source term

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chae, Kyung Myung; Choi, Hang Bok; Rhee, Bo Wook

2001-01-01

For the performance analysis of Canadian deuterium uranium (CANDU) reactor shutdown system number 2 (SDS2), a computational fluid dynamics model of poison jet flow has been developed to estimate the flow field and poison concentration formed inside the CANDU reactor calandria. As the ratio of calandria shell radius over injection nozzle hole diameter is so large (1055), it is impractical to develop a full-size model encompassing the whole calandria shell. In order to reduce the model to a manageable size, a quarter of one-pitch length segment of the shell was modeled using symmetric nature of the jet; and the injected jet was treated as a source term to avoid the modeling difficulty caused by the big difference of the hole sizes. For the analysis of an actual CANDU-6 SDS2 poison injection, the grid structure was determined based on the results of two-dimensional real- and source-jet simulations. The maximum injection velocity of the liquid poison is 27.8 m/s and the mass fraction of the poison is 8000 ppm (mg/kg). The simulation results have shown well-established jet flow field. In general, the jet develops narrowly at first but stretches rapidly. Then, the flow recirculates a little in r-x plane, while it recirculates largely in r-θ plane. As the time goes on, the adjacent jets contact each other and form a wavy front such that the whole jet develops in a plate form. his study has shown that the source term model can be effectively used for the analysis of the poison injection and the simulation result of the CANDU reactor is consistent with the model currently being used for the safety analysis. In the future, it is strongly recommended to analyze the transient (from helium tank to injection nozzle hole) of the poison injection by applying Bernoulli equation with real boundary conditions

Nuclear Power from Fission Reactors. An Introduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Department of Energy, Washington, DC. Technical Information Center.

The purpose of this booklet is to provide a basic understanding of nuclear fission energy and different fission reaction concepts. Topics discussed are: energy use and production, current uses of fuels, oil and gas consumption, alternative energy sources, fossil fuel plants, nuclear plants, boiling water and pressurized water reactors, the light…

A WIMS-NESTLE reactor physics model for an RBMK reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perry, R.T.; Meriwether, G.H.

1996-01-01

This work describes the static neutronic calculations made for a three-dimensional model of an RBMK (Russian) reactor. Future work will involve the use of this neutronic model and a thermal-hydraulic model in coupled calculations. The lattice code, WIMS-D, was used to obtain the cross sections for the static neutronic calculations. The static reactor neutronic calculations were made with NESTLE, a three-dimensional nodal diffusion code. The methods used to establish an RBMK reactor model for use in these codes are discussed, and the cross sections calculated are given

A WIMS-NESTLE reactor physics model for an RBMK reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perry, R.T.; Meriwether, G.H.

1996-01-01

This work describes the static neutronic calculations made for a three-dimensional model of an RBMK (Russian) reactor. Future work will involve the use of this neutronic model and a thermal-hydraulic model in coupled calculations. The lattice code, WIMS-D, was used to obtain the cross sections for the static neutronic calculations. The static reactor neutronic calculations were made with NESTLE, a three-dimensional nodal diffusion code. The methods used to establish an RBMK reactor model for use in these codes are discussed, and the cross sections calculated are given. (author)

Calculation Of Fuel Burnup And Radionuclide Inventory In The Syrian Miniature Neutron Source Reactor Using The GETERA Code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khattab, K.; Dawahra, S.

2011-01-01

Calculations of the fuel burnup and radionuclide inventory in the Syrian Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR) after 10 years (the reactor core expected life) of the reactor operation time are presented in this paper using the GETERA code. The code is used to calculate the fuel group constants and the infinite multiplication factor versus the reactor operating time for 10, 20, and 30 kW operating power levels. The amounts of uranium burnup and plutonium produced in the reactor core, the concentrations and radionuclides of the most important fission product and actinide radionuclides accumulated in the reactor core, and the total radioactivity of the reactor core were calculated using the GETERA code as well. It is found that the GETERA code is better than the WIMSD4 code for the fuel burnup calculation in the MNSR reactor since it is newer and has a bigger library of isotopes and more accurate. (author)

A TRIGA reactor in an industrial laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anders, Oswald U.

1980-01-01

The Dow TRIGA Reactor is a well established facility in its industrial environment. It is used extensively for internal Dow projects. The primary use of the TRIGA is as neutron source for NAA. It faces similar technical and organizational challenges as other TRIGA installations and over the years developed its own solutions

Diagnostic measurement on research reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dach, K.; Zbytovsky, A.

A comparison is made of noise experiments on zero power and power reactors. The general characteristics of noise experiments on power reactors is their ''passivity'', i.e., the experiment does not require any interruption of the normal operating regime of the reactor system. On zero power research reactors where the fission reaction constitutes the dominant noise source such conditions have to be created in the study of noise components as to make the investigated noise dominant and the noise of the fission reaction the background. The simultaneous use of both methods makes it possible to determine the spectral composition of reactivity fluctuations, which facilitates the identification of noise sources. The conditions are described of the recordability of noise components. The possibilities are listed provided for research work in Czechoslovakia and the possibility is studied of setting up an expert team to organize the respective experimental programme on an international scale. Power reactors manufactured in the GDR are considered as the suitable experimental base. (J.P.)

Monte Carlo neutronics analysis of the ANS reactor three-element core design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wemple, C.A.

1995-01-01

The advanced neutron source (ANS) is a world-class research reactor and experimental center for neutron research, currently being designed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The reactor consists of a 330-MW(fission) highly enriched uranium core, which is cooled, moderated, and reflected with heavy water. It was designed to be the preeminent ultrahigh neutron flux reactor in the world, with facilities for research programs in biology, materials science, chemistry, fundamental and nuclear physics, and analytical chemistry. Irradiation facilities are provided for a variety of isotope production capabilities, as well as materials irradiation. This paper summarizes the neutronics efforts at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory in support of the development and analysis of the three-element core for the advanced conceptual design phase

Calculations of fuel burn-up and radionuclide inventory in the syrian miniature neutron source reactor using the WIMSD4 code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khattab, K.

2005-01-01

Calculations of the fuel burn up and radionuclide inventory in the Miniature Neutron Source Reactor after 10 years (the reactor core expected life) of the reactor operating time are presented in this paper. The WIMSD4 code is used to generate the fuel group constants and the infinite multiplication factor versus the reactor operating time for 10, 20, and 30 kW operating power levels. The amounts of uranium burnt up and plutonium produced in the reactor core, the concentrations and radioactivities of the most important fission product and actinide radionuclides accumulated in the reactor core, and the total radioactivity of the reactor core are calculated using the WIMSD4 code as well

An Accelerator Neutron Source for BNCT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blue, Thomas, E

2006-03-14

The overall goal of this project was to develop an accelerator-based neutron source (ABNS) for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT). Specifically, our goals were to design, and confirm by measurement, a target assembly and a moderator assembly that would fulfill the design requirements of the ABNS. These design requirements were 1) that the neutron field quality be as good as the neutron field quality for the reactor-based neutron sources for BNCT, 2) that the patient treatment time be reasonable, 3) that the proton current required to treat patients in reasonable times be technologially achievable at reasonable cost with good reliability, and accelerator space requirements which can be met in a hospital, and finally 4) that the treatment be safe for the patients.

An Accelerator Neutron Source for BNCT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blue, Thomas E.

2006-01-01

The overall goal of this project was to develop an accelerator-based neutron source (ABNS) for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT). Specifically, our goals were to design, and confirm by measurement, a target assembly and a moderator assembly that would fulfill the design requirements of the ABNS. These design requirements were (1) that the neutron field quality be as good as the neutron field quality for the reactor-based neutron sources for BNCT, (2) that the patient treatment time be reasonable, (3) that the proton current required to treat patients in reasonable times be technologically achievable at reasonable cost with good reliability, and accelerator space requirements which can be met in a hospital, and finally (4) that the treatment be safe for the patients

Advances in automated noise data acquisition and noise source modeling for power reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clapp, N.E. Jr.; Kryter, R.C.; Sweeney, F.J.; Renier, J.A.

1981-01-01

A newly expanded program, directed toward achieving a better appreciation of both the strengths and limitations of on-line, noise-based, long-term surveillance programs for nuclear reactors, is described. Initial results in the complementary experimental (acquisition and automated screening of noise signatures) and theoretical (stochastic modeling of likely noise sources) areas of investigation are given

Lowering the enrichment of the Syrian miniature neutron source reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khamis, I.; Khattab, K.

1999-01-01

An investigation of lowering the fuel enrichment of MNSR was realized. A 3-D neutronic model was developed for the analysis of the reactor. It was found that lower number of fuel elements is needed when UO 2 is used with 5.45 g of 235 U content in each fuel rod. Sensitivity of the reactor to the purity of the beryllium reflector proved to be an important factor in determining the reactor neutronics as well as the weight of loaded fuel in the core. Inherent safety features of low excess reactivity and shutdown margins are preserved and enhanced. Average thermal fluxes over different zones of the core are kept very much unchanged

Lowering the enrichment of the Syrian miniature neutron source reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamis, I.; Khattab, K.

1999-01-01

An investigation of lowering the fuel enrichment of MNSR was realized. A 3-D neutronic model was developed for the analysis of the reactor. It was found that lower number of fuel elements is needed when UO 2 is used with 5.45 g of 235 U content in each fuel rod. sensitivity of the reactor to the purity of the beryllium reflector proved to be an important factor in determining the reactor neutronics as well as the weight of loaded fuel in the core. Inherent safety feature of low excess reactivity and shutdown margins are preserved and enhanced. average thermal fluxes over different zones of the core are kept very much unchanged. (author)

Nuclear fission sustainability with subcritical reactors driven by external neutron sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lafuente, A.; Piera, M.

2011-01-01

Although nuclear breeder reactors are a promising way to enhance the potential energy currently retrievable from the Uranium reserves, they still have disadvantages because of their safety features (i.e. poor stabilizing mechanisms) and the security of their fuel cycle (diversion of Pu for non-civilian purposes). Loading natural nuclear fuels to a reactor and completely burning them without reprocessing would be ideal, however, this is not possible in critical reactors due to the limitations imposed by the maximum achievable burn-up. An alternative option to attain very high percentages of nuclear natural materials exploitation, while meeting other objectives of Nuclear Sustainability, could consist of using externally-driven subcritical reactors to reach the desired high burn-ups (of the order of 30% and more) without reprocessing. Such scheme would lead to an efficient exploitation of the available raw material, without any risk of proliferation. Exploring this type of reactor concept, this paper analyzes the different ways to accomplish this goal while identifying potential setbacks.

The development of a realistic source term for sodium-cooled fast reactors : assessment of current status and future needs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

LaChance, Jeffrey L.; Phillips, Jesse; Parma, Edward J., Jr.; Olivier, Tara Jean; Middleton, Bobby D.

2011-06-01

Sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs) continue to be proposed and designed throughout the United States and the world. Although the number of SFRs actually operating has declined substantially since the 1980s, a significant interest in advancing these types of reactor systems remains. Of the many issues associated with the development and deployment of SFRs, one of high regulatory importance is the source term to be used in the siting of the reactor. A substantial amount of modeling and experimental work has been performed over the past four decades on accident analysis, sodium coolant behavior, and radionuclide release for SFRs. The objective of this report is to aid in determining the gaps and issues related to the development of a realistic, mechanistically derived source term for SFRs. This report will allow the reader to become familiar with the severe accident source term concept and gain a broad understanding of the current status of the models and experimental work. Further, this report will allow insight into future work, in terms of both model development and experimental validation, which is necessary in order to develop a realistic source term for SFRs.

Source term derivation and radiological safety analysis for the TRICO II research reactor in Kinshasa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muswema, J.L.; Ekoko, G.B.; Lukanda, V.M.; Lobo, J.K.-K.; Darko, E.O.; Boafo, E.K.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Atmospheric dispersion modeling for two credible accidents of the TRIGA Mark II research reactor in Kinshasa (TRICO II) was performed. • Radiological safety analysis after the postulated initiating events (PIE) was also carried out. • The Karlsruhe KORIGEN and the HotSpot Health Physics codes were used to achieve the objectives of this study. • All the values of effective dose obtained following the accident scenarios were below the regulatory limits for reactor staff members and the public, respectively. - Abstract: The source term from the 1 MW TRIGA Mark II research reactor core of the Democratic Republic of the Congo was derived in this study. An atmospheric dispersion modeling followed by radiation dose calculation were performed based on two possible postulated accident scenarios. This derivation was made from an inventory of peak radioisotope activities released in the core by using the Karlsruhe version of isotope generation code KORIGEN. The atmospheric dispersion modeling was performed with HotSpot code, and its application yielded to radiation dose profile around the site using meteorological parameters specific to the area under study. The two accident scenarios were picked from possible accident analyses for TRIGA and TRIGA-fueled reactors, involving the case of destruction of the fuel element with highest activity release and a plane crash on the reactor building as the worst case scenario. Deterministic effects of these scenarios are used to update the Safety Analysis Report (SAR) of the reactor, and for its current version, these scenarios are not yet incorporated. Site-specific meteorological conditions were collected from two meteorological stations: one installed within the Atomic Energy Commission and another at the National Meteorological Agency (METTELSAT), which is not far from the site. Results show that in both accident scenarios, radiation doses remain within the limits, far below the recommended maximum effective

Source term derivation and radiological safety analysis for the TRICO II research reactor in Kinshasa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muswema, J.L., E-mail: jeremie.muswem@unikin.ac.cd [Faculty of Science, University of Kinshasa, P.O. Box 190, KIN XI (Congo, The Democratic Republic of the); Ekoko, G.B. [Faculty of Science, University of Kinshasa, P.O. Box 190, KIN XI (Congo, The Democratic Republic of the); Lukanda, V.M. [Faculty of Science, University of Kinshasa, P.O. Box 190, KIN XI (Congo, The Democratic Republic of the); Democratic Republic of the Congo' s General Atomic Energy Commission, P.O. Box AE1 (Congo, The Democratic Republic of the); Lobo, J.K.-K. [Faculty of Science, University of Kinshasa, P.O. Box 190, KIN XI (Congo, The Democratic Republic of the); Darko, E.O. [Radiation Protection Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, P.O. Box LG 80, Legon, Accra (Ghana); Boafo, E.K. [University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe St. North, Oshawa, ONL1 H7K4 (Canada)

2015-01-15

Highlights: • Atmospheric dispersion modeling for two credible accidents of the TRIGA Mark II research reactor in Kinshasa (TRICO II) was performed. • Radiological safety analysis after the postulated initiating events (PIE) was also carried out. • The Karlsruhe KORIGEN and the HotSpot Health Physics codes were used to achieve the objectives of this study. • All the values of effective dose obtained following the accident scenarios were below the regulatory limits for reactor staff members and the public, respectively. - Abstract: The source term from the 1 MW TRIGA Mark II research reactor core of the Democratic Republic of the Congo was derived in this study. An atmospheric dispersion modeling followed by radiation dose calculation were performed based on two possible postulated accident scenarios. This derivation was made from an inventory of peak radioisotope activities released in the core by using the Karlsruhe version of isotope generation code KORIGEN. The atmospheric dispersion modeling was performed with HotSpot code, and its application yielded to radiation dose profile around the site using meteorological parameters specific to the area under study. The two accident scenarios were picked from possible accident analyses for TRIGA and TRIGA-fueled reactors, involving the case of destruction of the fuel element with highest activity release and a plane crash on the reactor building as the worst case scenario. Deterministic effects of these scenarios are used to update the Safety Analysis Report (SAR) of the reactor, and for its current version, these scenarios are not yet incorporated. Site-specific meteorological conditions were collected from two meteorological stations: one installed within the Atomic Energy Commission and another at the National Meteorological Agency (METTELSAT), which is not far from the site. Results show that in both accident scenarios, radiation doses remain within the limits, far below the recommended maximum effective

PRISM reactor. An option for plutonium disposition?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fehlinger, Sebastian; Friess, Friederike; Kuett, Moritz [IANUS, Technische Universitaet Darmstadt (Germany)

2015-07-01

The Power Reactor Innovative Small Module (PRISM) is sodium cooled fast reactor model. The energy output depends on the core configuration, however with an energy output of approximately 300 MWe, the PRISM reactor belongs to the class of small modular reactors. Beside using the reactor as a breeder reactor or for the transmutation of nuclear waste, it might also be used as a burner reactor for separated plutonium. This includes for example U.S.-American excess weapon-grade plutonium as well as separated reactor-grade plutonium. Recently, there has been an ongoing discussion in GB to use the PRISM reactor to dispose their excess civilian plutonium. Depending on the task, the core configuration varies slightly. We will present different layouts and the matching MCNP models, these models can then be used to conduct depletion calculations. From these results, analysis of the change in the plutonium isotopics in the spent fuel, the amount of fissioned plutonium, and the possible annual plutonium throughputs is possible.

Evaluation of marine algae as a source of biogas in a two-stage anaerobic reactor system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vergara-Fernandez, Alberto; Vargas, Gisela; Alarcon, Nelson; Velasco, Antonio

2008-01-01

The marine algae are considered an important biomass source; however, their utilization as energy source is still low around the world. The technical feasibility of marine algae utilization as a source of renewable energy was studied to laboratory scale. The anaerobic digestion of Macrocystis pyrifera, Durvillea antarctica and their blend 1:1 (w/w) was evaluated in a two-phase anaerobic digestion system, which consisted of an anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR) and an upflow anaerobic filter (UAF). The results show that 70% of the total biogas produced in the system was generated in the UAF, and both algae species have similar biogas productions of 180.4(±1.5) mL g -1 dry algae d -1 , with a methane concentration around 65%. The same methane content was observed in biogas yield of algae blend; however, a lower biogas yield was obtained. In conclusion, either algae species or their blend can be utilized to produce methane gas in a two-phase digestion system

Evaluation of marine algae as a source of biogas in a two-stage anaerobic reactor system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vergara-Fernandez, Alberto; Vargas, Gisela [Escuela de Ingenieria Ambiental, Facultad de Ingenieria, Universidad Catolica de Temuco, Manuel Montt 56, Casilla 15-D, Temuco (Chile); Alarcon, Nelson [Departamento de Ingenieria Quimica, Facultad de Ingenieria y Ciencias Geologicas, Universidad Catolica del Norte (Chile); Velasco, Antonio [Centro Nacional de Investigacion y Capacitacion Ambiental del Instituto Nacional de Ecologia (CENICA-INE), Av. San Rafael Atlixco 186, Col. Vicentina, Del. Iztapalapa, 09340, Mexico, DF (Mexico)

2008-04-15

The marine algae are considered an important biomass source; however, their utilization as energy source is still low around the world. The technical feasibility of marine algae utilization as a source of renewable energy was studied to laboratory scale. The anaerobic digestion of Macrocystis pyrifera, Durvillea antarctica and their blend 1:1 (w/w) was evaluated in a two-phase anaerobic digestion system, which consisted of an anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR) and an upflow anaerobic filter (UAF). The results show that 70% of the total biogas produced in the system was generated in the UAF, and both algae species have similar biogas productions of 180.4({+-}1.5) mL g{sup -1} dry algae d{sup -1}, with a methane concentration around 65%. The same methane content was observed in biogas yield of algae blend; however, a lower biogas yield was obtained. In conclusion, either algae species or their blend can be utilized to produce methane gas in a two-phase digestion system. (author)

Recuperation of the energy released in the G-1, an air-cooled graphite reactor core

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chambadal, P.; Pascal, M.

1955-01-01

The CEA (in his five-year setting plan) has objective among others, the realization of the two first french reactors moderated with graphite. The construction of the G-1 reactor in Marcoule, first french plutonic core, is achieved so that it will diverge in the beginning of 1956 and reach its full power in the beginning of the second semester of the same year. In this report we will detail the specificities of the reactor and in particular its cooling and energy recuperation system. The G-1 reactor being essentially intended to allow the french technicians to study the behavior of an energy installation supply taking its heat in a nuclear source as early as possible. (M.B.) [fr

Loss-of-coolant accident mitigation for the Advanced Neutron Source Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, N.C.J.; Wendel, M.W.; Yoder, G.L. Jr.

1994-01-01

A RELAP5 Advanced Neutron Source Reactor system model has been developed for the conceptual design safety analysis. Three major regions modeled are the core, the heat exchanger loops, and letdown/pressurizing system. The model has been used to examine design alternatives for mitigation of loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) transients. The safety margins to the flow excursion limit and critical heat flux are presented. The results show that the core can survive an instantaneous double-ended guillotine of the core outlet piping break (610 mm-diameter) provided a cavitating venturi is employed. RELAP5 calculations were also used to determine the effects of using a non-instantaneous break opening times. Both break opening time and break formation characteristics were included in these parametric calculations. Accumulator optimization studies were also performed which suggest that an optimum accumulator bubble size exists which improves system performance under some break scenarios

Influence of carbon source and inoculum type on anaerobic biomass adhesion on polyurethane foam in reactors fed with acid mine drainage.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez, Renata P; Zaiat, Marcelo

2011-04-01

This paper analyzes the influence of carbon source and inoculum origin on the dynamics of biomass adhesion to an inert support in anaerobic reactors fed with acid mine drainage. Formic acid, lactic acid and ethanol were used as carbon sources. Two different inocula were evaluated: one taken from an UASB reactor and other from the sediment of a uranium mine. The values of average colonization rates and the maximum biomass concentration (C(max)) were inversely proportional to the number of carbon atoms in each substrate. The highest C(max) value (0.35 g TVS g(-1) foam) was observed with formic acid and anaerobic sludge as inoculum. Maximum colonization rates (v(max)) were strongly influenced by the type of inoculum when ethanol and lactic acid were used. For both carbon sources, the use of mine sediment as inoculum resulted in a v(max) of 0.013 g TVS g(-1) foam day(-1), whereas 0.024 g TVS g(-1) foam day(-1) was achieved with anaerobic sludge. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A new method to determine in situ the transmission of a neutron-guide system at a reactor source

CERN Document Server

Haan, V O D; Gommers, R M; Labohm, F; Well, A A V; De Leege, P F A; Schebetov, A; Pusenkov, V

2002-01-01

In this paper, a description of a new method to determine the transmission of neutron guides after they are installed in a beam-tube at a reactor source is given. The method is based on activation measurements of gold foils at the entrance of the beam-tube and at the exit of the neutron guides compared to Monte-Carlo calculations. In this method, a quality factor is defined as the ratio between the actual transmission and the theoretical maximum attainable transmission. This method is used to determine the quality of an optimised neutron-guide system developed for beam-tube R2 of the HOR. The HOR is a pool-type nuclear research reactor at the Interfaculty Reactor Institute of the Delft University of Technology. It is shown that the quality factors of the newly installed neutron guides are between 0.49 and 0.63.

A new method to determine in situ the transmission of a neutron-guide system at a reactor source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haan, V.O. de; Gibcus, H.P.M.; Gommers, R.M.; Labohm, F.; Well, A.A. van; Leege, P.F.A. de; Schebetov, A.; Pusenkov, V.

2002-01-01

In this paper, a description of a new method to determine the transmission of neutron guides after they are installed in a beam-tube at a reactor source is given. The method is based on activation measurements of gold foils at the entrance of the beam-tube and at the exit of the neutron guides compared to Monte-Carlo calculations. In this method, a quality factor is defined as the ratio between the actual transmission and the theoretical maximum attainable transmission. This method is used to determine the quality of an optimised neutron-guide system developed for beam-tube R2 of the HOR. The HOR is a pool-type nuclear research reactor at the Interfaculty Reactor Institute of the Delft University of Technology. It is shown that the quality factors of the newly installed neutron guides are between 0.49 and 0.63

The future role of research reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glaeser, W.

2001-01-01

The decline of neutron source capacity in the next decades urges for the planning and construction of new neutron sources for basic and applied research with neutrons. Modern safety precautions of research reactors make them competitive with other ways of neutron production using non-chain reactions for many applications. Research reactors consequently optimized offer a very broad range of possible applications in basic and applied research. Research reactors at universities also in the future have to play an important role in education and training in basic and applied nuclear science. (orig.)

Dosimetry issues for an ultra-high flux beam and multipurpose research reactor design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

West, C.D.

1993-01-01

The Advanced Neutron Source is a new user facility for all fields of neutron research, including neutron beam experiments, materials analysis, materials testing, and isotope production. The complement and layout of the experimental facilities have been determined sufficiently, at a conceptual design level, to make reliable cost and schedule estimates. The source of neutrons will be a heavy water reactor, constructed largely of aluminum, with an available thermal neutron flux 5--10 times higher than existing research reactors. Among the dosimetry issues to be faced are damage prediction and surveillance for component life attainment; measurement of fluence and spectra in regions where both change substantially over a distance of a few centimeters; and characterization and measurement of the radiation field in the research areas around the neutron beam experiments

Investigation of primary cooling water chemistry following the partial meltdown of Pu-Be neutron source in Tehran Research Reactor Core (TRR)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aghoyeh, Reza Gholizadeh [School of Research and Development of Nuclear Reactors and Accelerators, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (NSTRI), Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), P.O. Box: 14155-1339, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Khalafi, Hossein, E-mail: hkhalafi@aeoi.org.i [School of Research and Development of Nuclear Reactors and Accelerators, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (NSTRI), Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), P.O. Box: 14155-1339, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2011-03-15

Research highlights: Effect of Pu-Be neutron source meltdown in core on reactor water chemistry. Water chemistry of primary cooling before, during and after of above incident was compared. Training importance. Management of nuclear incident and accident. - Abstract: Effect of Pu-Be neutron source meltdown in core on reactor water chemistry was main aim of this study. Leaving the neutron source in the core after reactor power exceeds a few hundred Watts was the main reason for its partial meltdown. Water chemistry of primary cooling before, during and after of above incident was compared. Activity of some radio-nuclides such as Ba-140, La-140, I-131, I-132, Te-132 and Xe-135 increased. Other radio-nuclides such as Nd-147, Xe-133, Sr-91, I-133 and I-135 are also detected which were not existed before this incident.

The effect of toxic carbon source on the reaction of activated sludge in the batch reactor.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Changyong; Zhou, Yuexi; Zhang, Siyu; Xu, Min; Song, Jiamei

2018-03-01

The toxic carbon source can cause higher residual effluent dissolved organic carbon than easily biodegraded carbon source in activated sludge process. In this study, an integrated activated sludge model is developed as the tool to understand the mechanism of toxic carbon source (phenol) on the reaction, regarding the carbon flows during the aeration period in the batch reactor. To estimate the toxic function of phenol, the microbial cells death rate (k death ) is introduced into the model. The integrated model was calibrated and validated by the experimental data and it was found the model simulations matched the all experimental measurements. In the steady state, the toxicity of phenol can result in higher microbial cells death rate (0.1637 h -1 vs 0.0028 h -1 ) and decay rate coefficient of biomass (0.0115 h -1 vs 0.0107 h -1 ) than acetate. In addition, the utilization-associated products (UAP) and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) formation coefficients of phenol are higher than that of acetate, indicating that more carbon flows into the extracellular components, such as soluble microbial products (SMP), when degrading toxic organics. In the non-steady state of feeding phenol, the yield coefficient for growth and maximum specific growth rate are very low in the first few days (1-10 d), while the decay rate coefficient of biomass and microbial cells death rate are relatively high. The model provides insights into the difference of the dynamic reaction with different carbon sources in the batch reactor. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

REACTOR: an expert system for diagnosis and treatment of nuclear reactor accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, W.R.

1982-01-01

REACTOR is an expert system under development at EG and G Idaho, Inc., that will assist operators in the diagnosis and treatment of nuclear reactor accidents. This paper covers the background of the nuclear industry and why expert system technology may prove valuable in the reactor control room. Some of the basic features of the REACTOR system are discussed, and future plans for validation and evaluation of REACTOR are presented. The concept of using both event-oriented and function-oriented strategies for accident diagnosis is discussed. The response tree concept for representing expert knowledge is also introduced

Order for execution of the law concerning regulations of nuclear source materials, nuclear fuel materials and reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-01-01

The order is enacted under the law for the regulations of nuclear source materials, nuclear fuel materials and reactors. Any person who engages in refining business shall get designation for each works or place of enterprise. The application shall be filed through the director of International Trade and Industry Office in charge of the location of the works or the enterprise with a business program and other specified documents attached. Any person who undertakes processing business shall get permission for each works or place of enterprise. The application shall be submitted with a business program and other documents defined by the Ordinance of the Prime Minister's Office. Any person who sets up reactor shall get permission for each works or place of enterprise. The application shall be presented with a financial project and other documents stipulated by the ordinance. Fast breeding reactor, heavy-water moderated boiling water reactor and light-water moderated pressurized water reactor are designated as reactor in the phase of research and development. Each foreign nuclear ship equipped with reactor which enters into Japanese waters shall get permission of the Minister of Transport. The application shall be presented with the papers explaining safety of reactor facilities and other documents provided by the ordinance of the ministry concerned. (Okada, K.)

Plant protection system optimization studies to mitigate consequences of large breaks in the advanced neutron source reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khayat, M.I.; March-Leuba, J.

1993-01-01

This paper documents some of the optimization studies performed to maximize the performance of the engineered safety features and scram systems to mitigate the consequences of large breaks in the primary cooling system of the advanced neutron source (ANS) reactor. The ANS is a new basic and applied research facility based on a powerful steady-state research reactor that provides beams of neutrons for measurements and experiments in the field of material science and engineering, biology, chemistry, material analysis, and nuclear science. To achieve the high neutron fluxes for these state-of-the-art experiments, the ANS design has a very high power density core (330 MW fission with an active volume of 67.6 ell) surrounded by a large heavy-water reflector, where most neutrons are moderated. This design maximizes the number of neutrons available for experiments but results in a low heat capacity core that creates unique challenges to the design of the plant protection system

Calculations of neutron source at the KYIV research reactor for the boron neutron capture therapy aims

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gritzay, O.; Kalchenko, O.; Klimova, N.; Razbudey, V.; Sanzhur, A.

2006-01-01

Calculation results of an epithermal neutron source which can be created at the Kyiv Research Reactor (KRR) by means of placing of specially selected moderators, filters, collimators, and shielding into the 10-th horizontal experimental tube (so-called thermal column) are presented. The general Monte-Carlo radiation transport code MCNP4C [1], the Oak Ridge isotope generation code ORIGEN2 [2] and the NJOY99 [3] nuclear data processing system have been used for these calculations

Using level-I PRA for enhanced safety of the advanced neutron source reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramsey, C.T.; Linn, M.A.

1995-01-01

The phase-1, level-I probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) of the Advanced Neutron Source (ANS) reactor has been completed as part of the conceptual design phase of this proposed research facility. Since project inception, PRA and reliability concepts have been an integral part of the design evolutions contributing to many of the safety features in the current design. The level-I PRA has been used to evaluate the internal events core damage frequency against project goals and to identify systems important to safety and availability, and it will continue to guide and provide support to accident analysis, both severe and nonsevere. The results also reflect the risk value of defense-in-depth safety features in reducing the likelihood of core damage

Reactor physics aspects of burning actinides in a nuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hage, W.; Schmidt, E.

1978-01-01

A short review of the different recycling strategies of actinides other than fuel treated in the literature, is given along with nuclear data requirements for actinide build-up and transmutation studies. The effects of recycling actinides in a nuclear reactor on the flux distribution, the infinite neutron multiplication factor, the reactivity control system, the reactivity coefficients and the delayed neutron fraction are discussed considering a notional LWR or LMFBR as an Actinide Trasmutaton Reactor. Some operational problems of Actinide Transmutation reactors are mentioned, which are caused by the α-decay heat and the neutron sources of Actinide Target Elements

Design and construction of an automatic measurement electronic system and graphical neutron flux for the subcritical reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzalez M, J.L.; Balderas, E.G.; Rivero G, T.

1997-01-01

The National Institute of Nuclear Research (ININ) has in its installations with a nuclear subcritical reactor which was designed and constructed with the main purpose to be used in the nuclear sciences education in the Physics areas and Reactors engineering. Within the nuclear experiments that can be realized in this reactor are very interesting those about determinations of neutron and gamma fluxes spectra, since starting from these some interesting nuclear parameters can be obtained. In order to carry out this type of experiments different radioactive sources are used which exceed the permissible doses by far to human beings. Therefore it is necessary the remote handling as of the source as of detectors used in different experiments. In this work it is presented the design of an electronic system which allows the different positions inside of the tank of subcritical reactor at ININ over the radial and axial axes in manual or automatic ways. (Author)

Analysis of the neutron flux in an annular pulsed reactor by using finite volume method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva, Mário A.B. da; Narain, Rajendra; Bezerra, Jair de L., E-mail: mabs500@gmail.com, E-mail: narain@ufpe.br, E-mail: jairbezerra@gmail.com [Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE (Brazil). Centro de Tecnologia e Geociências. Departamento de Energia Nuclear

2017-07-01

Production of very intense neutron sources is important for basic nuclear physics and for material testing and isotope production. Nuclear reactors have been used as sources of intense neutron fluxes, although the achievement of such levels is limited by the inability to remove fission heat. Periodic pulsed reactors provide very intense fluxes by a rotating modulator near a subcritical core. A concept for the production of very intense neutron fluxes that combines features of periodic pulsed reactors and steady state reactors was proposed by Narain (1997). Such a concept is known as Very Intense Continuous High Flux Pulsed Reactor (VICHFPR) and was analyzed by using diffusion equation with moving boundary conditions and Finite Difference Method with Crank-Nicolson formalism. This research aims to analyze the flux distribution in the Very Intense Continuous Flux High Pulsed Reactor (VICHFPR) by using the Finite Volume Method and compares its results with those obtained by the previous computational method. (author)

Analysis of the neutron flux in an annular pulsed reactor by using finite volume method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, Mário A.B. da; Narain, Rajendra; Bezerra, Jair de L.

2017-01-01

Production of very intense neutron sources is important for basic nuclear physics and for material testing and isotope production. Nuclear reactors have been used as sources of intense neutron fluxes, although the achievement of such levels is limited by the inability to remove fission heat. Periodic pulsed reactors provide very intense fluxes by a rotating modulator near a subcritical core. A concept for the production of very intense neutron fluxes that combines features of periodic pulsed reactors and steady state reactors was proposed by Narain (1997). Such a concept is known as Very Intense Continuous High Flux Pulsed Reactor (VICHFPR) and was analyzed by using diffusion equation with moving boundary conditions and Finite Difference Method with Crank-Nicolson formalism. This research aims to analyze the flux distribution in the Very Intense Continuous Flux High Pulsed Reactor (VICHFPR) by using the Finite Volume Method and compares its results with those obtained by the previous computational method. (author)

Upgrade of the ultracold neutron source at the pulsed reactor TRIGA Mainz

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kahlenberg, J.; Ross, K.U.; Beck, M.; Heil, W.; Karch, J.; Kories, F.; Kretschmer, M. [Johannes Gutenberg University, Institute of Physics, Mainz (Germany); Ries, D. [Johannes Gutenberg University, Institute of Nuclear Chemistry, Mainz (Germany); Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Laboratory for Particle Physics, Villigen (Switzerland); ETH Zuerich, Institute for Particle Physics, Zuerich (Switzerland); Siemensen, C.; Geppert, C.; Karpuk, S.; Reich, T.; Sobolev, Y.; Trautmann, N. [Johannes Gutenberg University, Institute of Nuclear Chemistry, Mainz (Germany); Hild, N. [Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Laboratory for Particle Physics, Villigen (Switzerland); ETH Zuerich, Institute for Particle Physics, Zuerich (Switzerland); Lauss, B. [Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Laboratory for Particle Physics, Villigen (Switzerland)

2017-11-15

The performance of the upgraded solid deuterium ultracold neutron source at the pulsed reactor TRIGA Mainz is described. The current configuration stage comprises the installation of a He liquefier to run UCN experiments over long-term periods, the use of stainless steel neutron guides with improved transmission as well as sputter-coated non-magnetic {sup 58}NiMo alloy at the inside walls of the thermal bridge and the converter cup. The UCN yield was measured in a ''standard'' UCN storage bottle (stainless steel) with a volume of 32 litres outside the biological shield at the experimental area yielding UCN densities of 8.5/cm{sup 3}; an increase by a factor of 3.5 compared to the former setup. The measured UCN storage curve is in good agreement with the predictions from a Monte Carlo simulation developed to model the source. The growth and formation of the solid deuterium converter during freeze-out are affected by the ortho/para ratio of the H{sub 2} premoderator. (orig.)

Consequences of the conversion of research reactor cores on experimental facilities at the example of a cold neutron source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roegler, H.-J.; Goebs, H.; Stroemich, A.

1985-01-01

The consequences for and specifically the potential reduction of the performance of research reactors have been in discussions very often within the last five years as one of the draw-backs which has to be paid for the reduction of the proliferation risk at research reactor plants. Up to now and up to our knowledge the available results are restricted to unperturbated fluxes. Thus, this contribution makes the attempt to demonstrate the consequence of core conversion on an example of a real experimental facility and - at the same time - on one that is going to be used in the next decade a lot, i.e. a cold neutron source (CNS). (author)

The Integral Fast Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Till, C.E.

1985-01-01

During the past two years, scientists from Argonne have developed an advanced breeder reactor with a closed self contained fuel cycle. The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) is a new reactor concept, adaptable to a variety of designs, that is based on a fuel cycle radically different from the CRBR line of breeder development. The essential features of the IFR are metal fuel, pool layout, and pyro- and electro-reprocessing in a facility integral with the reactor plant. The IFR shows promise to provide an inexhaustible, safe, economic, environmentally acceptable, and diversion resistant source of nuclear power. It shows potential for major improvement in all of the areas that have led to concern about nuclear power

Present status of space nuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaneko, Yoshihiko

1996-01-01

USA and former USSR led space development, and had the experience of launching nuclear reactor satellites. In USA, the research and development of space nuclear reactor were advanced mainly by NASA, and in 1965, the nuclear reactor for power source ''SNAP-10A'' was launched and put on the orbit around the earth. Thereafter, the reactor was started up, and the verifying test at 500 We was successfully carried out. Also for developing the reactor for thermal propulsion, NERVA/ROVER project was done till 1973, and the technological basis was established. The space Exploration Initiative for sending mankind to other solar system planets than the earth is the essential point of the future projects. In former USSR, the ground experiment of the reactor for 800 We power source ''Romashka'', the development of the reactor for 10 kWe power source ''Topaz-1 and 2'', the flight of the artificial satellites, Cosmos 954 and Cosmos 1900, on which nuclear reactors were mounted, and the operation of 33 ocean-monitoring satellites ''RORSAT'' using small fast reactors were carried out. The mission of space development and the nuclear reactors as power source, the engineering of space nuclear reactors, the present status and the trend of space nuclear reactor development, and the investigation by the UN working group on the safety problem of space nuclear reactors are described. (K.I.)

Fusion reactor wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Young, J.R.

1976-01-01

The fusion reactor currently is being developed as a clean source of electricity with an essentially infinite source of fuel. These reactors are visualized as using a fusion reaction to generate large quantities of high temperature energy which can be used as process heat or for the generation of electricity. The energy would be created primarily as the kinetic energy of neutrons or other reaction products. Neutron energy could be converted to high-temperature heat by moderation and capture of the neutrons. The energy of other reaction products could be converted to high-temperature heat by capture, or directly to electricity by direct conversion electrostatic equipment. An analysis to determine the wastes released as a result of operation of fusion power plants is presented

Conventional and unconventional energy sources for mankind

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sethna, H.N.

1981-01-01

Plenty of industrial nations of the world is founded on the fact that only 1% of their energy requirement is met by muscle power, both of human and animal origin, while 99% comes mostly from fossil fuels. However, fossil fuels are not an eternal source and hence to conserve it, other sources must also be used. Availability of energy sources such as coal, biogas, solar energy, wind, tidal energy is examined and their draw-backs are pointed out. Another energy source i.e. nuclear energy can however substantially contribute to the energy scene. Fission reactors can contribute nearly 25% of the world energy requirements within two decades. Breeder reactors, if successfully developed, can meet the energy requirements of the world for few thousands of years. Fusion reactors, if successful for commercial exploitation, will form almost an inexhaustible source of energy. An added advantage is that they produce much less radioactive waste than that produced by fission reactors. (author)

Experiment on search for neutron-antineutron oscillations using a projected UCN source at the WWR-M reactor

Science.gov (United States)

Fomin, A. K.; Serebrov, A. P.; Zherebtsov, O. M.; Leonova, E. N.; Chaikovskii, M. E.

2017-01-01

We propose an experiment on search for neutron-antineutron oscillations based on the storage of ultracold neutrons (UCN) in a material trap. The sensitivity of the experiment mostly depends on the trap size and the amount of UCN in it. In Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute (PNPI) a high-intensity UCN source is projected at the WWR-M reactor, which must provide UCN density 2-3 orders of magnitude higher than existing sources. The results of simulations of the designed experimental scheme show that the sensitivity can be increased by ˜ 10-40 times compared to sensitivity of previous experiment depending on the model of neutron reflection from walls.

Multi-purpose nuclear heat source for advanced gas-cooled reactor plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDonald, C.F.

1993-01-01

Nuclear power has the potential to be the ultimate green technology in that it could eliminate the need for burning fossil fuels with their polluting combustion products and greenhouse gases. This view is shared by many technologists, but it may be a generation before the public becomes convinced, and that will involve overcoming many safety, institutional, financial, and technical impediments. This paper addresses only the latter topic; a major theme being that for nuclear power to truly be a green technology and significantly benefit society, it must meet the needs of the full energy spectrum. Specifically, it must satisfy energy needs beyond just the electricity generating sector by today's nuclear plants. By virtue of its high temperature capability, the Modular High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (MHTGR) is the only type of reactor that has the potential to meet the wide range of energy needs that will emerge in the future. This paper discusses the nuclear heat source that gives the MHTGR multi-purpose capability, which is recognized today, but will not be implemented until early in the next century

Experimental study on the operating characteristics of an inner preheating transpiring wall reactor for supercritical water oxidation: Temperature profiles and product properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Fengming; Xu, Chunyan; Zhang, Yong; Chen, Shouyan; Chen, Guifang; Ma, Chunyuan

2014-01-01

A new process to generate multiple thermal fluids by supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) was proposed to enhance oil recovery. An inner preheating transpiring wall reactor for SCWO was designed and tested to avoid plugging in the preheating section. Hot water (400–600 °C) was used as auxiliary heat source to preheat the feed to the reaction temperature. The effect of different operating parameters on the performance of the inner preheating transpiring wall reactor was investigated, and the optimized operating parameters were determined based on temperature profiles and product properties. The reaction temperature is close to 900 °C at an auxiliary heat source flow of 2.79 kg/h, and the auxiliary heat source flow is determined at 6–14 kg/h to avoid the overheating of the reactor. The useful reaction time is used to quantitatively describe the feed degradation efficiency. The outlet concentration of total organic carbon (TOC out ) and CO in the effluent gradually decreases with increasing useful reaction time. The useful reaction time needed for complete oxidation of the feed is 10.5 s for the reactor. - Highlights: • A new process to generate multiple thermal fluids by SCWO was proposed. • An inner preheating transpiring wall reactor for SCWO was designed and tested. • Hot water was used as auxiliary heat source to preheat the feed at room temperature. • Effect of operating parameters on the performance of the reactor was investigated. • The useful reaction time required for complete oxidation of the feed is 10.5 s

Four energy group neutron flux distribution in the Syrian miniature neutron source reactor using the WIMSD4 and CITATION code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khattab, K.; Omar, H.; Ghazi, N.

2009-01-01

A 3-D (R, θ , Z) neutronic model for the Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR) was developed earlier to conduct the reactor neutronic analysis. The group constants for all the reactor components were generated using the WIMSD4 code. The reactor excess reactivity and the four group neutron flux distributions were calculated using the CITATION code. This model is used in this paper to calculate the point wise four energy group neutron flux distributions in the MNSR versus the radius, angle and reactor axial directions. Good agreement is noticed between the measured and the calculated thermal neutron flux in the inner and the outer irradiation site with relative difference less than 7% and 5% respectively. (author)

The Budapest research reactor as an advanced research facility for the early 21st century

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vidovszky, I.

2001-01-01

The Budapest Research Reactor, Hungary's first nuclear facility was originally put into operation in 1959. The reactor serves for: basic and applied research, technological and commercial applications, education and training. The main goal of the reactor is to serve neutron research. This unique research possibility is used by a broad user community of Europe. Eight instruments for neutron scattering, radiography and activation analyses are already used, others (e.g. time of flight spectrometer, neutron reflectometer) are being installed. The majority of these instruments will get a much improved utilization when the cold neutron source is put into operation. In 1999 the Budapest Research Reactor was operated for 3129 full power hours in 14 periods. The normal operation period took 234 hours (starting Monday noon and finishing Thursday morning). The entire production for the year 1999 was 1302 MW days. This is a slightly reduced value, due to the installation of the cold neutron source. For the year 2000 a somewhat longer operation is foreseen (near to 4000 hours), as the cold neutron source will be operational. The operation of the reactor is foreseen at least up to the end of the first decade of the 21 st century. (author)

The fast breeder reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Collier, J.

1990-01-01

The arguments for and against the fast breeder reactor are debated. The case for the fast reactor is that the world energy demand will increase due to increasing population over the next forty years and that the damage to the global environment from burning fossil fuels which contribute to the greenhouse effect. Nuclear fission is the only large scale energy source which can achieve a cut in the use of carbon based fuels although energy conservation and renewable sources will also be important. Fast reactors produce more energy from uranium than other types of (thermal) reactors such as AGRs and PWRs. Fast reactors would be important from about 2020 onwards especially as by then many thermal reactors will need to be replaced. Fast reactors are also safer than normal reactors. The arguments against fast reactors are largely economic. The cost, especially the capital cost is very high. The viability of the technology is also questioned. (UK)

Review of current and proposed reactor upgrades

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moon, R.M.

1985-01-01

In an effort to foresee the future health of neutron scattering, a survey of plans to upgrade reactors and associated experimental facilities was undertaken. The results indicate that we are now entering a period characterized by a substantial reinvestment in reactor sources and expansion in the number of neutron scattering instruments. For the group of institutions participating in this survey there will be a total investment in improved sources and experimental facilities of $500 M to $1,000 M over the next decade. This investment will result in a 30 to 40% increase in the total power of research reactors and an increase of 30 to 50% in the number of neutron scattering instruments. It is therefore reasonable to anticipate an approximate doubling in the number of reactor neutrons incident on samples in the mid 90s compared to the present

Graphite moderated 252Cf source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sajo B, L.; Barros, H.; Greaves, E. D.; Vega C, H. R.

2014-08-01

The thorium molten salt reactor is an attractive and affordable nuclear power option for developing countries with insufficient infrastructure and limited technological capability. In the aim of personnel training and experience gathering at the Universidad Simon Bolivar there is in progress a project of developing a subcritical thorium liquid fuel reactor. The neutron source to run this subcritical reactor is a 252 Cf source and the reactor will use high-purity graphite as moderator. Using the MCNP5 code the neutron spectra of the 252 Cf in the center of the graphite moderator has been estimated along the channel where the liquid thorium salt will be inserted; also the ambient dose equivalent due to the source has been determined around the moderator. (Author)

An advanced fusion neutron source facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, D.L.

1992-01-01

Accelerator-based 14-MeV-neutron sources based on modifications of the original Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility are currently under consideration for investigating the effects of high-fluence high-energy neutron irradiation on fusion-reactor materials. One such concept for a D-Li neutron source is based on recent advances in accelerator technology associated with the Continuous Wave Deuterium Demonstrator accelerator under construction at Argonne National Laboratory, associated superconducting technology, and advances in liquid-metal technology. In this paper a summary of conceptual design aspects based on improvements in technologies is presented

Compilation of reactor physics data of the year 1984, AVR reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Werner, H.; Bergerfurth, A.; Thomas, F.; Geskes, B.

1985-12-01

The 'AVR reactor physics data' is a documentation published once a year, the data presented being obtained by a simulation of reactor operation using the AVR-80 numerical model. This model is constantly updated and improved in response to new results and developments in the field of reactor theory and thermohydraulics, and in response to theoretical or practical modifications of reactor operation or in the computer system. The large variety of measured data available in the AVR reactor simulation system also makes it an ideal testing system for verification of the computing programs presented in the compilation. A survey of the history of operations in 1984 and a short explanation of the computerized simulation methods are followed by tables and graphs that serve as a source of topical data for readers interested in the physics of high-temperature pebble-bed reactors. (orig./HP) [de

Compilation of reactor physics data of the year 1983, AVR reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Werner, H.; Bergerfurth, A.; Thomas, F.; Geskes, B.

1985-06-01

The 'AVR reactor physics data' is a documentation published once a year, the data presented being obtained by a simulation of reactor operation using the AVR-80 numerical model. This model is constantly updated and improved in response to new results and developments in the field of reactor theory and thermohydraulics, and in response to theoretical or practical modifications of reactor operation or in the computer system. The large variety of measured data available in the AVR reactor simulation system also makes it an ideal testing system for verification of the computing programs presented in the compilation. A survey of the history of operations in 1983 and a short explanation of the computerized simulation methods are followed by tables and graphs that serve as a source of topical data for readers interested in the physics of high-temperature pebble-bed reactors. (orig./HP) [de

Radiation protection programme for LEU miniature source reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beinpuo, Ernest Sanyare Warmann

2015-02-01

A radiation protection program has been developed to promote radiation dose reduction. It emphasize radiological protection fundamentals geared at reducing radiation from the application of the research reactor at the reactor center of the National Nuclear Research Institute (NNRI) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission. The objectives of the radiation safety program are both to ensure that nuclear scientists and technicians are exposed to a minimum of ionizing radiation and to protect employees and facility users and surrounding community from any potentially harmful effects of nuclear research reactor at GAEC. The primary purpose of the radiation control program is to assure radiological safety of all personnel and the public to guarantee that ionizing radiation arising out of the operations of the Research Reactor at the Reactor Center does not adversely affect personnel, the general public or the environment. This program sets forth polices, regulations, and procedures approved by the Centers Radiation Control Committee. The regulations and procedures outlined in this program are intended to protect all individuals with a minimum of interference in their activities and are consistent with regulations of the Radiation Protection Board (RPB) applicable to ionizing radioactive producing devices. (au)

Advanced Neutron Source (ANS) Project Progress report, FY 1991

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Campbell, J.H.; Selby, D.L.; Harrington, R.M.; Thompson, P.B.

1992-01-01

This report discusses the following about the Advanced Neutron Source: Project Management; Research and Development; Fuel Development; Corrosion Loop Tests and Analyses; Thermal-Hydraulic Loop Tests; Reactor Control and Shutdown Concepts; Critical and Subcritical Experiments; Material Data, Structural Tests, and Analysis; Cold-Source Development; Beam Tube, Guide, and Instrument Development; Hot-Source Development; Neutron Transport and Shielding; I ampersand C Research and Development; Design; and Safety

Design of a homogeneous subcritical nuclear reactor based on thorium with a source of californium 252; Diseno de un reactor nuclear subcritico homogeneo a base de Torio con una fuente de Californio 252

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Delgado H, C. E.; Vega C, H. R. [Universidad Autonoma de Zacatecas, Unidad Academica de Estudios Nucleares, Cipres No. 10, Fracc. La Penuela, 98068 Zacatecas, Zac. (Mexico); Sajo B, L., E-mail: ce_delgado89@hotmail.com [Universidad Simon Bolivar, Laboratorio de Fisica Nuclear, Apdo. 89000, 1080A Caracas (Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of)

2015-10-15

Full text: One of the energy alternatives to fossil fuels which do not produce greenhouse gases is the nuclear energy. One of the drawbacks of this alternative is the generation of radioactive wastes of long half-life and its relation to the generation of nuclear materials to produce weapons of mass destruction. An option to these drawbacks of nuclear energy is to use Thorium as part of the nuclear fuel which it becomes in U{sup 233} when capturing neutrons, that is a fissile material. In this paper Monte Carlo methods were used to design a homogeneous subcritical reactor based on thorium. As neutron reflector graphite was used. The reactor core is homogeneous and is formed of 70% light water as moderator, 12% of enriched uranium UO{sub 2}(NO{sub 3}){sub 4} and 18% of thorium Th(NO{sub 3}){sub 4} as fuel. To start the nuclear fission chain reaction an isotopic source of californium 252 was used with an intensity of 4.6 x 10{sup 7} s{sup -1}. In the design the value of the effective multiplication factor, whose value turned out k{sub eff} <1 was calculated. Also, the neutron spectra at different distances from the source and the total fluence were calculated, as well as the values of the ambient dose equivalent in the periphery of the reactor. (Author)

PARR-2: reactor description and experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wyne, M.F.; Meghji, J.H.

1990-12-01

PARR-2 is a miniature neutron source reactor (MNSR) research reactor has been designed at the rate of 27 kW. Reactor assembly comprises of peaking characteristics with a self limiting flux. In this report reactor description with its assembly and instrumentation control system has been explained. The reactor engineering and physics experiments which can be performed on this reactor are explained in this report. PARR-2 is fueled with HEU fuel pins which are about 90% enriched in U-235. Specific requirements for the safety of the reactor, its building and the personnel, normal instrumentation as required in an industrial environment is sufficient. (A.B.)

Fission Product Transport and Source Terms in HTRs: Experience from AVR Pebble Bed Reactor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rainer Moormann

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Fission products deposited in the coolant circuit outside of the active core play a dominant role in source term estimations for advanced small pebble bed HTRs, particularly in design basis accidents (DBA. The deposited fission products may be released in depressurization accidents because present pebble bed HTR concepts abstain from a gas tight containment. Contamination of the circuit also hinders maintenance work. Experiments, performed from 1972 to 88 on the AVR, an experimental pebble bed HTR, allow for a deeper insight into fission product transport behavior. The activity deposition per coolant pass was lower than expected and was influenced by fission product chemistry and by presence of carbonaceous dust. The latter lead also to inconsistencies between Cs plate out experiments in laboratory and in AVR. The deposition behavior of Ag was in line with present models. Dust as activity carrier is of safety relevance because of its mobility and of its sorption capability for fission products. All metal surfaces in pebble bed reactors were covered by a carbonaceous dust layer. Dust in AVR was produced by abrasion in amounts of about 5 kg/y. Additional dust sources in AVR were ours oil ingress and peeling of fuel element surfaces due to an air ingress. Dust has a size of about 1  m, consists mainly of graphite, is partly remobilized by flow perturbations, and deposits with time constants of 1 to 2 hours. In future reactors, an efficient filtering via a gas tight containment is required because accidents with fast depressurizations induce dust mobilization. Enhanced core temperatures in normal operation as in AVR and broken fuel pebbles have to be considered, as inflammable dust concentrations in the gas phase.

The SILENE reactor: an instrument suitable for studying the impact of intermediate and high radiation doses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verray, B.; Leo, Y.; Fouillaud, P.

2002-01-01

Designed in 1974 to study the phenomenology and consequences of a criticality accident, the SILENE experimental reactor, an intense source of mixed neutron and gamma radiation, is also suited to radiobiological studies. (author)

Synchrotron-driven spallation sources

CERN Document Server

Bryant, P J

1996-01-01

The use of synchrotrons for pulsed neutron spallation sources is an example of scientific and technological spin-off from the accelerator development for particle physics. Accelerator-driven sources provide an alternative to the continuous-flux, nuclear reactors that currently furnish the majority of neutrons for research and development. Although the present demand for neutrons can be adequately met by the existing reactors, this situation is unlikely to continue due to the increasing severity of safety regulations and the declared policies of many countries to close down their reactors within the next decade or so. Since the demand for neutrons as a research tool is, in any case,expected to grow, there has been a corresponding interest in sources that are synchrotron-driven or linac-driven with a pulse compression ring and currently several design studies are being made. These accelerator-driven sources also have the advantage of a time structure with a high peak neutron flux. The basic requirement is for a...

Fusion-fission hybrid as an alternative to the fast breeder reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barrett, R.J.; Hardie, R.W.

1980-09-01

This report compares the fusion-fission hybrid on the plutonium cycle with the classical fast breeder reactor (FBR) cycle as a long-term nuclear energy source. For the purpose of comparison, the current light-water reactor once-through (LWR-OT) cycle was also analyzed. The methods and models used in this study were developed for use in a comparative analysis of conventional nuclear fuel cycles. Assessment areas considered in this study include economics, energy balance, proliferation resistance, technological status, public safety, and commercial viability. In every case the characteristics of all fuel cycle facilities were accounted for, rather than just those of the reactor

Trench reactor: an overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spinrad, B.I.; Rohach, A.F.; Razzaque, M.M.; Sankoorikal, J.T.; Schmidt, R.S.; Lofshult, J.; Ramin, T.; Sokmen, N.; Lin, L.C.

1988-01-01

Recent fast, sodium-cooled reactor designs reflect new conditions. In nuclear energy these conditions are (a) emphasis on maintainability and operability, (b) design for more transparent safety, and (c) a surplus of uranium and enrichment availability that eases concerns about light water reactor fueling costs. In utility practice the demand is for less capital exposure, short construction time, smaller new unit sizes, and low capital cost. The PRISM, SAFR, and integral fast reactor (IFR) concepts are responses to these conditions. Fast reactors will not soon be deployed commercially, so more radical designs can be considered. The trench reactor is the product of such thinking. Its concepts are intended as contributions to the literature, which may be picked up by one of the existing programs or used in a new experimental project. The trench reactor is a thin-slab, pool-type reactor operated at very low power density and- for sodium-modest temperature. The thin slab is repeated in the sodium tank and the reactor core. The low power density permits a longer than conventional core height and a large-diameter fuel pin. Control is by borated steel slabs that can be lowered between the core and lateral sodium reflector. Shutdown is by semaphore slabs that can be swung into place just outside the control slabs. The paper presents major characteristics of the trench reactor that have been changed since the last report

Modification to ORIGEN2 for generating N Reactor source terms. Volume 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwarz, R.A.

1997-04-01

This report discusses work that has been done to upgrade the ORIGEN2 code cross sections to be compatible with the WIMS computer code data. Because of the changes in the ORIGEN2 calculations. Details on changes made to the ORIGEN2 computer code and the Radnuc code will be discussed along with additional work that should be done in the future to upgrade both ORIGEN2 and Radnuc. A detailed historical description of how source terms have been generated for N Reactor fuel stored in the K Basins has been generated. The neutron source discussed in this description was generated by the WIMS computer code (Gubbins et al. 1982) because of known shortcomings in the ORIGEN2 (Croff 1980) cross sections. Another document includes a discussion of the ORIGEN2 cross sections

Nuclear reactor auxiliary heat removal system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thompson, R.E.; Pierce, B.L.

1977-01-01

An auxiliary heat removal system to remove residual heat from gas-cooled nuclear reactors is described. The reactor coolant is expanded through a turbine, cooled in a heat exchanger and compressed by a compressor before reentering the reactor coolant. The turbine powers both the compressor and the pump which pumps a second fluid through the heat exchanger to cool the reactor coolant. A pneumatic starter is utilized to start the turbine, thereby making the auxiliary heat removal system independent of external power sources

The Effect of Initial Inoculum Source on the Microbial Community Structure and Dynamics in Laboratory-Scale Sequencing Batch Reactors

KAUST Repository

Hernandez, Susana

2011-07-01

Understanding the factors that shapes the microbial community assembly in activated sludge wastewater treatment processes provide a conceptual foundation for improving process performance. The aim of this study was to compare two major theories (deterministic theory and neutral theory) regarding the assembly of microorganisms in activated sludge: Six lab-scale activated sludge sequencing batch reactors were inoculated with activated sludge collected from three different sources (domestic, industrial, and sugar industry WWTP). Additionally, two reactors were seeded with equal proportion of sludge from the three WWTPs. Duplicate reactors were used for each sludge source (i.e. domestic, industrial, sugar and mix). Reactors were operated in parallel for 11 weeks under identical conditions. Bacterial diversity and community structure in the eight SBRs were assessed by 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing. The 16S rRNA gene sequences were analyzed using taxonomic and clustering analysis and by measuring diversity indices (Shannon-weaver and Chao1 indices). Cluster analysis revealed that the microbial community structure was dynamic and that replicate reactors evolved differently. Also the microbial community structure in the SBRs seeded with a different sludge did not converge after 11 weeks of operation under identical conditions. These results suggest that history and distribution of taxa in the source inoculum were stronger regulating factors in shaping bacterial community structure than environmental factors. This supports the neutral theory which states that the assembly of the local microbial community from the metacommunity is random and is regulated by the size and diversity of the metacommunity. Furthermore, sludge performance, measured by COD and ammonia removal, confirmed that broad-scale functions (e.g. COD removal) are not influenced by dynamics in the microbial composition, while specific functions (e.g. nitrification) are more susceptible to these changes.

Prospects for inertial fusion as an energy source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hogan, W.J.

1989-01-01

Progress in the Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) Program has been very rapid in the last few years. Target physics experiments with laboratory lasers and in underground nuclear tests have shown that the drive conditions necessary to achieve high gain can be achieved in the laboratory with a pulse-shaped driver of about 10 MJ. Requirements and designs for a Laboratory Microfusion Facility (LMF) have been formulated. Research on driver technology necessary for an ICF reactor is making progress. Prospects for ICF as an energy source are very promising. 11 refs., 5 figs

Calculation of photon dose for Dalat research reactor in case of loss of reactor tank water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Vinh Vinh; Huynh Ton Nghiem; Nguyen Kien Cuong

2007-01-01

Photon sources of actinides and fission products were estimated by ORIGEN2 code with the modified cross-section library for Dalat research reactor (DRR) using new cross-section generated by WIMS-ANL code. Photon sources of reactor tank water calculated from the experimental data. MCNP4C2 with available non-analog Monte Carlo model and ANSI/ANL-6.1.1-1977 flux-to-dose factors were used for dose estimation. The agreement between calculation results and those of measurements showed that the methods and models used to get photon sources and dose were acceptable. In case the reactor water totally leaks out from the reactor tank, the calculated dose is very high at the top of reactor tank while still low in control room. In the reactor hall, the operation staffs can access for emergency works but with time limits. (author)

Application of the modified neutron source multiplication method for a measurement of sub-criticality in AGN-201K reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myung-Hyun Kim

2010-01-01

Measurement of sub-criticality is a challenging and required task in nuclear industry both for nuclear criticality safety and physics test in nuclear power plant. A relatively new method named as Modified Neutron Source Multiplication Method (MNSM) was proposed in Japan. This method is an improvement of traditional Neutron Source Multiplication (NSM) Method, in which three correction factors are applied additionally. In this study, MNSM was tested in calculation of rod worth using an educational reactor in Kyung Hee University, AGN-201K. For this study, a revised nuclear data library and a neutron transport code system TRANSX-PARTISN were used for the calculation of correction factors for various control rod positions and source locations. Experiments were designed and performed to enhance errors in NSM from the location effects of source and detectors. MNSM can correct these effects but current results showed not much correction effects. (author)

Neutron noise in nuclear reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blaquiere, A.; Pachowska, R.

1961-06-01

The power of a nuclear reactor, in the operating conditions, presents fluctuations due to various causes. This random behaviour can be included in the study of 'noises'. Among other sources of noise, we analyse hereafter the fluctuations due: a) to the discontinuous emissions of neutrons from an independent source; b) to the multiplication of neutrons inside the reactor. The method which we present makes use of the analogies between the rules governing a nuclear reactor in operation and a number of radio-electrical systems, in particular the feed-back loops. The reactor can be characterized by its 'passing band' and is described as a system submitted to a sequence of random pulses. In non linear operating condition, the effect of neutron noise is defined by means of a non-linear functional, this theory is thus related to previous works the references of which are given at the end of the present report. This leads us in particular in the case of nuclear reactors to some results given by A. Blaquiere in the case of radio-electrical loops. (author) [fr

Research reactor fuel - an update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finlay, M.R.; Ripley, M.I.

2003-01-01

In the two years since the last ANA conference there have been marked changes in the research reactor fuel scene. A new low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel, 'monolithic' uranium molybdenum, has shown such promise in initial trials that it may be suitable to meet the objectives of the Joint Declaration signed by Presidents Bush and Putin to commit to converting all US and Russian research reactors to LEU by 2012. Development of more conventional aluminium dispersion UMo LEU fuel has continued in the meantime and is entering the final qualification stage of multiple full sized element irradiations. Despite this progress, the original 2005 timetable for UMo fuel qualification has slipped and research reactors, including the RRR, may not convert from silicide to UMo fuel before 2007. The operators of the Swedish R2 reactor have been forced to pursue the direct route of qualifying a UMo lead test assembly (LTA) in order to meet spent fuel disposal requirements of the Swedish law. The LTA has recently been fabricated and is expected to be loaded shortly into the R2 reactor. We present an update of our previous ANA paper and details of the qualification process for UMo fuel

Investigation of a superthermal ultracold neutron source based on a solid deuterium converter for the TRIGA Mainz reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lauer, Thorsten

2010-01-01

Research in fundamental physics with the free neutron is one of the key tools for testing the Standard Model at low energies. Most prominent goals in this field are the search for a neutron electric dipole moment (EDM) and the measurement of the neutron lifetime. Significant improvements of the experimental performance using ultracold neutrons (UCN) require reduction of both systematic and statistical errors.The development and construction of new UCN sources based on the superthermal concept is therefore an important step for the success of future fundamental physics with ultracold neutrons. Significant enhancement of today available UCN densities strongly correlates with an efficient use of an UCN converter material. The UCN converter here is to be understood as a medium which reduces the velocity of cold neutrons (CN, velocity of about 600 m/s) to the velocity of UCN (velocity of about 6 m/s).Several big research centers around the world are presently planning or constructing new superthermal UCN sources, which are mainly based on the use of either solid deuterium or superfluid helium as UCN converter.Thanks to the idea of Yu.Pokotilovsky, there exists the opportunity to build competitive UCN sources also at small research reactors of the TRIGA type. Of course these smaller facilities don't promise high UCN densities of several 1000 UCN/cm 3 , but they are able to provide densities around 100 UCN/cm 3 for experiments.In the context of this thesis, it was possible to demonstrate succesfully the feasibility of a superthermal UCN source at the tangential beamport C of the research reactor TRIGA Mainz. Based on a prototype for the future UCN source at the Forschungs-Neutronenquelle Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRMII) in Munich, which was planned and built in collaboration with the Technical University of Munich, further investigations and improvements were done and are presented in this thesis. In parallel, a second UCN source for the radial beamport D was designed and

Investigation of a superthermal ultracold neutron source based on a solid deuterium converter for the TRIGA Mainz reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lauer, Thorsten

2010-12-22

Research in fundamental physics with the free neutron is one of the key tools for testing the Standard Model at low energies. Most prominent goals in this field are the search for a neutron electric dipole moment (EDM) and the measurement of the neutron lifetime. Significant improvements of the experimental performance using ultracold neutrons (UCN) require reduction of both systematic and statistical errors.The development and construction of new UCN sources based on the superthermal concept is therefore an important step for the success of future fundamental physics with ultracold neutrons. Significant enhancement of today available UCN densities strongly correlates with an efficient use of an UCN converter material. The UCN converter here is to be understood as a medium which reduces the velocity of cold neutrons (CN, velocity of about 600 m/s) to the velocity of UCN (velocity of about 6 m/s).Several big research centers around the world are presently planning or constructing new superthermal UCN sources, which are mainly based on the use of either solid deuterium or superfluid helium as UCN converter.Thanks to the idea of Yu.Pokotilovsky, there exists the opportunity to build competitive UCN sources also at small research reactors of the TRIGA type. Of course these smaller facilities don't promise high UCN densities of several 1000 UCN/cm{sup 3}, but they are able to provide densities around 100 UCN/cm{sup 3} for experiments.In the context of this thesis, it was possible to demonstrate succesfully the feasibility of a superthermal UCN source at the tangential beamport C of the research reactor TRIGA Mainz. Based on a prototype for the future UCN source at the Forschungs-Neutronenquelle Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRMII) in Munich, which was planned and built in collaboration with the Technical University of Munich, further investigations and improvements were done and are presented in this thesis. In parallel, a second UCN source for the radial beamport D was

Modeling and simulation of an isothermal reactor for methanol steam reforming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raphael Menechini Neto

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Due to growing electricity demand, cheap renewable energy sources are needed. Fuel cells are an interesting alternative for generating electricity since they use hydrogen as their main fuel and release only water and heat to the environment. Although fuel cells show great flexibility in size and operating temperature (some models even operate at low temperatures, the technology has the drawback for hydrogen transportation and storage. However, hydrogen may be produced from methanol steam reforming obtained from renewable sources such as biomass. The use of methanol as raw material in hydrogen production process by steam reforming is highly interesting owing to the fact that alcohol has the best hydrogen carbon-1 ratio (4:1 and may be processed at low temperatures and atmospheric pressures. They are features which are desirable for its use in autonomous fuel cells. Current research develops a mathematical model of an isothermal methanol steam reforming reactor and validates it against experimental data from the literature. The mathematical model was solved numerically by MATLAB® and the comparison of its predictions for different experimental conditions indicated that the developed model and the methodology for its numerical solution were adequate. Further, a preliminary analysis was undertaken on methanol steam reforming reactor project for autonomous fuel cell.

Effects of neutron source ratio on nuclear characteristics of D-D fusion reactor blankets and shields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakashima, Hideki; Nakao, Yasuyuki; Ohta, Masao

1978-01-01

An examination is made of the dependence shown by the nuclear characteristics of the blanket and shield of D-D fusion reactors on S sub( d d)/S sub( d t), the ratio between the 2.45 MeV neutrons resulting from the D-D reaction and those of 14.06 MeV from the D-T reaction. Also, an estimate is presented of this neutron source ratio S sub( d d)/S sub( d t) for the case of D-D reactors, taken as an example. It is shown that an increase of S sub( d d)/S sub( d t) reduces the amount of nuclear heating per unit source neutron, while at the same time improving the shielding characteristics. This is accountable to lowering of the energy and penetrability of incident neutrons into the blanket brought about by the increase of S sub( d d)/S sub( d t). The value of S sub( d d)/S sub( d t) in a steady state D-D fusioning plasma core is estimated to be 1.46 -- 1.72 for an ion temperature ranging from 60 -- 180 keV. The reductions obtained on H sub( t)sup( b) (total heating in the blanket), H sub( t)sup( m g)/H sub( t)sup( b) (shielding indicator = ratio between total heating in superconducting magnet and that in the blanket) and phi sup( m g)/phi sup( w) (ratio of fast neutron fluxes between that at the magnet inner surface and that at the first wall inner surface) brought about by increasing S sub( d d)/S sub( d t) from unity to the value cited above do not differ to any appreciable extent, whichever is adopted among the design models considered here, the differences being at most about 10, 15 and 25%, respectively, for these three parameters. These results would broaden the validity of the conclusion derived in the previous paper for the case of S sub( d d)/S sub( d t) = 1.0, that the blanket-shield concept would appear to be the most suitable for D-D fusion reactors. (author)

Neutron source strength determination for on-line reactivity measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoogenboom, J.E.; Sluijs, A.R. van der

1988-01-01

A method is described to determine the effective neutron source strength in a nuclear reactor, which must be known when calculating the time-varying reactivity from inverse reactor kinetics for a reactor at low power. When for an initially subcritical reactor the reactivity is changed and kept constant after the change, the effective source strength can be determined from a linear regression of reactor power to a function proportional to the emission rate of delayed neutrons, which can be calculated from the reactor power history. In view of the relatively strong noise present in the reactor power signal at low power, a grouping method for the regression is preferred over the least-squares method. Experiments with a reactor simulator with known source strength showed good agreement. Application to actual reactor signals gave consistent and satisfactory results.

Method of reactor operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maeda, Katsuji.

1982-01-01

Purpose: To prevent stress corrosion cracks in stainless steels caused from hydrogen peroxide in reactor operation in which the density of hydrogen peroxide in the reactor water is controlled upon reactor start-up. Method: A heat exchanger equipped with a heat source for applying external heat is disposed into the recycling system for reactor coolants. Upon reactor start-up, the coolants are heated by the heat exchanger till arriving at a temperature at which the dissolving rate is faster than the forming rate of hydrogen peroxide in the coolants, and nuclear heating is started after reaching the above temperature. The temperature of the reactor water is increased in such a manner and, when it arrives at 140 0 C, extraction of control elements is started and the heat source for the heat exchanger is interrupted simultaneously. In this way spikes in the density of hydrogen peroxide are suppressed upon reactor start-up to thereby decrease the stress corrosion cracks in stainless steels. (Horiuchi, T.)

Canadian Neutron Source (CNS): a research reactor solution for medical isotopes and neutrons for science

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapman, D.

2009-01-01

This presentation describes a dual purpose research facility at the University of Saskatchewan for Canada for the production of medical isotopes and neutrons for scientific research. The proposed research reactor is intended to supply most of Canada's medical isotope requirements and provide a neutron source for Canada's research community. Scientific research would include materials research, biomedical research and imaging.

Modified divergence theorem for analysis and optimization of wall reflecting cylindrical UV reactor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milanović Đurđe R.

2011-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, Modified Divergence Theorem (MDT, known in earlier literature as Gauss-Ostrogradsky theorem, was formulated and proposed as a general approach to electromagnetic (EM radiation, especially ultraviolet (UV radiation reactor modeling. Formulated mathematical model, based on MDT, for multilamp UV reactor was applied to all sources in a reactor in order to obtain intensity profiles at chosen surfaces inside reactor. Applied modification of MDT means that intensity at a real opaque or transparent surface or through a virtual surface, opened or closed, from different sides of the surface are added and not subtracted as in some other areas of physics. Derived model is applied to an example of the multiple UV sources reactor, where sources are arranged inside a cylindrical reactor at the coaxial virtual cylinder, having the radius smaller than the radius of the reactor. In this work, optimization of a reactor means maximum transfer of EM energy sources into the fluid for given fluid absorbance and fluid flow-dose product. Obtained results, for in advanced known water quality, gives unique solution for an optimized model of a multilamp reactor geometry. As everyone can easily verify, MDT is very good starting point for every reactor modeling and analysis.

An overview of thermalhydraulics R and D for SLOWPOKE heating reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dimmick, G.R.

1988-09-01

AECL is currently demonstrating the use of pool-type reactors of up to 10 MW output to produce hot water at about 90 degrees Celsius. The initial focus for the development is the provision of a source of hot water for institutional and municipal heating networks. Ongoing developments are designed to broaden the applications to electricity generation and industrial processes such as desalination and agricultural needs. The reactor concept is based on the Slowpoke-2 research reactor, eight of which are successfully operating in Canada and abroad. The primary-circuit flow is driven by natural convection, with the heated water, produced by the reactor core near the bottom of the pool, being ducted to low-pressure-drop heat exchangers in the upper part of the pool. As the pool volume is relatively large, the fluid transit time around the circuit is long, ensuring that the reactor response to all normal transients is extremely slow. To investigate thermalhydraulics aspects of the reactor design, including its behaviour underextreme conditions, an electrically heated, natural-convection loop was designed and constructed. The core of the loop consists of a rod bundle that is a precise reproduction of one quarter of the core of the 2-MW SLOWPOKE Demonstration Reactor presently being tested at the Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment. With this loop, measurements of the distribution of pressure, temperature, velocity and subcooled void have been made in the simulated core, via a variety of intrusive and non-intrusive techniques. In addition, both the single- and two-phase behaviour of the system have been studied. This paper gives examples of the various in-core measurements made and also makes comparisons between the measured system behaviour and that predicted by the various steady-state and transient computer codes

A Study on the demands of research reactors and considerations for an export

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Cheol; Lee, Young Jun

2008-11-15

Among around 240 research reactors in operation over the world, around 80% have been operated for more than 20 years and 65% for more than 30 years. Hence the number of operable reactors is expected, between 2010 and 2020, to be reduced to 1/3 of the present situation if the lifetime of a research reactor is assumed to be 40 years. However, considering the recent re-highlighting of nuclear energy as a practical mass energy source and the contributions to the overall areas of science and technology, the demands for constructing a new research reactor and replacing the existing research reactors will be increased in the near future. On the other hand, vendors which participate in providing research reactors are not few, and AREVA in France and INVAP in Argentina are example of them in a positive position. Japan and Russia are regarded as potential competitors, but they do not actively appear in the market so far. Comparing those competitors with Korea, we have weak points regarding experiences on exports and the organizational systems as an integrated vendor. But we may have a competitiveness by grafting our experiences on the development of nuclear power technology and the construction and operation of the HANARO. In this report, the future potential demands for research reactors and the related considerations for exports have been surveyed and described, particularly, centering around the Netherlands, Vietnam and Thailand that are countries which may construct research reactors in the near future. Considerations for exporting a research reactor have been categorized into two groups of technical and nontechnical items. From a technical point of view, the issues on fuel and reactor type, design data and design ability, design codes, and technology property rights have been reviewed. For the non-technical items, an integrated project system, reasonable estimate of demands, social and economic conditions for potential demand countries, MOU status, nuclear non

A Study on the demands of research reactors and considerations for an export

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Cheol; Lee, Young Jun

2008-11-01

Among around 240 research reactors in operation over the world, around 80% have been operated for more than 20 years and 65% for more than 30 years. Hence the number of operable reactors is expected, between 2010 and 2020, to be reduced to 1/3 of the present situation if the lifetime of a research reactor is assumed to be 40 years. However, considering the recent re-highlighting of nuclear energy as a practical mass energy source and the contributions to the overall areas of science and technology, the demands for constructing a new research reactor and replacing the existing research reactors will be increased in the near future. On the other hand, vendors which participate in providing research reactors are not few, and AREVA in France and INVAP in Argentina are example of them in a positive position. Japan and Russia are regarded as potential competitors, but they do not actively appear in the market so far. Comparing those competitors with Korea, we have weak points regarding experiences on exports and the organizational systems as an integrated vendor. But we may have a competitiveness by grafting our experiences on the development of nuclear power technology and the construction and operation of the HANARO. In this report, the future potential demands for research reactors and the related considerations for exports have been surveyed and described, particularly, centering around the Netherlands, Vietnam and Thailand that are countries which may construct research reactors in the near future. Considerations for exporting a research reactor have been categorized into two groups of technical and nontechnical items. From a technical point of view, the issues on fuel and reactor type, design data and design ability, design codes, and technology property rights have been reviewed. For the non-technical items, an integrated project system, reasonable estimate of demands, social and economic conditions for potential demand countries, MOU status, nuclear non

Graphite moderated {sup 252}Cf source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sajo B, L.; Barros, H.; Greaves, E. D. [Universidad Simon Bolivar, Nuclear Physics Laboratory, Apdo. 89000, 1080A Caracas (Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of); Vega C, H. R., E-mail: fermineutron@yahoo.com [Universidad Autonoma de Zacatecas, Unidad Academica de Estudios Nucleares, Cipres No. 10, Fracc. La Penuela, 98068 Zacatecas (Mexico)

2014-08-15

The thorium molten salt reactor is an attractive and affordable nuclear power option for developing countries with insufficient infrastructure and limited technological capability. In the aim of personnel training and experience gathering at the Universidad Simon Bolivar there is in progress a project of developing a subcritical thorium liquid fuel reactor. The neutron source to run this subcritical reactor is a {sup 252}Cf source and the reactor will use high-purity graphite as moderator. Using the MCNP5 code the neutron spectra of the {sup 252}Cf in the center of the graphite moderator has been estimated along the channel where the liquid thorium salt will be inserted; also the ambient dose equivalent due to the source has been determined around the moderator. (Author)

Cross-flow electrochemical reactor cells, cross-flow reactors, and use of cross-flow reactors for oxidation reactions

Science.gov (United States)

Balachandran, Uthamalingam; Poeppel, Roger B.; Kleefisch, Mark S.; Kobylinski, Thaddeus P.; Udovich, Carl A.

1994-01-01

This invention discloses cross-flow electrochemical reactor cells containing oxygen permeable materials which have both electron conductivity and oxygen ion conductivity, cross-flow reactors, and electrochemical processes using cross-flow reactor cells having oxygen permeable monolithic cores to control and facilitate transport of oxygen from an oxygen-containing gas stream to oxidation reactions of organic compounds in another gas stream. These cross-flow electrochemical reactors comprise a hollow ceramic blade positioned across a gas stream flow or a stack of crossed hollow ceramic blades containing a channel or channels for flow of gas streams. Each channel has at least one channel wall disposed between a channel and a portion of an outer surface of the ceramic blade, or a common wall with adjacent blades in a stack comprising a gas-impervious mixed metal oxide material of a perovskite structure having electron conductivity and oxygen ion conductivity. The invention includes reactors comprising first and second zones seprated by gas-impervious mixed metal oxide material material having electron conductivity and oxygen ion conductivity. Prefered gas-impervious materials comprise at least one mixed metal oxide having a perovskite structure or perovskite-like structure. The invention includes, also, oxidation processes controlled by using these electrochemical reactors, and these reactions do not require an external source of electrical potential or any external electric circuit for oxidation to proceed.

Predictions on an HTR coolant composition after operational experience with experimental reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nieder, R.

1981-01-01

Long-term operational experience of the HTR experimental reactors Dragon (1966 - 1975), Peach Bottom (1967 - 1974) and AVR (since 1967) has yielded a large number of common quantitative and qualitative results about the sources and behaviour of helium impurities in the primary circuits. Additional information has also been obtained from experiments made at the three reactors. The results at the AVR are particularly interesting because the gas outlet temperature can be varied from 770 0 C to 950 0 C when the reactor power is kept constant. Hence they can be studied according to the temperature dependence of all chemical reactions. It should be possible to apply the results from the operating measurements and experiments made at the reactors, in particular the interrelation of the impurity concentrations, to future reactors. The absolute values of these impurity concentrations are obtained first and foremost by the corresponding helium purification constants

Degradation of whey in an anaerobic fixed bed (AnFB) reactor

OpenAIRE

Handajani, Marisa

2004-01-01

An Anaerobic Fixed Bed (AnFB) reactor was run as an upflow anaerobic reactor with an arrangement of supporting material for growth of a biofilm. The supporting material was made from Liapor-clay-polyethylene sinter lamellas (Herding Co., Amberg). The AnFB reactor was used for treating high concentrations of whey-containing wastewater. Optimal operating conditions for whey treatment at a concentration of COD in the influent of around 50 g whey·l-1 were found for a hydraulic retention ...

The CEA research reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwartz, J.P.

1993-01-01

Two main research reactors, specifically designed, PEGASE reactor and Laue-Langevin high flux reactor, are presented. The PEGASE reactor was designed at the end of the 50s for the study of the gas cooled reactor fuel element behaviour under irradiation; the HFR reactor, was designed in the late 60s to serve as a high yield and high level neutron source. Historical backgrounds, core and fuel characteristics and design, flux characteristics, etc., are presented. 5 figs

Neutrons down-under: Australia's research reactor review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murray, Allan

1995-01-01

Australian research reactor review commenced in September 1992, the Review had the following Terms of Reference: Whether, on review of the benefits and costs for scientific, commercial, industrial and national interest reasons, Australia has a need for a new reactor; a review of the present reactor, HIFAR, to include: an assessment of national and commercial benefits and costs of operations, its likely remaining useful life and its eventual closure and decommissioning; if Australia has a need for a new nuclear research reactor, the Review will consider: possible locations for a new reactor, its environmental impact at alternative locations, recommend a preferred location, and evaluate matters associated with regulation of the facility and organisational arrangements for reactor-based research. From the Review findings the following recommendations were stated: keep HIFAR going; commission a PRA to ascertain HIFAR's remaining life and refurbishment possibilities; identify and establish a HLW repository; accept that neither HIFAR nor a new reactor can be completely commercial; any decision on a new neutron source must rest primarily on benefits to science and Australia's national interest; make a decision on a new neutron source in about five years' time (1998). Design Proposals for a New Reactor are specified

Power supplyer for reactor coolant recycling pump

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nara, Hiroshi; Okinaka, Yo.

1991-01-01

The present invention concerns a variable voltage/variable frequency static power source (static power source) used as a power source for a coolants recycling pump motor of a nuclear power plant. That is, during lower power operation such as start up or shutdown in which stoppage of the power source gives less effect to a reactor core, power is supplied from a power system, a main power generator connected thereto or a high voltage bus in the plant or a common high voltage bus to the static power source. However, during rated power operation, power is supplied from the output of an axially power generator connected with a main power generator having an extremely great inertia moment to the static power device. With such a constitution, the static power device is not stopped by the lowering of the voltage due to a thunderbolt falling accident or the like to a power-distribution line suddenly occurred in the power system. Accordingly, reactor core flowrate is free from rapid decrease caused by the reduction of rotation speed of the recycling pump. Accordingly, disadvantgages upon operation control in the reactor core is not caused. (I.S.)

Old and new ways in reactor technology. Reactor concepts and reactor safety

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schulten, R

1989-01-01

Compared to developments of other technical-scale systems, the period between the recognition of the underlying physics of nuclear fission and the development of a functioning nuclear reactor and its further development to the present level of maturity has been relatively short. The whole development is based on the chain reaction and is rendered safe by the possible auto-stabilization of this reaction. Consequently, the safety of nuclear reactors properly designed is based on automatic mechanisms, which prevent spreads of radioactivity even in major accidents. Controversial opinions about nuclear power uses are mostly based on wrong perceptions both of reactor safety and of radioactive waste, unless they are characterized by sheer ideology. The use of nuclear power worldwide has assumed an important, growing role in the combined uses of a variety energy sources in a surprisingly short period of time and will continue to make a safe, economic, and thus responsible contribution in the long run.

Consideration of LH2 and LD2 cold neutron sources in heavy water reactor reflector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Potapov, I.A.; Serebrov, A.P.

2001-01-01

The reactor power, the required CNS dimensions and power of the cryogenic equipment define the CNS type with maximized cold neutron production. Cold neutron fluxes from liquid hydrogen (LH 2 ) and liquid deuterium (LD 2 ) cold neutron sources (CNS) are analyzed. Different CNS volumes, presents and absence of reentrant holes inside the CNS, different adjustment of beam tube and containment are considered. (orig.)

The safety features of an integrated maritime reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyakoshi, Junichi; Yamada, Nobuyuki; Kuwahara, Shin-ichi

1975-01-01

The EFDR-80, a typical integrated maritime reactor, which is being developed in West Germany is outlined. The safety features of the integrated maritime reactor are presented with the analysis of reactor accidents and hazards, and are compared with those of the separated maritime reactor. Furthermore, the safety criteria of maritime reactors in Japan and West Germany are compared, and some of the differences are presented from the viewpoint of reactor design and safety analysis. In this report the authors express an earnest desire that the definite and reasonable safety criteria of the integrated maritime reactor should be established and that the safety criteria of the nuclear ship should be standardized internationally. (auth.)

Small-angle scattering at a pulsed neutron source: comparison with a steady-state reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borso, C S; Carpenter, J M; Williamson, F S; Holmblad, G L; Mueller, M H; Faber, J Jr; Epperson, J E; Danyluk, S S [Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)

1982-08-01

A time-of-flight small-angle diffractometer employing seven tapered collimator elements and a two-dimensional gas proportional counter was successfully utilized to collect small-angle scattering data from a solution sample of the lipid salt cetylpyridinium chloride, C/sub 21/H/sub 38/N/sup +/.Cl/sup -/, at the Argonne National Laboratory prototype pulsed spallation neutron source, ZING-P'. Comparison of the small-angle scattering observed from the same compound at the University of Missouri Research Reactor corroborated the ZING-P' results. The results are used to compare the neutron flux available from the ZING-P' source relative to the well characterized University of Missouri source. Calculations based on experimentally determined parameters indicated the time-averaged rate of detected neutrons at the ZING-P' pulsed spallation source to have been at least 33% higher than the steady-state count rate from the same sample. Differences between time-of-flight techniques and conventional steady-state techniques are discussed.

Feedback of reactor operating data to nuclear methods development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crowther, R.L.; Kang, C.M.; Parkos, G.R.; Wolters, R.A.

1978-01-01

The problems in obtaining power reactor data for reliable nuclear methods development and the major sources of power reactor data for this purpose are reviewed. Specific examples of the use of power reactor data in nuclear methods development are discussed. The paper concludes with recommendations on the key elements of an effective program to use power reactor data in nuclear methods development

Enhanced biological phosphorus removal in a sequencing batch reactor using propionate as the sole carbon source.

Science.gov (United States)

Pijuan, M; Saunders, A M; Guisasola, A; Baeza, J A; Casas, C; Blackall, L L

2004-01-05

An enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) system was developed in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) using propionate as the sole carbon source. The microbial community was followed using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) techniques and Candidatus 'Accumulibacter phosphatis' were quantified from the start up of the reactor until steady state. A series of SBR cycle studies was performed when 55% of the SBR biomass was Accumulibacter, a confirmed polyphosphate accumulating organism (PAO) and when Candidatus 'Competibacter phosphatis', a confirmed glycogen-accumulating organism (GAO), was essentially undetectable. These experiments evaluated two different carbon sources (propionate and acetate), and in every case, two different P-release rates were detected. The highest rate took place while there was volatile fatty acid (VFA) in the mixed liquor, and after the VFA was depleted a second P-release rate was observed. This second rate was very similar to the one detected in experiments performed without added VFA.A kinetic and stoichiometric model developed as a modification of Activated Sludge Model 2 (ASM2) including glycogen economy, was fitted to the experimental profiles. The validation and calibration of this model was carried out with the cycle study experiments performed using both VFAs. The effect of pH from 6.5 to 8.0 on anaerobic P-release and VFA-uptake and aerobic P-uptake was also studied using propionate. The optimal overall working pH was around 7.5. This is the first study of the microbial community involved in EBPR developed with propionate as a sole carbon source along with detailed process performance investigations of the propionate-utilizing PAOs. Copyright 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The law for the regulations of nuclear source materials, nuclear fuel materials and reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-01-01

This law has following two purposes. At first, it exercises necessary controls concerning nuclear source material, nuclear fuel material and reactors in order to: (a) limit their uses to those for the peaceful purpose; (b) ensure planned uses of them; and (c) ensure the public safety by preventing accidents from their uses. Necessary controls are to be made concerning the refining, fabricating and reprocessing businesses, as well as the construction and operation of reactors. The second purpose of the law is to exercise necessary controls concerning internationally controlled material in order to execute the treaties and other international agreements on the research, development and use of atomic energy (the first chapter). In the second and following chapters the law prescribes controls for the persons who wish to carry on the refining and fabricating businesses, to construct and operate reactors, and to conduct the reprocessing business, as well as for those who use the internationally controlled material, respectively in separate chapters by the category of those businesses. For example, the controls to the person who wishes to construct and operate reactors are: (a) the permission of the business after the examination; (b) the examination and approval of the design and methods of construction prior to the construction; (c) the inspection of the facilities prior to their use; (d) periodic inspections of the facilities; (e) the establishment of requirements for safety measures and punishments to their violations. (Matsushima, A.)

Source driven breeding fission power reactors and the nuclear energy strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greenspan, E.

The nuclear energy economy is facing severe difficulties associated with low utilization of uranium resources, safety, non-proliferation and environmental issues. Energy policy makers face the dilemma: commercialize LMFBRs immediately with the risk of negative economical, proliferation or other consequences, or continue with R and D programs that will provide the information needed for sounder decisions, but now taking the risk of running out of economically exploitable uranium ore resources. The development of hybrid reactors can provide an assurance against the latter risk and offers many interesting new options for the nuclear energy strategy. Being based on the technology of LWRs and HWRs, Light Water Hybrid Reactors (LWHR) provide a most natural link between the fission reactor technology of the present and the fusion power technology of the future. The investment in their development in excess of that required for the development of fusion power reactors is expected to be relatively small, thus making the development of LWHRs potentially a high benefit-to-cost ratio program. It is recommended that the fission and fusion communities will cooperate in hybrids R and D programs aimed at assessing the technological and economical viability of hybrid reactors as reliably and soon as possible. (author)

Reactor noise in critical and accelerator driven sub-critical systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Degweker, S.B.; Rana, Y.S.

2007-01-01

Noise methods have long been used for reactor kinetics parameters measurement and as diagnostic tools for monitoring the health of a nuclear power plant. It is conceivable that noise techniques would find similar applications in ADS. Measurement/monitoring the degree of sub-criticality of an ADS is one such application for which noise based methods are being considered, among others such as the pulsed source method. For this reason, theoretical studies on ADS noise have appeared since the late nineties. The principal difference between critical reactor noise and ADS noise is due to the statistical properties of the source. Unlike the source due to radioactive decay present in ordinary reactors, the machine produced ADS source cannot be assumed to be a Poisson process. In addition the source is pulsed. All this requires a new theoretical approach to the subject. In a number of papers (beginning in 2000) such a theoretical approach has been developed in BARC. Over the years, our approach has received general acceptance. The paper gives a description of the subject of reactor noise and its applications in critical reactors. The theory of noise in ADS is then outlined, highlighting the differences in approach and results from that of critical reactors. (author)

Development of an automatic reactor inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jae Hee; Eom, Heung Seop; Lee, Jae Cheol; Choi, Yoo Raek; Moon, Soon Seung

2002-02-01

Using recent technologies on a mobile robot computer science, we developed an automatic inspection system for weld lines of the reactor vessel. The ultrasonic inspection of the reactor pressure vessel is currently performed by commercialized robot manipulators. Since, however, the conventional fixed type robot manipulator is very huge, heavy and expensive, it needs long inspection time and is hard to handle and maintain. In order to resolve these problems, we developed a new automatic inspection system using a small mobile robot crawling on the vertical wall of the reactor vessel. According to our conceptual design, we developed the reactor inspection system including an underwater inspection robot, a laser position control subsystem, an ultrasonic data acquisition/analysis subsystem and a main control subsystem. We successfully carried out underwater experiments on the reactor vessel mockup, and real reactor ready for Ulchine nuclear power plant unit 6 at Dusan Heavy Industry in Korea. After this project, we have a plan to commercialize our inspection system. Using this system, we can expect much reduction of the inspection time, performance enhancement, automatic management of inspection history, etc. In the economic point of view, we can also expect import substitution more than 4 million dollars. The established essential technologies for intelligent control and automation are expected to be synthetically applied to the automation of similar systems in nuclear power plants

SEBREZ: an inertial-fusion-reactor concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meier, W.R.

1982-01-01

The neutronic aspects of an inertial fusion reactor concept that relies on asymmetrical neutronic effects to enhance the tritium production in the breeding zones have been studied. We find that it is possible to obtain a tritium breeding ratio greater than 1.0 with a chamber configuration in which the breeding zones subtend only a fraction of the total solid angle. This is the origin of the name SEBREZ which stands for SEgregated BREeding Zones. It should be emphasized that this is not a reactor design study; rather this study illustrates certain neutronic effects in the context of a particular reactor concept. An understanding of these effects forms the basis of a design technique which has broader application than just the SEBREZ concept

A station blackout simulation for the Advanced Neutron Source Reactor using the integrated primary and secondary system model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schneider, E.A.

1994-01-01

The Advanced Neutron Source Reactor (ANSR) is a research reactor to be built at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This paper deals with thermal-hydraulic analysis of ANSR's cooling systems during nominal and transient conditions, with the major effort focusing upon the construction and testing of computer models of the reactor's primary, secondary and reflector vessel cooling systems. The code RELAP5 was used to simulate transients, such as loss of coolant accidents and loss of off-site power, as well as to model the behavior of the reactor in steady state. Three stages are involved in constructing and using a RELAP5 model: (1) construction and encoding of the desired model, (2) testing and adjustment of the model until a satisfactory steady state is achieved, and (3) running actual transients using the steady-state results obtained earlier as initial conditions. By use of the ANSR design specifications, a model of the reactor's primary and secondary cooling systems has been constructed to run a transient simulating a loss of off-site power. This incident assumes a pump coastdown in both the primary and secondary loops. The results determine whether the reactor can survive the transition from forced convection to natural circulation

Method of fueling for a nuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Igarashi, Takao.

1983-01-01

Purpose: To enable the monitoring of reactor power with sufficient accuracy, upon starting even without existence of neutron source in case of a low average burnup degree in the reactor core. Constitution: Each of fuel assemblies is charged such that neutron source region monitors for the start-up system in a reactor core neutron instrumentation system having nuclear fuel assemblies and a neutron instrumentation system are surrounded with 4 or 16 fuel assemblies of a low burnup degree. Then, the average burnup degree of the fuel assemblies surrounding the neutron source region monitors are increased than the reactor core burnup degree, whereby neutrons released from the peripheral fuels are increased, sufficient number of neutron counts can be obtained even with no neutron sources upon start-up and the reactor power can be monitored at a sufficient accuracy. (Sekiya, K.)

EURAC: the JRC proposal for an European fusion reactor materials test and development facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kley, W.; Bishop, G.R.

1986-01-01

For the last 7 years we examined the use of a Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) as an altenative European Option to FMIT. For an optimized spallation neutron source design we find now for the same beam power the following design parameters: - Linear Accelerator: 600 MeV, 6 m-A-proton beam on liquid lead target - irradiation parameters: 320 dpa/year in 20 cm 3 or 274 dpa/year in 31.5 cm 3 6 -1 sec -1 in order to simulate the Pulsed Mode of Tokamak Power Reactors. The deflected beam can be used for other experiments

Research reactor`s role in Korea

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choi, C-O [Korea Atomic Energy Research Inst., Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1996-12-31

After a TRIGA MARK-II was constructed in 1962, new research activity of a general nature, utilizing neutrons, prevailed in Korea. Radioisotopes produced from the MARK-II played a good role in the 1960`s in educating people as to what could be achieved by a neutron source. Because the research reactor had implanted neutron science in the country, another TRIGA MARK-III had to be constructed within 10 years after importing the first reactor, due to increased neutron demand from the nuclear community. With the sudden growth of nuclear power, however, the emphasis of research changed. For a while research activities were almost all oriented to nuclear power plant technology. However, the specifics of nuclear power plant technology created a need for a more highly capable research reactor like HANARO 30MWt. HANARO will perform well with irradiation testing and other nuclear programs in the future, including: production of key radioisotopes, doping of silicon by transmutation, neutron activation analysis, neutron beam experiments, cold neutron source. 3 tabs., 2 figs.

Design of an organic simplified nuclear reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shirvan, Koroush [Dept. of Nuclear Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge (United States); Forrest, Eric [Primary Standards Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque (United States)

2016-08-15

Numerous advanced reactor concepts have been proposed to replace light water reactors ever since their establishment as the dominant technology for nuclear energy production. While most designs seek to improve cost competitiveness and safety, the implausibility of doing so with affordable materials or existing nuclear fuel infrastructure reduces the possibility of near-term deployment, especially in developing countries. The organic nuclear concept, first explored in the 1950s, offers an attractive alternative to advanced reactor designs being considered. The advent of high temperature fluids, along with advances in hydrocracking and reforming technologies driven by the oil and gas industries, make the organic concept even more viable today. We present a simple, cost-effective, and safe small modular nuclear reactor for offshore underwater deployment. The core is moderated by graphite, zirconium hydride, and organic fluid while cooled by the organic fluid. The organic coolant enables operation near atmospheric pressure and use of plain carbon steel for the reactor tank and primary coolant piping system. The core is designed to mitigate the coolant degradation seen in early organic reactors. Overall, the design provides a power density of 40 kW/L, while reducing the reactor hull size by 40% compared with a pressurized water reactor while significantly reducing capital plant costs.

Design of an Organic Simplified Nuclear Reactor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Koroush Shirvan

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Numerous advanced reactor concepts have been proposed to replace light water reactors ever since their establishment as the dominant technology for nuclear energy production. While most designs seek to improve cost competitiveness and safety, the implausibility of doing so with affordable materials or existing nuclear fuel infrastructure reduces the possibility of near-term deployment, especially in developing countries. The organic nuclear concept, first explored in the 1950s, offers an attractive alternative to advanced reactor designs being considered. The advent of high temperature fluids, along with advances in hydrocracking and reforming technologies driven by the oil and gas industries, make the organic concept even more viable today. We present a simple, cost-effective, and safe small modular nuclear reactor for offshore underwater deployment. The core is moderated by graphite, zirconium hydride, and organic fluid while cooled by the organic fluid. The organic coolant enables operation near atmospheric pressure and use of plain carbon steel for the reactor tank and primary coolant piping system. The core is designed to mitigate the coolant degradation seen in early organic reactors. Overall, the design provides a power density of 40 kW/L, while reducing the reactor hull size by 40% compared with a pressurized water reactor while significantly reducing capital plant costs.

Performance of an innovative multi-stage anaerobic reactor during ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Start-up of an anaerobic reactor is a relatively delicate process and depends on various factors such as wastewater composition, available inoculum, operating conditions and reactor configuration. Accordingly, systematized operational procedures are important, mainly during the start-up of an anaerobic reactor.

Research reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kowarski, L.

1955-01-01

It brings together the techniques data which are involved in the discussion about the utility for a research institute to acquire an atomic reactor for research purposes. This type of decision are often taken by non-specialist people who can need a brief presentation of a research reactor and its possibilities in term of research before asking advises to experts. In a first part, it draws up a list of the different research programs which can be studied by getting a research reactor. First of all is the reactor behaviour and kinetics studies (reproducibility factor, exploration of neutron density, effect of reactor structure, effect of material irradiation...). Physical studies includes study of the behaviour of the control system, studies of neutron resonance phenomena and study of the fission process for example. Chemical studies involves the study of manipulation and control of hot material, characterisation of nuclear species produced in the reactor and chemical effects of irradiation on chemical properties and reactions. Biology and medicine research involves studies of irradiation on man and animals, genetics research, food or medical tools sterilization and neutron beams effect on tumour for example. A large number of other subjects can be studied in a reactor research as reactor construction material research, fabrication of radioactive sources for radiographic techniques or applied research as in agriculture or electronic. The second part discussed the technological considerations when choosing the reactor type. The technological factors, which are considered for its choice, are the power of the reactor, the nature of the fuel which is used, the type of moderator (water, heavy water, graphite or BeO) and the reflector, the type of coolants, the protection shield and the control systems. In the third part, it described the characteristics (place of installation, type of combustible and comments) and performance (power, neutron flux ) of already existing

Thermal-hydraulic mixing in the split-core ANS reactor design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dorning, R.J.J.

1988-01-01

A design has been proposed for the advanced neutron source (ANS) reactor that incorporates a split core, one purpose of which is to create a mixing plenum between the upper and lower cores. It was hoped that in addition to introducing various desirable neutronics features, such as decreasing the fast neutron flux contamination of thermal and cold neutron beams located in the reactor midplane, this mixing plenum would make possible higher operating powers by lowering the maximum core temperature. This lower temperature was to be achieved as a result of the mixing, of the hot D 2 O coolant exiting the upper-core channels, and the cold D 2 O leaving the large upper core bypass. It was expected that this mixing would bring about a significantly reduced lower core maximum coolant inlet temperature. The authors have carried out large-scale computer calculations to determine the extent to which this mixing occurs in current split-core design geometry, which does not incorporate baffles, mixing devices, or other design features introduced to enhance mixing. The large-scale self-consistent calculations summarized here indicate that innovative design ideas to enhance mixing will be necessary if the split-core concept is to achieve the amount of thermal mixing needed to make possible significantly higher power operation and corresponding higher flux sources

Comparison of SANS instruments at reactors and pulsed sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thiyagarajan, P.; Epperson, J.E.; Crawford, R.K.; Carpenter, J.M.; Hjelm, R.P. Jr.

1992-01-01

Small angle neutron scattering is a general purpose technique to study long range fluctuations and hence has been applied in almost every field of science for material characterization. SANS instruments can be built at steady state reactors and at the pulsed neutron sources where time-of-flight (TOF) techniques are used. The steady state instruments usually give data over small q ranges and in order to cover a large q range these instruments have to be reconfigured several times and SANS measurements have to be made. These instruments have provided better resolution and higher data rates within their restricted q ranges until now, but the TOF instruments are now developing to comparable performance. The TOF-SANS instruments, by using a wide band of wavelengths, can cover a wide dynamic q range in a single measurement. This is a big advantage for studying systems that are changing and those which cannot be exactly reproduced. This paper compares the design concepts and performances of these two types of instruments

Report of the advanced neutron source (ANS) aluminum cladding corrosion workshop

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanson, G.H.; Gibson, G.W.; Griess, J.C.; Pawel, R.E.; Pace, N.E.; Ryskamp, J.M.

1989-02-01

The Advanced Neutron Source (ANS) Corrosion Workshop on aluminum cladding corrosion in reactor environments is summarized. The Workshop was held to examine the aluminum cladding oxidation studies being conducted in support of the ANS design. This report was written principally to provide a record of the ideas and judgments expressed by the workshop attendees. The ANS operating heat flux is significantly higher than that in existing reactors, and early experiments indicate that there may be an aluminum cladding oxidation problem unique to higher heat fluxes or associated cladding temperatures that, if not solved, may limit the operation of the ANS to unacceptably low power levels. A brief description of the information presented by each speaker is included along with a compilation of the most significant ideas and recommended research areas. The appendixes contain a copy of the workshop agenda and a list of attendees

Advanced sodium fast reactor accident source terms :

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Powers, Dana Auburn; Clement, Bernard; Denning, Richard; Ohno, Shuji; Zeyen, Roland

2010-09-01

An expert opinion elicitation has been used to evaluate phenomena that could affect releases of radionuclides during accidents at sodium-cooled fast reactors. The intent was to identify research needed to develop a mechanistic model of radionuclide release for licensing and risk assessment purposes. Experts from the USA, France, the European Union, and Japan identified phenomena that could affect the release of radionuclides under hypothesized accident conditions. They qualitatively evaluated the importance of these phenomena and the need for additional experimental research. The experts identified seven phenomena that are of high importance and have a high need for additional experimental research: High temperature release of radionuclides from fuel during an energetic event Energetic interactions between molten reactor fuel and sodium coolant and associated transfer of radionuclides from the fuel to the coolant Entrainment of fuel and sodium bond material during the depressurization of a fuel rod with breached cladding Rates of radionuclide leaching from fuel by liquid sodium Surface enrichment of sodium pools by dissolved and suspended radionuclides Thermal decomposition of sodium iodide in the containment atmosphere Reactions of iodine species in the containment to form volatile organic iodides. Other issues of high importance were identified that might merit further research as development of the mechanistic model of radionuclide release progressed.

Pressing device for producing compacts from source material in powder form in particular pulverized nuclear reactor fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heller, G.; Adelmann, M.; Konigs, W.; Wendorf, W.

1984-01-01

Pressing device for producing compacts from source material in powder form, in particular pulverized nuclear reactor fuel having a die-plate contained in platen and a bore associated with a ram, for receiving source material powder, a filling shoe, and a reservoir for powder connected by a hose to the filling shoe. The device is characterized by a passing wheel in the filling shoe as filling aid means; a tube containing a feedscrew disposed between the reservoir and hose as metering means; the reservoir having a bottom part with a can type place-on part with an opening eccentric to the axis; a coupling part and a cover part are placed on the open part of the can, these parts are also provided with a passageway to the feedscrew eccentric to the longitudinal axis

Project of SVBR-75/100 reactor plant with improved safety for nuclear sources of small and medium power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dragunov, Yu. G.; Stepanov, V. S.; Klimov, N. N.; Dedul, A. V.; Bolvanchikov, S. N.; Zrodnikov, A. V.; Tolhinsky, G. I.; Komlev, O. G.

2004-01-01

As a result of the joint work performed recently by FSUE OKB Gidropress, SNC RF-IPPE and other organizations the technical feasibility is shown for creation and usage in nuclear power engineering of the unified reactor plant (RP) SVBR-75/100 with fast neutron reactor core and lead-bismuth coolant (LBC) in the primary circuit. Technical design of SVBR-75/100 reactor plant is based on the following: 50-year operation experience in development and operation of RP with LBC for nuclear submarines; experience in development and operation of fast reactor with sodium coolant; experience in optimization of LBC technology at nuclear submarines and ground-based test benches; conceptual design of SVBR-75 reactor plant (for renovation of Units 2, 3 and 4 of Novovoronezh NPP). Technical solutions laid down in the basis of SVBR-75/100 reactor plant design are oriented towards the industrial basis, structural materials existing in Russia, as well as the unique LBC technology with experimental and practical support. The concept of SVBR-75/100 reactor plant safety assurance is based on the following provisions: maximum usage of inherent safety supported by physical features of fast neutron reactor, chemically inert LBC in the primary circuit, integral layout and special design solutions; maximum possible combination of normal operation and safety functions in RP systems. Small power of SVBR-75/100 RP makes it possible to manufacture the complete set of RP main equipment at the factory and delivery it to NPP site as-finished practically using any transport including railway. Possible fields of application of SVBR-75/100 reactor plants: modular NPPs of different power; renovation of NPPs with light water reactors exhausted their service life; independent nuclear power sources for different applications (ground-based nuclear water-desalinating plants, etc. )(author)

Calculation of anti-seismic design for Xi'an pulsed reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Shuian

2002-01-01

The author describes the reactor safety rule, safety regulation and design code that must be observed to anti-seismic design in Xi'an pulsed reactor. It includes the classification of reactor installation, determination of seismic loads, calculate contents, program, method, results and synthetically evaluation. According to the different anti-seismic structure character of reactor installation, an appropriate method was selected to calculate the seismic response. The results were evaluated synthetically using the design code and design requirement. The evaluate results showed that the anti-seismic design function of reactor installation of Xi'an pules reactor is well, and the structure integrality and normal property of reactor installation can be protect under the designed classification of the earthquake

An underground nuclear power station using self-regulating heat-pipe controlled reactors

Science.gov (United States)

Hampel, V.E.

1988-05-17

A nuclear reactor for generating electricity is disposed underground at the bottom of a vertical hole that can be drilled using conventional drilling technology. The primary coolant of the reactor core is the working fluid in a plurality of thermodynamically coupled heat pipes emplaced in the hole between the heat source at the bottom of the hole and heat exchange means near the surface of the earth. Additionally, the primary coolant (consisting of the working fluid in the heat pipes in the reactor core) moderates neutrons and regulates their reactivity, thus keeping the power of the reactor substantially constant. At the end of its useful life, the reactor core may be abandoned in place. Isolation from the atmosphere in case of accident or for abandonment is provided by the operation of explosive closures and mechanical valves emplaced along the hole. This invention combines technology developed and tested for small, highly efficient, space-based nuclear electric power plants with the technology of fast- acting closure mechanisms developed and used for underground testing of nuclear weapons. This invention provides a nuclear power installation which is safe from the worst conceivable reactor accident, namely, the explosion of a nuclear weapon near the ground surface of a nuclear power reactor. 5 figs.

Order for execution of the law concerning regulations of nuclear source materials, nuclear fuel materials and reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-01-01

Under the above mentioned law this order prescribes the procedures of controls given to the persons who wish to conduct refining and fabricating businesses, to construct and operate reactors, and to use nuclear source materials, nuclear fuel materials and internationally controlled materials. The common controlling principle prescribed is that the permission or authorization necessary for above listed businesses should be applied for at each factory or each place of business. Based on the principle, the order prescribes: the procedures to apply for the authorization of the refining business, the permission of the change thereof, and the permission of the fabricating business and the change, thereof (the 1st chapter); the procedures to apply for the permission of the construction of reactors and of the change of the construction, as well as the procedure to do periodic inspections of reactor facilities (the 2nd chapter); the procedures to apply for the permission to use nuclear fuel materials and to change the use thereof, the submission of the report to use nuclear source materials, as well as the procedure to apply for the permission to use internationally controlled materials. In the 4th chapter the order lists up the items on which the competent Ministers may require reports from the person who carries on the relevant business. (Matsushima, A.)

Neutron activation analysis in an industrial laboratory using an off-site nuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osborn, T.W.; Broering, W.B.

1977-01-01

A multifunctional research laboratory, such as Procter and Gamble's Miami Valley Laboratories, requires elemental analyses on many materials. A general survey technique is important even if the information it provides is incomplete or is less precise than single element analyses. Procter and Gamble has developed neutron activation analysis (NAA) capabilities using a nuclear reactor several hundred miles away. The concentration of 40 to 50 elements can be determined in a variety of matrices. We have found NAA to be a powerful supplement to some of the more classical analytical techniques even without having an on-site neutron source. We have also found an automated data acquisition system to be essential for the successful application of NAA in an industrial laboratory

The AFR. An approved network of research reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hampel, Gabriele [Mainz Univ. (Germany). Arbeitsgemeinschaft fuer Betriebs- und Sicherheitsfragen an Forschungsreaktoren (AFR)

2012-10-15

AFR (Arbeitsgemeinschaft fuer Betriebs- und Sicherheitsfragen an Forschungsreaktoren) is the German acronym for 'Association for Research Reactor Operation and Safety Issues' which was founded in 1959. Reactor managers of European research reactors mainly from the German linguistic area meet regularly for their mutual benefit to exchange experience and knowledge in all areas of operating, managing and utilization of research reactors. In the last 2 years joint meetings were held together with the French association of research reactors CER (Club d'Exploitants des Reacteurs). In this contribution the AFR, its members, work and aims as well as the French partner CER are presented. (orig.)

Molasses as an efficient low-cost carbon source for biological Cr(VI) removal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Michailides, Michail K. [Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Patras, 2 G. Seferi Str., GR-30100 Agrinio (Greece); Tekerlekopoulou, Athanasia G., E-mail: atekerle@upatras.gr [Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Patras, 2 G. Seferi Str., GR-30100 Agrinio (Greece); Akratos, Christos S.; Coles, Sandra [Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Patras, 2 G. Seferi Str., GR-30100 Agrinio (Greece); Pavlou, Stavros [Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences (FORTH/ICE-HT), Stadiou Str., Platani, P.O. Box 1414, GR-26504 Patras (Greece); Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Patras, GR-26504 Patras (Greece); Vayenas, Dimitrios V. [Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Patras, 2 G. Seferi Str., GR-30100 Agrinio (Greece); Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences (FORTH/ICE-HT), Stadiou Str., Platani, P.O. Box 1414, GR-26504 Patras (Greece)

2015-01-08

Highlights: • Suspended and attached growth reactors were examined for Cr(VI) bio-reduction. • Molasses was proved an efficient and very low cost carbon source. • Molasses was more efficient than sugar in enhancing Cr(VI) reduction. • SBR with recirculation was the most proper operating mode. - Abstract: In the present study, indigenous microorganisms from industrial sludge were used to reduce the activity of Cr(VI). Molasses, a by-product of sugar processing, was selected as the carbon source (instead of sugar used in a previous work) as it is a low-cost energy source for bioprocesses. Initially, experiments were carried out in suspended growth batch reactors for Cr(VI) concentrations of 1.5–110 mg/L. The time required for complete Cr(VI) reduction increased with initial Cr(VI) concentration. Initial molasses concentration was also found to influence the Cr(VI) reduction rate. The optimal concentration for all initial Cr(VI) concentrations tested was 0.8 gC/L. Experiments were also carried out in packed-bed reactors. Three different operating modes were used to investigate the optimal performance and efficiency of the filter, i.e. batch, continuous and SBR with recirculation. The latter mode with a recirculation rate of 0.5 L/min lead to significantly high Cr(VI) reduction rates (up to 135 g/m{sup 2} d). The results of this work were compared with those of a similar work using sugar as the carbon source and indicate that molasses could prove a feasible technological solution to a serious environmental problem.

An Assessment of Fission Product Scrubbing in Sodium Pools Following a Core Damage Event in a Sodium Cooled Fast Reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bucknor, M.; Farmer, M.; Grabaskas, D.

2017-06-26

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has stated that mechanistic source term (MST) calculations are expected to be required as part of the advanced reactor licensing process. A recent study by Argonne National Laboratory has concluded that fission product scrubbing in sodium pools is an important aspect of an MST calculation for a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR). To model the phenomena associated with sodium pool scrubbing, a computational tool, developed as part of the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) program, was utilized in an MST trial calculation. This tool was developed by applying classical theories of aerosol scrubbing to the decontamination of gases produced as a result of postulated fuel pin failures during an SFR accident scenario. The model currently considers aerosol capture by Brownian diffusion, inertial deposition, and gravitational sedimentation. The effects of sodium vapour condensation on aerosol scrubbing are also treated. This paper provides details of the individual scrubbing mechanisms utilized in the IFR code as well as results from a trial mechanistic source term assessment led by Argonne National Laboratory in 2016.

Reactor system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyano, Hiroshi; Narabayashi, Naoshi.

1990-01-01

The represent invention concerns a reactor system with improved water injection means to a pressure vessel of a BWR type reactor. A steam pump is connected to a heat removing system pipeline, a high pressure water injection system pipeline and a low pressure water injection system pipeline for injecting water into the pressure vessel. A pump actuation pipeline is disposed being branched from a main steam pump or a steam relieaf pipeline system, through which steams are supplied to actuate the steam pump and supply cooling water into the pressure vessel thereby cooling the reactor core. The steam pump converts the heat energy into the kinetic energy and elevates the pressure of water to a level higher than the pressure of the steams supplied by way of a pressure-elevating diffuser. Cooling water can be supplied to the pressure vessel by the pressure elevation. This can surely inject cooling water into the pressure vessel upon loss of coolant accident or in a case if reactor scram is necessary, without using an additional power source. (I.N.)

Solid State Reactor Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mays, G.T.

2004-03-10

The Solid State Reactor (SSR) is an advanced reactor concept designed to take advantage of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's (ORNL's) recently developed graphite foam that has enhanced heat transfer characteristics and excellent high-temperature mechanical properties, to provide an inherently safe, self-regulated, source of heat for power and other potential applications. This work was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Nuclear Energy Research Initiative (NERI) program (Project No. 99-064) from August 1999 through September 30, 2002. The initial concept of utilizing the graphite foam as a basis for developing an advanced reactor concept envisioned that a suite of reactor configurations and power levels could be developed for several different applications. The initial focus was looking at the reactor as a heat source that was scalable, independent of any heat removal/power conversion process. These applications might include conventional power generation, isotope production and destruction (actinides), and hydrogen production. Having conducted the initial research on the graphite foam and having performed the scoping parametric analyses from neutronics and thermal-hydraulic perspectives, it was necessary to focus on a particular application that would (1) demonstrate the viability of the overall concept and (2) require a reasonably structured design analysis process that would synthesize those important parameters that influence the concept the most as part of a feasible, working reactor system. Thus, the application targeted for this concept was supplying power for remote/harsh environments and a design that was easily deployable, simplistic from an operational standpoint, and utilized the new graphite foam. Specifically, a 500-kW(t) reactor concept was pursued that is naturally load following, inherently safe, optimized via neutronic studies to achieve near-zero reactivity change with burnup, and proliferation resistant. These four major areas

Study of the External Neutron Source Effect on TRU Burning in a Sub-critical Reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zafar, Zafar Iqbal; Kim, Myung Hyun [Kyung Hee University, Yongin (Korea, Republic of)

2015-05-15

One of the drawback points of nuclear power is the production of highly radioactive and long lasting waste isotopes during power production. Therefore, most important design requirement of future nuclear option should have a potential to burn selectively long-lived fission products (LLFP) and long-lived minor actinides (LLMA). However, there is no way to burn them selectively in the reactor core. Practical method of waste transmutation should rely on selective separation of them from spent nuclear fuel of power plants. Under the proliferation concern, direct separation of trans-uranic isotopes (TRU) from pyro-reprocessing plant became a feasible option in our country. Even though social political agreement is not matured as well as technical feasibility, current study is done based on basic assumptions; TRU and LLFP is separated from spent fuel of nuclear power plants. The remaining neutrons (among the external 3%) very few in number (less than 1% in any case) being very energetic (above three MeV or so) do cause much more fissions per neutron than their counterparts but, because of their overall low population they do not have any significant and decisive influence in the overall reactor performance. Currently, entire study is limited to the source neutron energy of 20 MeV only. In future, it is expected to get reasonably plausible fixed source dependent difference in the TRU burning by using tabulated data for the neutrons of higher energy (up to 250 MeV at least). Secondly, a clearer picture is expected if the TRU loading was increased from the current value of 133 kg to few metric tons, as is the case in most of the existing reactors.

Conceptual design loss-of-coolant accident analysis for the Advanced Neutron Source reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, N.C.J.; Wendel, M.W.; Yoder, G.L. Jr.

1994-01-01

A RELAP5 system model for the Advanced Neutron Source Reactor has been developed for performing conceptual safety analysis report calculations. To better represent thermal-hydraulic behavior of the core, three specific changes in the RELAP5 computer code were implemented: a turbulent forced-convection heat transfer correlation, a critical heat flux (CHF) correlation, and an interfacial drag correlation. The model consists of the core region, the heat exchanger loop region, and the pressurizing/letdown system region. Results for three loss-of-coolant accident analyses are presented: (1) an instantaneous double-ended guillotine (DEG) core outlet break with a cavitating venturi installed downstream of the core, (b) a core pressure boundary tube outer wall rupture, and (c) a DEG core inlet break with a finite break-formation time. The results show that the core can survive without exceeding the flow excursion of CHF thermal limits at a 95% probability level if the proper mitigation options are provided

PRISM: An innovative liquid metal fast breeder reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruger, G.B.; Boardman, C.E.; Olich, E.E.; Switick, D.M.

1986-01-01

This paper describes an innovative sodium-cooled reactor concept employing small certified reactor modules coupled with a standardized steam generator system. The total plant employs nine PRISM reactors (power reactor inherently safe module) in three 415 MWe power blocks. The PRISM design concept utilizes inherent safety characteristics and modularity to improve licensability, reduce owner's risk, and reduce costs. The relatively small size of each reactor module facilitates the use of passive, inherent self-shutdown and shutdown heat removal features, which permit design simplification and reduction of safety-related systems. It is proposed that a single PRISM module be used in a full-scale integrated reactor safety test. Results from the test would be used to obtain NRC certification of the standard design

Status of fusion reactor blanket design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, D.L.; Sze, D.K.

1986-02-01

The recent Blanket Comparison and Selection Study (BCSS), which was a comprehensive evaluation of fusion reactor blanket design and the status of blanket technology, serves as an excellent basis for further development of blanket technology. This study provided an evaluation of over 130 blanket concepts for the reference case of electric power producing, DT fueled reactors in both Tokamak and Tandem Mirror (TMR) configurations. Based on a specific set of reactor operating parameters, the current understanding of materials and blanket technology, and a uniform evaluation methodology developed as part of the study, a limited number of concepts were identified that offer the greatest potential for making fusion an attractive energy source

An energy amplifier fluidized bed nuclear reactor concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sefidvash, F.; Seifritz, W.

2001-01-01

The concept of a fluidized bed nuclear reactor driven by an energy amplifier system is described. The reactor has promising characteristics of inherent safety and passive cooling. The reactor can easily operate with any desired spectrum in order to be a plutonium burner or have it operate with thorium fuel cycle. (orig.) [de

IGORR 1: Proceedings of the 1. meeting of the International Group On Research Reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

West, C D [comp.

1990-05-01

Descriptions of the ongoing projects presented at this Meeting were concerned with: New Research Reactor FRM-II at Munich; MITR-II reactor; The Advanced. Neutron Source (ANS) Project; The high Flux Reactor Petten, Status and Prospects; The High Flux Beam Reactor Instrumentation Upgrade; BER-II Upgrade; The BR2 Materials Testing Reactor Past, Ongoing and Under-Study Upgrades; The ORPHEE, Reactor Current Status and Proposed Enhancement of Experimental Variabilities; Construction of the Upgraded JRR-3; Status of the University of Missouri-Columbia Research Reactor Upgrade; the Reactor and Cold Neutron Facility at NIST; Upgrade of Materials Irradiation Facilities in HFIR; Backfitting of the FRG Reactors; University Research Reactors in the United States; and Organization of the ITER Project - Sharing of Informational Procurements. Topics of interest were: Thermal-hydraulic tests and correlations, Corrosion tests and analytical models , Multidimensional kinetic analysis for small cores, Fuel plates fabrication, Fuel plates stability, Fuel irradiation, Burnable poison irradiation, Structural materials irradiation, Neutron guides irradiation, Cold Source materials irradiation, Cold Source LN{sub 2} test, Source LH2-H{sub 2}O reaction (H or D), Instrumentation upgrading and digital control system, Man-machine interface.

IGORR 1: Proceedings of the 1. meeting of the International Group On Research Reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

West, C.D.

1990-05-01

Descriptions of the ongoing projects presented at this Meeting were concerned with: New Research Reactor FRM-II at Munich; MITR-II reactor; The Advanced. Neutron Source (ANS) Project; The high Flux Reactor Petten, Status and Prospects; The High Flux Beam Reactor Instrumentation Upgrade; BER-II Upgrade; The BR2 Materials Testing Reactor Past, Ongoing and Under-Study Upgrades; The ORPHEE, Reactor Current Status and Proposed Enhancement of Experimental Variabilities; Construction of the Upgraded JRR-3; Status of the University of Missouri-Columbia Research Reactor Upgrade; the Reactor and Cold Neutron Facility at NIST; Upgrade of Materials Irradiation Facilities in HFIR; Backfitting of the FRG Reactors; University Research Reactors in the United States; and Organization of the ITER Project - Sharing of Informational Procurements. Topics of interest were: Thermal-hydraulic tests and correlations, Corrosion tests and analytical models , Multidimensional kinetic analysis for small cores, Fuel plates fabrication, Fuel plates stability, Fuel irradiation, Burnable poison irradiation, Structural materials irradiation, Neutron guides irradiation, Cold Source materials irradiation, Cold Source LN 2 test, Source LH2-H 2 O reaction (H or D), Instrumentation upgrading and digital control system, Man-machine interface

Advanced neutron source project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorynina, L.V.; Proskuryakov, S.F.; Tishchenko, V.A.; Uzhanova, V.V.

1991-01-01

The project of the ANS improved neutron source intended for fundamental researches in nuclear physics and materials testing is considered. New superhigh-flux heavy-water 350 MW reactor is used for the source creation. The standard fuel is uranium silicide (U 3 Si 2 ). Reactor core volume equals 67.4 l and average power density is 4.9 MW/l. Neutron flux density is 10 16 neutron/(cm 2 xs). The facility construction begin is planned for 1996. The first experiments should be accomplished in 2000

Design and construction of an automatic measurement electronic system and graphical neutron flux for the subcritical reactor; Diseno y construccion de un sistema electronico automatico de medicion y graficado del flujo neutronico para el reactor subcritico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gonzalez M, J.L.; Balderas, E.G.; Rivero G, T. [Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, A.P. 18-1027, 11801 Mexico D.F. (Mexico)

1997-07-01

The National Institute of Nuclear Research (ININ) has in its installations with a nuclear subcritical reactor which was designed and constructed with the main purpose to be used in the nuclear sciences education in the Physics areas and Reactors engineering. Within the nuclear experiments that can be realized in this reactor are very interesting those about determinations of neutron and gamma fluxes spectra, since starting from these some interesting nuclear parameters can be obtained. In order to carry out this type of experiments different radioactive sources are used which exceed the permissible doses by far to human beings. Therefore it is necessary the remote handling as of the source as of detectors used in different experiments. In this work it is presented the design of an electronic system which allows the different positions inside of the tank of subcritical reactor at ININ over the radial and axial axes in manual or automatic ways. (Author)

Reactor Start-up and Control Methodologies: Consideration of the Space Radiation Environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bragg-Sitton, Shannon M.; Holloway, James Paul

2004-01-01

The use of fission energy in space power and propulsion systems offers considerable advantages over chemical propulsion. Fission provides over six orders of magnitude higher energy density, which translates to higher vehicle specific impulse and lower specific mass. These characteristics enable the accomplishment of ambitious space exploration missions. The natural radiation environment in space provides an external source of protons and high energy, high Z particles that can result in the production of secondary neutrons through interactions in reactor structures. Initial investigation using MCNPX 2.5.b for proton transport through the SAFE-400 reactor indicates a secondary neutron net current of 1.4x107 n/s at the core-reflector interface, with an incoming current of 3.4x106 n/s due to neutrons produced in the Be reflector alone. This neutron population could provide a reliable startup source for a space reactor. Additionally, this source must be considered in developing a reliable control strategy during reactor startup, steady-state operation, and power transients. An autonomous control system is developed and analyzed for application during reactor startup, accounting for fluctuations in the radiation environment that result from changes in vehicle location (altitude, latitude, position in solar system) or due to temporal variations in the radiation field, as may occur in the case of solar flares. One proposed application of a nuclear electric propulsion vehicle is in a tour of the Jovian system, where the time required for communication to Earth is significant. Hence, it is important that a reactor control system be designed with feedback mechanisms to automatically adjust to changes in reactor temperatures, power levels, etc., maintaining nominal operation without user intervention. This paper will evaluate the potential use of secondary neutrons produced by proton interactions in the reactor vessel as a startup source for a space reactor and will present a

Reactor physics methods, models, and applications used to support the conceptual design of the Advanced Neutron Source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gehin, J.C.; Worley, B.A.; Renier, J.P.; Wemple, C.A.; Jahshan, S.N.; Ryskammp, J.M.

1995-08-01

This report summarizes the neutronics analysis performed during 1991 and 1992 in support of characterization of the conceptual design of the Advanced Neutron Source (ANS). The methods used in the analysis, parametric studies, and key results supporting the design and safety evaluations of the conceptual design are presented. The analysis approach used during the conceptual design phase followed the same approach used in early ANS evaluations: (1) a strong reliance on Monte Carlo theory for beginning-of-cycle reactor performance calculations and (2) a reliance on few-group diffusion theory for reactor fuel cycle analysis and for evaluation of reactor performance at specific time steps over the fuel cycle. The Monte Carlo analysis was carried out using the MCNP continuous-energy code, and the few- group diffusion theory calculations were performed using the VENTURE and PDQ code systems. The MCNP code was used primarily for its capability to model the reflector components in realistic geometries as well as the inherent circumvention of cross-section processing requirements and use of energy-collapsed cross sections. The MCNP code was used for evaluations of reflector component reactivity effects and of heat loads in these components. The code was also used as a benchmark comparison against the diffusion-theory estimates of key reactor parameters such as region fluxes, control rod worths, reactivity coefficients, and material worths. The VENTURE and PDQ codes were used to provide independent evaluations of burnup effects, power distributions, and small perturbation worths. The performance and safety calculations performed over the subject time period are summarized, and key results are provided. The key results include flux and power distributions over the fuel cycle, silicon production rates, fuel burnup rates, component reactivities, control rod worths, component heat loads, shutdown reactivity margins, reactivity coefficients, and isotope production rates

Method of reactor fueling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saito, Toshiro.

1983-01-01

Purpose: To decrease the cost and shorten the working time by saving fueling neutron detectors and their components. Method: Incore drive tubes for the neutron source range monitor (SRM) and intermediate range monitor (IRM) are disposed respectively within in a reactor core and a SRM detector assembly is inserted to the IRM incore drive tube which is most nearest to the neutron source upon reactor fueling. The reactor core reactivity is monitored by the SRM detector assembly. The SRM detector asesembly inserted into the IRM drive tube is extracted at the time of charging fuels up to the frame connecting the SRM and, thereafter, IRM detection assembly is inserted into the IRM drive tube and the SRM detector assembly is inserted into the SRM drive tube respectively for monitoring the reactor core. (Sekiya, K.)

Thorium as an energy source. Opportunities for Norway

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

Final Recommendations of the Thorium Report Committee: 1) No technology should be idolized or demonized. All carbon-dioxide (Co2) emission-free energy production technologies should be considered. The potential contribution of nuclear energy to a sustainable energy future should be recognized. 2) An investigation into the resources in the Fen Complex and other sites in Norway should be performed. It is essential to assess whether thorium in Norwegian rocks can be defined as an economical asset for the benefit of future generations. Furthermore, the application of new technologies for the extraction of thorium from the available mineral sources should be studied. 3) Testing of thorium fuel in the Halden Reactor should be encouraged, taking benefit of the well recognized nuclear fuel competence in Halden. 4) Norway should strengthen its participation in international collaborations by joining the EURATOM fission program and the GIF program on Generation IV reactors suitable for the use of thorium. 5) The development of an Accelerator Driven System (ADS) using thorium is not within the capability of Norway working alone. Joining the European effort in this field should be considered. Norwegian research groups should be encouraged to participate in relevant international projects, although these are currently focused on waste management. 6) Norway should bring its competence in waste management up to an international standard and collaboration with Sweden and Finland could be beneficial. 7) Norway should bring its competence with respect to dose assessment related to the thorium cycle up to an international standard. 8) Since the proliferation resistance of uranium-233 depends on the reactor and reprocessing technologies, this aspect will be of key concern should any thorium reactor be built in Norway. 9) Any new nuclear activities in Norway, e.g. thorium fuel cycles, would need strong international pooling of human resources, and in the case of thorium, a strong long

Thorium as an energy source. Opportunities for Norway

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2008-01-15

Final Recommendations of the Thorium Report Committee: 1) No technology should be idolized or demonized. All carbon-dioxide (Co2) emission-free energy production technologies should be considered. The potential contribution of nuclear energy to a sustainable energy future should be recognized. 2) An investigation into the resources in the Fen Complex and other sites in Norway should be performed. It is essential to assess whether thorium in Norwegian rocks can be defined as an economical asset for the benefit of future generations. Furthermore, the application of new technologies for the extraction of thorium from the available mineral sources should be studied. 3) Testing of thorium fuel in the Halden Reactor should be encouraged, taking benefit of the well recognized nuclear fuel competence in Halden. 4) Norway should strengthen its participation in international collaborations by joining the EURATOM fission program and the GIF program on Generation IV reactors suitable for the use of thorium. 5) The development of an Accelerator Driven System (ADS) using thorium is not within the capability of Norway working alone. Joining the European effort in this field should be considered. Norwegian research groups should be encouraged to participate in relevant international projects, although these are currently focused on waste management. 6) Norway should bring its competence in waste management up to an international standard and collaboration with Sweden and Finland could be beneficial. 7) Norway should bring its competence with respect to dose assessment related to the thorium cycle up to an international standard. 8) Since the proliferation resistance of uranium-233 depends on the reactor and reprocessing technologies, this aspect will be of key concern should any thorium reactor be built in Norway. 9) Any new nuclear activities in Norway, e.g. thorium fuel cycles, would need strong international pooling of human resources, and in the case of thorium, a strong long

Subcriticality monitoring method for reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ueda, Makoto.

1991-01-01

The present invention accurately monitors the reactor subcriticality and ensures the critical safety, irrespective of the presence or absence of artificial neutron sources. That is, when the subcriticality is monitored upon reactivity changing operation which causes reactivity change to the reactor during shutdown, neutron monitors are disposed at a plurality of monitoring positions. Then, neutron counting ratio before and after conducting the reactivity changing operation is determined. The subcriticality of the reactor is monitored by the ratio and the state of scattering of the ratio of neutron counting rate between each of the neutron monitors. With such procedures, signals of the neutron monitors are used, the characteristic that the change of the signals depend on the change of the neutron multiplication of the reactor core can be utilized whether artificial neutron sources (external neutron sources) are disposed or not. Accordingly, the subcriticality can be monitored more reliably. (I.S.)

Radioisotope tracer study in an aniline production reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pant, H.J.; Yelgoankar, V.N.; Mendhekar, G.N.

1995-01-01

A radioisotope tracer study was carried out in an aniline production reactor to investigate the cause of poor heat transfer from tube side to shell side in an aniline production (ANPO) reactor. The results of the study indicated that more than 50% of the shell volume was reduced due to deposition of the process material (i.e. fouling) on the shell walls and may be the cause of poor heat transfer in the reactor. (author). 2 refs., 2 figs

An overview-probabilistic safety analysis for research reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Jinlin; Peng Changhong

2015-01-01

For long-term application, Probabilistic Safety Analysis (PSA) has proved to be a valuable tool for improving the safety and reliability of power reactors. In China, 'Nuclear safety and radioactive pollution prevention 'Twelfth Five Year Plan' and the 2020 vision' raises clearly that: to develop probabilistic safety analysis and aging evaluation for research reactors. Comparing with the power reactors, it reveals some specific features in research reactors: lower operating power, lower coolant temperature and pressure, etc. However, the core configurations may be changed very often and human actions play an important safety role in research reactors due to its specific experimental requirement. As a result, there is a necessary to conduct the PSA analysis of research reactors. This paper discusses the special characteristics related to the structure and operation and the methods to develop the PSA of research reactors, including initiating event analysis, event tree analysis, fault tree analysis, dependent failure analysis, human reliability analysis and quantification as well as the experimental and external event evaluation through the investigation of various research reactors and their PSAs home and abroad, to provide the current situation and features of research reactors PSAs. (author)

Cobalt-60 production in CANDU power reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slack, J.; Norton, J.L.; Malkoske, G.R.

2003-01-01

MDS Nordion has been supplying cobalt-60 sources to industry for industrial and medical purposes since 1946. These cobalt-60 sources are used in many market and product segments. The major application is in the health care industry where irradiators are used to sterilize single use medical products. These irradiators are designed and built by MDS Nordion and are used by manufacturers of surgical kits, gloves, gowns, drapes and other medical products. The irradiator is a large shielded room with a storage pool for the cobalt-60 sources. The medical products are circulated through the shielded room and exposed to the cobalt-60 sources. This treatment sterilizes the medical products which can then be shipped to hospitals for immediate use. Other applications for this irradiation technology include sanitisation of cosmetics, microbial reduction of pharmaceutical raw materials and food irradiation. The cobalt-60 sources are manufactured by MDS Nordion in their Cobalt Operations Facility in Kanata. More than 75,000 cobalt-60 sources for use in irradiators have been manufactured by MDS Nordion. The cobalt-60 sources are double encapsulated in stainless steel capsules, seal welded and helium leak tested. Each source may contain up to 14,000 curies. These sources are shipped to over 170 industrial irradiators around the world. This paper will focus on the MDS Nordion proprietary technology used to produce the cobalt-60 isotope in CANDU reactors. Almost 55 years ago MDS Nordion and Atomic Energy of Canada developed the process for manufacturing cobalt-60 at the Chalk River Labs, in Ontario, Canada. A cobalt-59 target was introduced into a research reactor where the cobalt-59 atom absorbed one neutron to become cobalt-60. Once the cobalt-60 material was removed from the research reactor it was encapsulated in stainless steel and seal welded using a Tungsten Inert Gas weld. The first cobalt-60 sources manufactured using material from the Chalk River Labs were used in cancer

Orphee reactor experimental equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-01-01

Experimental equipment around the ORPHEE reactor is presented. The neutron source; and the spectrometers and sample environment (inelastic and quasi-elastic scattering, elastic scattering, spread scattering, small angle scattering) are described. An experiment proposal and reports guide is supplied [fr

Reactor shutdown device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inoue, Toyokazu.

1982-01-01

Purpose: To obtain a highly reliable reactor shutdown device capable of checking its function irrespective of the state whether shutdown or operation in a gas-cooled type reactor. Constitution: A hopper is disposed above a guide tube inserted into the reactor core and particulate neutron absorbers are contained in the hopper. An opening for falling particles is disposed to the bottom of the hopper in opposition to the upper end of the guide pipe and the opening is closed by a plug suspended by way of a weld line so as to be capable of dropping. A power source for supplying electrical current to the weld line is disposed. Accordingly, if the current is supplied to the weld line, the line is cut by welding to fall the plug so that the neutron-absorbing particles fall from the opening into the guide pipe to shutdown the reactor, whereby high reliability is obtained for the operation. (Seki, T.)

The reactor antineutrino anomalies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haser, Julia; Buck, Christian; Lindner, Manfred [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany)

2016-07-01

Major discoveries were made in the past few years in the field of neutrino flavour oscillation. Nuclear reactors produce a clean and intense flux of electron antineutrinos and are thus an essential neutrino source for the determination of oscillation parameters. Most currently the reactor antineutrino experiments Double Chooz, Daya Bay and RENO have accomplished to measure θ{sub 13}, the smallest of the three-flavour mixing angles. In the course of these experiments two anomalies emerged: (1) the reanalysis of the reactor predictions revealed a deficit in experimentally observed antineutrino flux, known as the ''reactor antineutrino anomaly''. (2) The high precision of the latest generation of neutrino experiments resolved a spectral shape distortion relative to the expected energy spectra. Both puzzles are yet to be solved and triggered new experimental as well as theoretical studies, with the search for light sterile neutrinos as most popular explanation for the flux anomaly. This talk outlines the two reactor antineutrino anomalies. Discussing possible explanations for their occurrence, recent and upcoming efforts to solve the reactor puzzles are highlighted.

Random processes in nuclear reactors

CERN Document Server

Williams, M M R

1974-01-01

Random Processes in Nuclear Reactors describes the problems that a nuclear engineer may meet which involve random fluctuations and sets out in detail how they may be interpreted in terms of various models of the reactor system. Chapters set out to discuss topics on the origins of random processes and sources; the general technique to zero-power problems and bring out the basic effect of fission, and fluctuations in the lifetime of neutrons, on the measured response; the interpretation of power reactor noise; and associated problems connected with mechanical, hydraulic and thermal noise sources

Feasibility of ultraviolet-light-emitting diodes as an alternative light source for photocatalysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Levine, Lanfang H; Richards, Jeffrey T; Coutts, Janelle L; Soler, Robert; Maxik, Fred; Wheeler, Raymond M

2011-09-01

The objective of this study was to determine whether ultraviolet-light-emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) could serve as an efficient photon source for heterogeneous photocatalytic oxidation (PCO). An LED module consisting of 12 high-power UV-A (lambda max = 365 nm) LEDs was designed to be interchangeable with a UV-A fluorescent black light blue (BLB) lamp for a bench scale annular reactor packed with silica-titania composite (STC) pellets. Lighting and thermal properties of the module were characterized to assess its uniformity and total irradiance. A forward current (I(F)) of 100 mA delivered an average irradiance of 4.0 mW cm(-2) at a distance of 8 mm, which is equivalent to the maximum output of the BLB, but the irradiance of the LED module was less uniform than that of the BLB. The LED and BLB reactors were tested for the oxidization of ethanol (50 ppm(v)) in a continuous-flow-through mode with 0.94 sec residence time. At the same average irradiance, the UV-A LED reactor resulted in a lower CO2 production rate (19.8 vs. 28.6 nmol L(-1) s(-1)), lower ethanol removal (80% vs. 91%), and lower mineralization efficiency (28% vs. 44%) than the UV-A BLB reactor. Ethanol mineralization was enhanced with the increase of the irradiance at the catalyst surface. This result suggests that reduced ethanol mineralization in the LED reactor relative to the BLB reactor at the same average irradiance could be attributed to the nonuniform irradiance over the photocatalyst, that is, a portion of the catalyst was exposed to less than the average irradiance. The potential of UV-A LEDs may be fully realized by optimizing the light distribution over the catalyst and utilizing their instantaneous "on" and "off" feature for periodic irradiation. Nevertheless, our results also showed that the current UV-A LED module had the same wall plug efficiency (WPE) of 13% as that of the UV-A BLB, demonstrating that UV-A LEDs are a viable photon source both in terms of WPE and PCO efficiency.

The contribution of a small TRIGA university research reactor to nuclear research on an international level

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Villa, M.; Bastuerk, M.; Boeck, H.

2002-01-01

The paper focuses especially on the important results in neutron- and solid state physics and the co-operation between the low power TRIGA reactor with high flux neutron sources in Europe such as the Institute Laue-Langevin (ILL) in Grenoble, the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) in Villigen, the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) in Didcot and the Research Center Juelich. Experiments are set up for test purposes at the TRIGA reactor and then transferred to the powerful neutron sources. Different new perfect silicon channel-cut and interferometer crystals are prepared and then tested at the Bonse-Hart camera, which is a double crystal (or triple axis) diffractometer and at the interferometer set-up. Historically, the first verification of neutron interferometry at a perfect crystal device has been achieved at the 250 kW TRIGA-reactor in Vienna in the year 1974. Also the co-operation with the PSI and the TU Munich in the field of neutron radiography and neutron tomography and VESTA, an experiment for storing cold neutrons with a wavelength of 6.27A, installed at the pulsed neutron source ISIS at RAL are mentioned. The second topic in this paper focuses on the co-operation in the field of safeguard. Several projects have been carried out during the past years in co-operation with the IAEA such as establishing a gamma spectrum reference catalogue for CdZnTe detectors and tests of safeguard video cameras under neutron irradiation. Further an integrated safeguard surveillance network composed of a video camera, a gamma monitor and a neutron monitor is under development

Licensed reactor nuclear safety criteria applicable to DOE reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-11-01

This document is a compilation and source list of nuclear safety criteria that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) applies to licensed reactors; it can be used by DOE and DOE contractors to identify NRC criteria to be evaluated for application to the DOE reactors under their cognizance. The criteria listed are those that are applied to the areas of nuclear safety addressed in the safety analysis report of a licensed reactor. They are derived from federal regulations, USNRC regulatory guides, Standard Review Plan (SRP) branch technical positions and appendices, and industry codes and standards

Feasibility of Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diodes as an Alternative Light Source for Photocatalysis

Science.gov (United States)

Levine, Langanf H.; Richards, Jeffrey T.; Soler, Robert; Maxik, Fred; Coutts, Janelle; Wheeler, Raymond M.

2011-01-01

The objective of this study was to determine whether ultraviolet light emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) could serve as an alternative photon source efficiently for heterogeneous photocatalytic oxidation (PCO). An LED module consisting of 12 high-power UV-A LEDs was designed to be interchangeable with a UV-A fluorescent black light blue (BLB) lamp in a Silica-Titania Composite (STC) packed bed annular reactor. Lighting and thermal properties were characterized to assess the uniformity and total irradiant output. A forward current of (I(sub F)) 100 mA delivered an average irradiance of 4.0 m W cm(exp -2), which is equivalent to the maximum output of the BLB, but the irradiance of the LED module was less uniform than that of the BLB. The LED- and BLB-reactors were tested for the oxidization of 50 ppmv ethanol in a continuous flow-through mode with 0.94 sec space time. At the same irradiance, the UV-A LED reactor resulted in a lower PCO rate constant than the UV-A BLB reactor (19.8 vs. 28.6 nM CO2 sec-I), and consequently lower ethanol removal (80% vs. 91%) and mineralization efficiency (28% vs. 44%). Ethanol mineralization increased in direct proportion to the irradiance at the catalyst surface. This result suggests that reduced ethanol mineralization in the LED- reactor could be traced to uneven irradiance over the photocatalyst, leaving a portion of the catalyst was under-irradiated. The potential of UV-A LEDs may be fully realized by optimizing the light distribution over the catalyst and utilizing their instantaneous "on" and "off' feature for periodic irradiation. Nevertheless, the current UV-A LED module had the same wall plug efficiency (WPE) of 13% as that of the UV-A BLB. These results demonstrated that UV-A LEDs are a viable photon source both in terms of WPE and PCO efficiency.

Emergency cooling system for nuclear reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frisch, E.; Andrews, H.N.

1976-01-01

Upon the occasion of loss of coolant in a nuclear reactor as when a coolant supply or return line breaks, or both lines break, borated liquid coolant from an emergency source is supplied in an amount to absorb heat being generated in the reactor even after the control rods have been inserted. The liquid coolant flows from pressurized storage vessels outside the reactor to an internal manifold from which it is distributed to unused control rod guide thimbles in the reactor fuel assemblies. Since the guide thimbles are mounted at predetermined positions relative to heat generating fuel elements in the fuel assemblies, holes bored at selected locations in the guide thimble walls, sprays the coolant against the reactor fuel elements which continue to dissipate heat but at a reduced level. The cooling water evaporates upon contacting the fuel rods thereby removing the maximum amount of heat (970 BTU per pound of water) and after heat absorption will leave the reactor in the form of steam through the break which is the cause of the accident to help assure immediate core cooldown

The benefits of an advanced fast reactor fuel cycle for plutonium management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hannum, W.H.; McFarlane, H.F.; Wade, D.C.; Hill, R.N.

1996-01-01

The United States has no program to investigate advanced nuclear fuel cycles for the large-scale consumption of plutonium from military and civilian sources. The official U.S. position has been to focus on means to bury spent nuclear fuel from civilian reactors and to achieve the spent fuel standard for excess separated plutonium, which is considered by policy makers to be an urgent international priority. Recently, the National Research Council published a long awaited report on its study of potential separation and transmutation technologies (STATS), which concluded that in the nuclear energy phase-out scenario that they evaluated, transmutation of plutonium and long-lived radioisotopes would not be worth the cost. However, at the American Nuclear Society Annual Meeting in June, 1996, the STATS panelists endorsed further study of partitioning to achieve superior waste forms for burial, and suggested that any further consideration of transmutation should be in the context of energy production, not of waste management. 2048 The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has an active program for the short-term disposition of excess fissile material and a 'focus area' for safe, secure stabilization, storage and disposition of plutonium, but has no current programs for fast reactor development. Nevertheless, sufficient data exist to identify the potential advantages of an advanced fast reactor metallic fuel cycle for the long-term management of plutonium. Advantages are discussed

Overview of fusion reactor safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cohen, S.; Crocker, J.G.

1981-01-01

Use of deuterium-tritium burning fusion reactors requires examination of several major safety and environmental issues: (1) tritium inventory control, (2) neutron activation of structural materials, fluid streams and reactor hall environment, (3) release of radioactivity from energy sources including lithium spill reactions, superconducting magnet stored energy release, and plasma disruptions, (4) high magnetic and electromagnetic fields associated with fusion reactor superconducting magnets and radio frequency heating devices, and (5) handling and disposal of radioactive waste. Early recognition of potential safety problems with fusion reactors provides the opportunity for improvement in design and materials to eliminate or greatly reduce these problems. With an early start in this endeavor, fusion should be among the lower risk technologies for generation of commercial electrical power

Neutron activation analysis of essential elements in Multani mitti clay using miniature neutron source reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Waheed, S.; Rahman, S.; Faiz, Y.; Siddique, N.

2012-01-01

Multani mitti clay was studied for 19 essential and other elements. Four different radio-assay schemes were adopted for instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) using miniature neutron source reactor. The estimated weekly intakes of Cr and Fe are high for men, women, pregnant and lactating women and children while intake of Co is higher in adult categories and Mn by pregnant women. Comparison of MM clay with other type of clays shows that it is a good source of essential elements. - Highlights: ► Multani mitti clay has been studied for 19 essential elements for human adequacy and safety using INAA and AAS. ► Weekly intakes for different consumer categories have been calculated and compared with DRIs. ► Comparison of MM with other type of clays depict that MM clay is a good source of essential elements.

Status of fusion reactor concept development in Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuji-Iio, Shunji

1996-01-01

Fusion power reactor studies in Japan based on magnetic confinement schemes are reviewed. As D-T fusion reactors, a steady-state tokamak reactor (SSTR) was proposed and extensively studied at the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) and an inductively operated day-long tokamak reactor (IDLT) was proposed by a group at the University of Tokyo. The concept of a drastically easy maintenance (DREAM) tokamak reactor is being developed at JAERI. A high-field tokamak reactor with force-balanced coils as a volumetric neutron source is being studied by our group at Tokyo Institute of Technology. The conceptual design of a force-free helical reactor (FFHR) is under way at the National Institute for Fusion Science. A design study of a D- 3 He field-reversed configuration (FRC) fusion reactor called ARTEMIS was conducted by the FRC fusion working group of research committee of lunar base an lunar resources. (author)

Emergency reactor cooling device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arakawa, Ken.

1993-01-01

An emergency nuclear reactor cooling device comprises a water reservoir, emergency core cooling water pipelines having one end connected to a water feeding sparger, fire extinguishing facility pipelines, cooling water pressurizing pumps, a diesel driving machine for driving the pumps and a battery. In a water reservoir, cooling water is stored by an amount required for cooling the reactor upon emergency and for fire extinguishing, and fire extinguishing facility pipelines connecting the water reservoir and the fire extinguishing facility are in communication with the emergency core cooling water pipelines connected to the water feeding sparger by system connection pipelines. Pumps are operated by a diesel power generator to introduce cooling water from the reservoir to the emergency core cooling water pipelines. Then, even in a case where AC electric power source is entirely lost and the emergency core cooling system can not be used, the diesel driving machine is operated using an exclusive battery, thereby enabling to inject cooling water from the water reservoir to a reactor pressure vessel and a reactor container by the diesel drive pump. (N.H.)

Feasibility studies on the production of essential radioisotopes (24Na and 32P) using the Ghana Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (GHARR-1)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dotse, S.C.

2012-01-01

Feasibility studies on the production of 32 P and 24 Na using a Miniature Neutron Source Reactor named Ghana Research Reactor-1 (GHARR-1) has been conducted. A theoretical model of the cyclic activation technique was developed for the simulation of specific activities under varying parameters. Specific activity values estimated for four cycles of irradiation with activation parameters falling within the specifications of the reactor were experimentally validated. Experimented results were compared to those theoretically estimated for both 24 Na and 32 P. Experimented specific activity values for both radioisotopes generally fell below their theoretical values but recorded activity build-ups from one cycle to the other. The 24 Na nuclide showed a regular pattern for the increase in specific activity from one cycle to the next with an average percentage difference of experimented to theoretical value of 19%. The 32 P nuclide showed an irregular pattern for the increase in specific activity from one cycle to the next with an average percentage difference of experimental to theoretical value of 11%. The specific activities experimentally attained, with reference to activity levels used for various applications in agriculture and industry suggests the cyclic activation technique can be used for the production of radioisotopes of appreciable activities using low power research reactors, which are characterised with limited excess core reactivity and cannot sustain long periods of irradiation. (au)

An overview of future sustainable nuclear power reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poullikkas, Andreas [Electricity Authority of Cyprus, P.O. Box 24506, 1399 Nicosia (Cyprus)

2013-07-01

In this paper an overview of the current and future nuclear power reactor technologies is carried out. In particular, the nuclear technology is described and the classification of the current and future nuclear reactors according to their generation is provided. The analysis has shown that generation II reactors currently in operation all around the world lack significantly in safety precautions and are prone to loss of coolant accident (LOCA). In contrast, generation III reactors, which are an evolution of generation II reactors, incorporate passive or inherent safety features that require no active controls or operational intervention to avoid accidents in the event of malfunction, and may rely on gravity, natural convection or resistance to high temperatures. Today, partly due to the high capital cost of large power reactors generating electricity and partly due to the consideration of public perception, there is a shift towards the development of smaller units. These may be built independently or as modules in a larger complex, with capacity added incrementally as required. Small reactors most importantly benefit from reduced capital costs, simpler units and the ability to produce power away from main grid systems. These factors combined with the ability of a nuclear power plant to use process heat for co-generation, make the small reactors an attractive option. Generally, modern small reactors for power generation are expected to have greater simplicity of design, economy of mass production and reduced installation costs. Many are also designed for a high level of passive or inherent safety in the event of malfunction. Generation III+ designs are generally extensions of the generation III concept, which include advanced passive safety features. These designs can maintain the safe state without the use of any active control components. Generation IV reactors, which are future designs that are currently under research and development, will tend to have closed

Instrumentation at pulsed neutron sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carpenter, J.M.; Lander, G.H.; Windsor, C.G.

1984-01-01

Scientific investigations involving the use of neutron beams have been centered at reactor sources for the last 35 years. Recently, there has been considerable interest in using the neutrons produced by accelerator driven (pulsed) sources. Such installations are in operation in England, Japan, and the United States. In this article a brief survey is given of how the neutron beams are produced and how they can be optimized for neutron scattering experiments. A detailed description is then given of the various types of instruments that have been, or are planned, at pulsed sources. Numerous examples of the scientific results that are emerging are given. An attempt is made throughout the article to compare the scientific opportunities at pulsed sources with the proven performance of reactor installations, and some familiarity with the latter and the general field of neutron scattering is assumed. New areas are being opened up by pulsed sources, particularly with the intense epithermal neutron beams, which promise to be several orders of magnitude more intense than can be obtained from a thermal reactor

Optimization by simulation of the coupling between a sub-critical reactor and its spallation source. Towards a pilot reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kerdraon, D.

2001-10-01

Accelerator Driven Systems (ADS), based on a proton accelerator and a sub-critical core coupled with a spallation target, offer advantages in order to reduce the nuclear waste radiotoxicity before repository closure. Many studies carried out on the ADS should lead to the definition of an experimental plan which would federate the different works in progress. This thesis deals with the neutronic Monte Carlo simulations with the MCNPX code to optimize such a system in view of a pilot reactor building. First, we have recalled the main neutronic properties of an hybrid reactor. The concept of gas-cooled eXperimental Accelerator Driven System (XADS) chosen for our investigations comes from the preliminary studies done by the Framatome company. In order to transmute minor actinides, we have considered the time evolution of the main fuels which could be reasonably used for the demonstration phases. The neutronic parameters of the reactor, concerning minor actinide transmutation, are reported. Also, we have calculated the characteristic times and the transmutation rates in the case of 99 Tc and 129 I isotopes. We have identified some neutronic differences between an experimental and a power ADS according to the infinite multiplication coefficient, the shape factor and the level of flux to extend the demonstrator concept. We have proposed geometric solutions to keep the radial shape factor of a power ADS acceptable. In the last part, beyond the experimental XADS scope, we have examined the possible transition towards an uranium/thorium cycle based on Molten Salt Reactors using a power ADS in order to generate the required 233 U proportion. (author)

Reactor Simulations for Safeguards with the MCNP Utility for Reactor Evolution Code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shiba, T.; Fallot, M.

2015-01-01

To tackle nuclear material proliferation, we conducted several proliferation scenarios using the MURE (MCNP Utility for Reactor Evolution) code. The MURE code, developed by CNRS laboratories, is a precision, open-source code written in C++ that automates the preparation and computation of successive MCNP (Monte Carlo N-Particle) calculations and solves the Bateman equations in between, for burnup or thermal-hydraulics purposes. In addition, MURE has been completed recently with a module for the CHaracterization of Radioactive Sources, called CHARS, which computes the emitted gamma, beta and alpha rays associated to any fuel composition. Reactor simulations could allow knowing how plutonium or other material generation evolves inside reactors in terms of time and amount. The MURE code is appropriate for this purpose and can also provide knowledge on associated particle emissions. Using MURE, we have both developed a cell simulation of a typical CANDU reactor and a detailed model of light water PWR core, which could be used to analyze the composition of fuel assemblies as a function of time or burnup. MURE is also able to provide, thanks to its extension MURE-CHARTS, the emitted gamma rays from fuel assemblies unloaded from the core at any burnup. Diversion cases of Generation IV reactors have been also developed; a design of Very High Temperature Reactor (a Pebble Bed Reactor (PBR), loaded with UOx, PuOx and ThUOx fuels), and a Na-cooled Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR) (with depleted Uranium or Minor Actinides in the blanket). The loading of Protected Plutonium Production (P3) in the FBR was simulated. The simulations of various reactor designs taking into account reactor physics constraints may bring valuable information to inspectors. At this symposium, we propose to show the results of these reactor simulations as examples of the potentiality of reactor simulations for safeguards. (author)

Ion source requirements for pulsed spallation neutron sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alonso, J.R.

1995-10-01

The neutron scattering community has endorsed the need for a high- power (1 to 5 MW) accelerator-driven source of neutrons for materials research. Properly configured, the accelerator could produce very short (sub-microsecond) bursts of cold neutrons, said time structure offering advantages over the continuous flux from a reactor for a large class of experiments. The recent cancellation of the ANS reactor project has increased the urgency to develop a comprehensive strategy based on the best technological scenarios. Studies to date have built on the experience from ISIS (the 160 KW source in the UK), and call for a high-current (approx. 100 mA peak) H - source-linac combination injecting into one or more accumulator rings in which beam may be further accelerated. The 1 to 5 GeV proton beam is extracted in a single turn and brought to the target-moderator stations. The high current, high duty-factor, high brightness and high reliability required of the ion source present a very large challenge to the ion source community. A workshop held in Berkeley in October 1994, analyzed in detail the source requirements for proposed accelerator scenarios, the present performance capabilities of different H - source technologies, and identified necessary R ampersand D efforts to bridge the gap

Implementation and training methodology of subcritical reactors neutronic calculations triggered by external neutron source and applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carluccio, Thiago

2011-01-01

This works had as goal to investigate calculational methodologies on subcritical source driven reactor, such as Accelerator Driven Subcritical Reactor (ADSR) and Fusion Driven Subcritical Reactor (FDSR). Intense R and D has been done about these subcritical concepts, mainly due to Minor Actinides (MA) and Long Lived Fission Products (LLFP) transmutation possibilities. In this work, particular emphasis has been given to: (1) complement and improve calculation methodology with neutronic transmutation and decay capabilities and implement it computationally, (2) utilization of this methodology in the Coordinated Research Project (CRP) of the International Atomic Energy Agency Analytical and Experimental Benchmark Analysis of ADS and in the Collaborative Work on Use of Low Enriched Uranium in ADS, especially in the reproduction of the experimental results of the Yalina Booster subcritical assembly and study of a subcritical core of IPEN / MB-01 reactor, (3) to compare different nuclear data libraries calculation of integral parameters, such as k eff and k src , and differential distributions, such as spectrum and flux, and nuclides inventories and (4) apply the develop methodology in a study that may help future choices about dedicated transmutation system. The following tools have been used in this work: MCNP (Monte Carlo N particle transport code), MCB (enhanced version of MCNP that allows burnup calculation) and NJOY to process nuclear data from evaluated nuclear data files. (author)

Introduction to nuclear power reactors and their health physics systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brtis, J.S.

1982-01-01

This paper provides an introduction to: (1) the major systems of Boiling Water Reactors (BWR's) and Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR's), (2) the production and distribution of radiation sources in BWR's and PWR's, (3) the regulatory and functional requirements for nuclear power reactor design from a health physics standpoint, (4) the health physics systems provided to meet such requirements, and (5) a bibliography of documents germane to power reactor health physics design

Reactor-produced therapeutic radioisotopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knapp, F.F. Jr.

2002-01-01

The significant worldwide increase in therapeutic radioisotope applications in nuclear medicine, oncology and interventional cardiology requires the dependable production of sufficient levels of radioisotopes for these applications (Reba, 2000; J. Nucl. Med., 1998; Nuclear News, 1999; Adelstein and Manning, 1994). The issues associated with both accelerator- and reactor-production of therapeutic radioisotopes is important. Clinical applications of therapeutic radioisotopes include the use of both sealed sources and unsealed radiopharmaceutical sources. Targeted radiopharmaceutical agents include those for cancer therapy and palliation of bone pain from metastatic disease, ablation of bone marrow prior to stem cell transplantation, treatment modalities for mono and oligo- and polyarthritis, for cancer therapy (including brachytherapy) and for the inhibition of the hyperplastic response following coronary angioplasty and other interventional procedures (For example, see Volkert and Hoffman, 1999). Sealed sources involve the use of radiolabeled devices for cancer therapy (brachytherapy) and also for the inhibition of the hyperplasia which is often encountered after angioplasty, especially with the exponential increase in the use of coronary stents and stents for the peripheral vasculature and other anatomical applications. Since neutron-rich radioisotopes often decay by beta decay or decay to beta-emitting daughter radioisotopes which serve as the basis for radionuclide generator systems, reactors are expected to play an increasingly important role for the production of a large variety of therapeutic radioisotopes required for these and other developing therapeutic applications. Because of the importance of the availability of reactor-produced radioisotopes for these applications, an understanding of the contribution of neutron spectra for radioisotope production and determination of those cross sections which have not yet been established is important. This

Nuclear reactors built, being built, or planned, 1991

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Simpson, B.

1992-07-01

This document contains unclassified information about facilities built, being built, or planned in the United States for domestic use or export as of December 31, 1991. The book is divided into three major sections: Section 1 consists of a reactor locator map and reactor tables; Section 2 includes nuclear reactors that are operating, being built, or planned; and Section 3 includes reactors that have been shut down permanently or dismantled. Sections 2 and 3 contain the following classification of reactors: Civilian, Production, Military, Export, and Critical Assembly. Export reactor refers to a reactor for which the principal nuclear contractor is an American company -- working either independently or in cooperation with a foreign company (Part 4, in each section). Critical assembly refers to an assembly of fuel and assembly of fuel and moderator that requires an external source of neutrons to initiate and maintain fission. A critical assembly is used for experimental measurements (Part 5).

Nuclear reactors built, being built, or planned, 1991

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simpson, B.

1992-07-01

This document contains unclassified information about facilities built, being built, or planned in the United States for domestic use or export as of December 31, 1991. The book is divided into three major sections: Section 1 consists of a reactor locator map and reactor tables; Section 2 includes nuclear reactors that are operating, being built, or planned; and Section 3 includes reactors that have been shut down permanently or dismantled. Sections 2 and 3 contain the following classification of reactors: Civilian, Production, Military, Export, and Critical Assembly. Export reactor refers to a reactor for which the principal nuclear contractor is an American company -- working either independently or in cooperation with a foreign company (Part 4, in each section). Critical assembly refers to an assembly of fuel and assembly of fuel and moderator that requires an external source of neutrons to initiate and maintain fission. A critical assembly is used for experimental measurements (Part 5)

Iser: an international inherently safe reactor concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wakabayashi, Hiroaki

1988-01-01

Iser is a modular standardised 200-300 MWe power reactor based on the PIUS principle. It differs from PIUS in being simpler, and making full use of existing steel-vessel-based LWR technology. Iser is an inherently safe reactor concept under development in Japan. It is a generic concept, not a patented commodity, and it is expected that an international association to develop the concept will be formed. (U.K.)

RB research reactor Safety Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sotic, O.; Pesic, M.; Vranic, S.

1979-04-01

This RB reactor safety report is a revised and improved version of the Safety report written in 1962. It contains descriptions of: reactor building, reactor hall, control room, laboratories, reactor components, reactor control system, heavy water loop, neutron source, safety system, dosimetry system, alarm system, neutron converter, experimental channels. Safety aspects of the reactor operation include analyses of accident causes, errors during operation, measures for preventing uncontrolled activity changes, analysis of the maximum possible accident in case of different core configurations with natural uranium, slightly and highly enriched fuel; influence of possible seismic events

Azo dye removal in a membrane-free up-flow biocatalyzed electrolysis reactor coupled with an aerobic bio-contact oxidation reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cui, Dan; Guo, Yu-Qi; Cheng, Hao-Yi; Liang, Bin; Kong, Fan-Ying; Lee, Hyung-Sool; Wang, Ai-Jie

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► A membrane-free up-flow biocatalyzed electrolysis reactor coupled with an aerobic bio-contact oxidation reactor was developed. ► Alizarin Yellow R as the mode of azo dyes was efficiently converted to p-phenylenediamine (PPD) and 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA). ► PPD and 5-ASA were further oxidized in a bio-contact oxidation reactor. ► The mechanism of UBER for azo dye removal was discussed. - Abstract: Azo dyes that consist of a large quantity of dye wastewater are toxic and persistent to biodegradation, while they should be removed before being discharged to water body. In this study, Alizarin Yellow R (AYR) as a model azo dye was decolorized in a combined bio-system of membrane-free, continuous up-flow bio-catalyzed electrolysis reactor (UBER) and subsequent aerobic bio-contact oxidation reactor (ABOR). With the supply of external power source 0.5 V in the UBER, AYR decolorization efficiency increased up to 94.8 ± 1.5%. Products formation efficiencies of p-phenylenediamine (PPD) and 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) were above 90% and 60%, respectively. Electron recovery efficiency based on AYR removal in cathode zone was nearly 100% at HRTs longer than 6 h. Relatively high concentration of AYR accumulated at higher AYR loading rates (>780 g m −3 d −1 ) likely inhibited acetate oxidation of anode-respiring bacteria on the anode, which decreased current density in the UBER; optimal AYR loading rate for the UBER was 680 g m −3 d −1 (HRT 2.5 h). The subsequent ABOR further improved effluent quality. Overall the Chroma decreased from 320 times to 80 times in the combined bio-system to meet the textile wastewater discharge standard II in China.

Azo dye removal in a membrane-free up-flow biocatalyzed electrolysis reactor coupled with an aerobic bio-contact oxidation reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cui, Dan; Guo, Yu-Qi; Cheng, Hao-Yi; Liang, Bin; Kong, Fan-Ying [State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 202 Haihe Road, Harbin 150090 (China); Lee, Hyung-Sool [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1 (Canada); Wang, Ai-Jie, E-mail: waj0578@hit.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 202 Haihe Road, Harbin 150090 (China)

2012-11-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A membrane-free up-flow biocatalyzed electrolysis reactor coupled with an aerobic bio-contact oxidation reactor was developed. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Alizarin Yellow R as the mode of azo dyes was efficiently converted to p-phenylenediamine (PPD) and 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA). Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer PPD and 5-ASA were further oxidized in a bio-contact oxidation reactor. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The mechanism of UBER for azo dye removal was discussed. - Abstract: Azo dyes that consist of a large quantity of dye wastewater are toxic and persistent to biodegradation, while they should be removed before being discharged to water body. In this study, Alizarin Yellow R (AYR) as a model azo dye was decolorized in a combined bio-system of membrane-free, continuous up-flow bio-catalyzed electrolysis reactor (UBER) and subsequent aerobic bio-contact oxidation reactor (ABOR). With the supply of external power source 0.5 V in the UBER, AYR decolorization efficiency increased up to 94.8 {+-} 1.5%. Products formation efficiencies of p-phenylenediamine (PPD) and 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) were above 90% and 60%, respectively. Electron recovery efficiency based on AYR removal in cathode zone was nearly 100% at HRTs longer than 6 h. Relatively high concentration of AYR accumulated at higher AYR loading rates (>780 g m{sup -3} d{sup -1}) likely inhibited acetate oxidation of anode-respiring bacteria on the anode, which decreased current density in the UBER; optimal AYR loading rate for the UBER was 680 g m{sup -3} d{sup -1} (HRT 2.5 h). The subsequent ABOR further improved effluent quality. Overall the Chroma decreased from 320 times to 80 times in the combined bio-system to meet the textile wastewater discharge standard II in China.

High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR)

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The HFIR at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a light-water cooled and moderated reactor that is the United States’ highest flux reactor-based neutron source. HFIR...

Reactor Sharing Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tehan, Terry

2002-01-01

Support utilization of the RINSC reactor for student and faculty instructions and research. The Department of Energy award has provided financial assistance during the period 9/29/1995 to 5/31/2001 to support the utilization of the Rhode Island Nuclear Science Center (RINSC) reactor for student and faculty instruction and research by non-reactor owning educational institutions within approximately 300 miles of Narragansett, Rhode Island. Through the reactor sharing program, the RINSC (including the reactor and analytical laboratories) provided reactor services and laboratory space that were not available to the other universities and colleges in the region. As an example of services provided to the users: Counting equipment, laboratory space, pneumatic and in-pool irradiations, demonstrations of sample counting and analysis, reactor tours and lectures. Funding from the Reactor Sharing Program has provided the RINSC to expand student tours and demonstration programs that emphasized our long history of providing these types of services to the universities and colleges in the area. The funding have also helped defray the cost of the technical assistance that the staff has routinely provided to schools, individuals and researchers who have called on the RINSC for resolution of problems relating to nuclear science. The reactor has been featured in a Public Broadcasting System documentary on Pollution in the Arctic and how a University of Rhode Island Professor used Neutron Activation Analysis conducted at the RINSC to discover the sources of the ''Arctic Haze''. The RINSC was also featured by local television on Earth Day for its role in environmental monitoring

Effect of Fuel Structure Materials on Radiation Source Term in Reactor Core Meltdown

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeong, Hae Sun; Ha, Kwang Soon

2014-01-01

The fission product (Radiation Source) releases from the reactor core into the containment is obligatorily evaluated to guarantee the safety of Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) under the hypothetical accident involving a core meltdown. The initial core inventory is used as a starting point of all radiological consequences and effects on the subsequent results of accident assessment. Hence, a proper evaluation for the inventory can be regarded as one of the most important part over the entire procedure of accident analysis. The inventory of fission products is typically evaluated on the basis of the uranium material (e.g., UO2 and USi2) loaded in nuclear fuel assembly, except for the structure materials such as the end fittings, grids, and some kinds of springs. However, the structure materials are continually activated by the neutrons generated from the nuclear fission, and some nuclides of them (e.g., 14 C and 60 Co) can significantly influence on accident assessment. During the severe core accident, the structure components can be also melted with the melting points of temperature relatively lower than uranium material. A series of the calculation were performed by using ORIGEN-S module in SCALE 6.1 package code system. The total activity in each part of structure materials was specifically analyzed from these calculations. The fission product inventory is generally evaluated based on the uranium materials of fuel only, even though the structure components of the assembly are continually activated by the neutrons generated from the nuclear fission. In this study, the activation calculation of the fuel structure materials was performed for the initial source term assessment in the accident of reactor core meltdown. As a result, the lower end fitting and the upper plenum greatly contribute to the total activity except for the cladding material. The nuclides of 56 Mn, '5 1 Cr, 55 Fe, 58 Co, 54 Mn, and 60 Co are analyzed to mainly effect on the activity. This result

Advanced nuclear reactor types and technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ignatiev, V.; Devell, L.

1995-01-01

The document is a comprehensive world-wide catalogue of concepts and designs of advanced fission reactor types and fuel cycle technologies. Two parts have been prepared: Part 1 Reactors for Power Production and Part 2 Heating and Other Reactor Applications. Part 3, which will cover advanced waste management technology, reprocessing and disposal for different nuclear fission options is planned for compilation during 1995. The catalogue was prepared according to a special format which briefly presents the project title, technical approach, development status, application of the technology, reactor type, power output, and organization which developed these designs. Part 1 and 2 cover water cooled reactors, liquid metal fast reactors, gas-cooled reactors and molten salt reactors. Subcritical accelerator-driven systems are also considered. Various reactor applications as power production, heat generation, ship propulsion, space power sources and transmutation of such waste are included. Each project is described within a few pages with the main features of an actual design using a table with main technical data and figure as well as references for additional information. Each chapter starts with an introduction which briefly describes main trends and approaches in this field. Explanations of terms and abbreviations are provided in a glossary

Advanced nuclear reactor types and technologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ignatiev, V [ed.; Feinberg, O; Morozov, A [Russian Research Centre ` Kurchatov Institute` , Moscow (Russian Federation); Devell, L [Studsvik Eco and Safety AB, Nykoeping (Sweden)

1995-07-01

The document is a comprehensive world-wide catalogue of concepts and designs of advanced fission reactor types and fuel cycle technologies. Two parts have been prepared: Part 1 Reactors for Power Production and Part 2 Heating and Other Reactor Applications. Part 3, which will cover advanced waste management technology, reprocessing and disposal for different nuclear fission options is planned for compilation during 1995. The catalogue was prepared according to a special format which briefly presents the project title, technical approach, development status, application of the technology, reactor type, power output, and organization which developed these designs. Part 1 and 2 cover water cooled reactors, liquid metal fast reactors, gas-cooled reactors and molten salt reactors. Subcritical accelerator-driven systems are also considered. Various reactor applications as power production, heat generation, ship propulsion, space power sources and transmutation of such waste are included. Each project is described within a few pages with the main features of an actual design using a table with main technical data and figure as well as references for additional information. Each chapter starts with an introduction which briefly describes main trends and approaches in this field. Explanations of terms and abbreviations are provided in a glossary.

Trip setpoint analysis for the reactor protection system of an advanced integral reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Soo Hyung; Kim, Soo Hyung; Chung, Young Jong; Zee, Sung Quun

2007-01-01

The trip setpoints for the reactor protection system of a 65-MWt advanced integral reactor have been analyzed through sensitivity evaluations by using the Transients and Setpoint Simulation/System-integrated Modular Reactor code. In the analysis, an inadvertent control rod withdrawal event has been considered as an initiating event because this event results in the worst consequences from the viewpoint of the minimum critical heat flux ratio and its consequences are considerably affected by the trip setpoints. Sensitivity evaluations have been performed by changing the trip setpoints for the ceiling of a variable overpower trip (VOPT) function and the pressure of a high pressurizer pressure trip function. Analysis results show that a VOPT function is an effective means to satisfy the acceptance criteria as the control rod rapidly withdraws: on the other hand, a high pressurizer pressure trip function is an essential measure to preserve the safety margin in the case of a slow withdrawal of the control rod because a reactor trip by a VOPT function does not occur in this case. It is also shown that the adoptions of 122.2% of the rated core power and 16.25 MPa as the trip setpoint for the ceiling of a VOPT function and the pressure of a high pressurizer pressure trip function are good selections to satisfy the acceptance criteria

RELAP5 analyses of two hypothetical flow reversal events for the advanced neutron source reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, N.C.J.; Wendel, M.W.; Yoder, G.L. Jr. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

1995-09-01

This paper presents RELAP5 results of two hypothetical, low flow transients analyzed as part of the Advanced Neutron Source Reactor safety program. The reactor design features four independent coolant loops (three active and one in standby), each containing a main curculation pump (with battery powered pony motor), heat exchanger, an accumulator, and a check valve. The first transient assumes one of these pumps fails, and additionally, that the check valve in that loop remains stuck in the open position. This accident is considered extremely unlikely. Flow reverses in this loop, reducing the core flow because much of the coolant is diverted from the intact loops back through the failed loop. The second transient examines a 102-mm-diam instantaneous pipe break near the core inlet (the worst break location). A break is assumed to occur 90 s after a total loss-of-offsite power. Core flow reversal occurs because accumulator injection overpowers the diminishing pump flow. Safety margins are evaluated against four thermal limits: T{sub wall}=T{sub sat}, incipient boiling, onset of significant void, and critical heat flux. For the first transient, the results show that these limits are not exceeded (at a 95% non-exceedance probability level) if the pony motor battery lasts 30 minutes (the present design value). For the second transient, the results show that the closest approach of the fuel surface temperature to the local saturation temperature during core flow reversal is about 39{degrees}C. Therefore the fuel remains cool during this transient. Although this work is done specifically for the ANSR geometry and operating conditions, the general conclusions may be applicable to other highly subcooled reactor systems.

Moderators for the design of a cold neutron source for the RA 3 reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cantargi, F; Sbaffoni, M; Granada, R

2004-01-01

The cold neutron production of hydrogenous materials was studied, taking into account their radiation resistance, for the conceptual design of a cold neutron source for the RA-3 reactor.Low spontaneous release of chemical energy was found in mesitylene.Libraries for hidrogen in mesitylene were generated using the NJOY nuclear processing system and the resulting cross sections were compared with experimental data.Good agreement between measurements and calculations was found in those cases where data are available.New calculations using the RA-3 geometry and these validated libraries will be performed [es

Instrumentation and control strategies for an integral pressurized water reactor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Belle R. Upadhyaya

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Several vendors have recently been actively pursuing the development of integral pressurized water reactors (iPWRs that range in power levels from small to large reactors. Integral reactors have the features of minimum vessel penetrations, passive heat removal after reactor shutdown, and modular construction that allow fast plant integration and a secure fuel cycle. The features of an integral reactor limit the options for placing control and safety system instruments. The development of instrumentation and control (I&C strategies for a large 1,000 MWe iPWR is described. Reactor system modeling—which includes reactor core dynamics, primary heat exchanger, and the steam flashing drum—is an important part of I&C development and validation, and thereby consolidates the overall implementation for a large iPWR. The results of simulation models, control development, and instrumentation features illustrate the systematic approach that is applicable to integral light water reactors.

Continuous removal and recovery of tellurium in an upflow anaerobic granular sludge bed reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mal, Joyabrata; Nancharaiah, Yarlagadda V.; Maheshwari, Neeraj; Hullebusch, Eric D. van; Lens, Piet N.L.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Tellurite bioreduction coupled to recovery of biogenic Te(0) nanocrystals. • First report on continuous tellurite removal in a UASB reactor. • Biogenic Te(0) was mainly associated with loosely-bound EPS of granular sludge. • Repeated exposure to tellurite caused compositional changes in the EPS matrix. - Abstract: Continuous removal of tellurite (TeO 3 2− ) from synthetic wastewater and subsequent recovery in the form of elemental tellurium was studied in an upflow anaerobic granular sludge bed (UASB) reactor operated at 30 °C. The UASB reactor was inoculated with anaerobic granular sludge and fed with lactate as carbon source and electron donor at an organic loading rate of 0.6 g COD L −1 d −1 . After establishing efficient and stable COD removal, the reactor was fed with 10 mg TeO 3 2− L −1 for 42 d before increasing the influent concentration to 20 mg TeO 3 2− L −1 . Tellurite removal (98 and 92%, respectively, from 10 and 20 mg Te L −1 ) was primarily mediated through bioreduction and most of the removed Te was retained in the bioreactor. Characterization using XRD, Raman spectroscopy, SEM-EDX and TEM confirmed association of tellurium with the granular sludge, typically in the form of elemental Te(0) deposits. Furthermore, application of an extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) extraction method to the tellurite reducing sludge recovered up to 78% of the tellurium retained in the granular sludge. This study demonstrates for the first time the application of a UASB reactor for continuous tellurite removal from tellurite-containing wastewater coupled to elemental Te(0) recovery.

An epithermal neutron source for BNCT based on an ESQ-accelerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ludewigt, B.A.; Chu, W.T.; Donahue, R.J.; Kwan, J.; Phillips, T.L.; Reginato, L.L.; Wells, R.P.

1997-07-01

An accelerator-based BNCT facility is under development at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Neutrons will be produced via the 7 Li(p,n) reaction at proton energies of about 2.5 MeV with subsequent moderation and filtering for shaping epithermal neutron beams for BNCT. Moderator, filter, and shielding assemblies have been modeled using MCNP. Head-phantom dose distributions have been calculated using the treatment planning software BNCT RTPE. The simulation studies have shown that a proton beam current of ∼ 20 mA is required to deliver high quality brain treatments in about 40 minutes. The results also indicate that significantly higher doses can be delivered to deep-seated tumors in comparison to the Brookhaven Medical Research Reactor beam. An electrostatic quadrupole (ESQ) accelerator is ideally suited to provide the high beam currents desired. A novel power supply utilizing the air-coupled transformer concept is under development. It will enable the ESQ-accelerator to deliver proton beam currents exceeding 50 mA. A lithium target has been designed which consists of a thin layer of lithium on an aluminum backing. Closely spaced, narrow coolant passages cut into the aluminum allow the removal of a 50kW heat-load by convective water cooling. The system under development is suitable for hospital installation and has the potential for providing neutron beams superior to reactor sources

Ground testing of an SP-100 prototypic reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Motwani, K.; Pflasterer, G.R.; Upton, H.; Lazarus, J.D.; Gluck, R.

1988-01-01

SP-100 is a space power system which is being developed by GE to meet future space electrical power requirements. The ground testing of an SP-100 prototypic reactor system will be conducted at the Westinghouse Hanford Company site located at Richland, Washington. The objective of this test is to demonstrate the performance of a full scale prototypic reactor system, including the reactor, control system and flight shield. The ground test system is designed to simulate the flight operating conditions while meeting all the necessary nuclear safety requirements in a gravity environment. The goal of the reactor ground test system is to establish confidence in the design maturity of the SP-100 space reactor power system and resolve the technical issues necessary for the development of a flight mission design

Analysis of an accelerator-driven subcritical light water reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruijf, W.J.M. de; Wakker, P.H.; Wetering, T.F.H. van de; Verkooijen, A.H.M.

1997-01-01

An analysis of the basic characteristics of an accelerator-driven light water reactor has been made. The waste in the nuclear fuel cycle is considerably less than in the light water reactor open fuel cycle. This is mainly caused by the use of equilibrium nuclear fuel in the reactor. The accelerator enables the use of a fuel composition with infinite multiplication factor k ∞ < 1. The main problem of the use of this type of fuel is the strongly peaked flux distribution in the reactor core. A simple analytical model shows that a large core is needed with a high peak power factor in order to generate net electric energy. The fuel in the outer regions of the reactor core is used very poorly. 7 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab

Fission product release from SLOWPOKE-2 reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harnden-Gillis, A M.C. [Queen` s Univ., Kingston, ON (Canada). Dept. of Physics

1994-12-31

Increasing radiation fields at several SLOWPOKE-2 reactors fuelled with highly enriched uranium aluminum alloy fuel have begun to interfere with the daily operation of these reactors. To investigate this phenomenon, samples of reactor container water and gas from the headspace were obtained at four SLOWPOKE-2 reactor facilities and examined by gamma ray spectroscopy methods. These radiation fields are due to the circulation of fission products within the reactor container vessel. The most likely source of the fission product release is an area of uranium-bearing material exposed to the coolant at the end weld line which originated at the time of fuel fabrication. The results of this study are compared with observations from an underwater visual examination of one core and the metallographic examination of archived fuel elements. 19 refs., 4 tabs., 8 figs.

Plasma nitriding monitoring reactor: A model reactor for studying plasma nitriding processes using an active screen

Science.gov (United States)

Hamann, S.; Börner, K.; Burlacov, I.; Spies, H.-J.; Strämke, M.; Strämke, S.; Röpcke, J.

2015-12-01

A laboratory scale plasma nitriding monitoring reactor (PLANIMOR) has been designed to study the basics of active screen plasma nitriding (ASPN) processes. PLANIMOR consists of a tube reactor vessel, made of borosilicate glass, enabling optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and infrared absorption spectroscopy. The linear setup of the electrode system of the reactor has the advantages to apply the diagnostic approaches on each part of the plasma process, separately. Furthermore, possible changes of the electrical field and of the heat generation, as they could appear in down-scaled cylindrical ASPN reactors, are avoided. PLANIMOR has been used for the nitriding of steel samples, achieving similar results as in an industrial scale ASPN reactor. A compact spectrometer using an external cavity quantum cascade laser combined with an optical multi-pass cell has been applied for the detection of molecular reaction products. This allowed the determination of the concentrations of four stable molecular species (CH4, C2H2, HCN, and NH3). With the help of OES, the rotational temperature of the screen plasma could be determined.

Plasma nitriding monitoring reactor: A model reactor for studying plasma nitriding processes using an active screen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamann, S.; Röpcke, J.; Börner, K.; Burlacov, I.; Spies, H.-J.; Strämke, M.; Strämke, S.

2015-01-01

A laboratory scale plasma nitriding monitoring reactor (PLANIMOR) has been designed to study the basics of active screen plasma nitriding (ASPN) processes. PLANIMOR consists of a tube reactor vessel, made of borosilicate glass, enabling optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and infrared absorption spectroscopy. The linear setup of the electrode system of the reactor has the advantages to apply the diagnostic approaches on each part of the plasma process, separately. Furthermore, possible changes of the electrical field and of the heat generation, as they could appear in down-scaled cylindrical ASPN reactors, are avoided. PLANIMOR has been used for the nitriding of steel samples, achieving similar results as in an industrial scale ASPN reactor. A compact spectrometer using an external cavity quantum cascade laser combined with an optical multi-pass cell has been applied for the detection of molecular reaction products. This allowed the determination of the concentrations of four stable molecular species (CH 4 , C 2 H 2 , HCN, and NH 3 ). With the help of OES, the rotational temperature of the screen plasma could be determined

Plasma nitriding monitoring reactor: A model reactor for studying plasma nitriding processes using an active screen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hamann, S., E-mail: hamann@inp-greifswald.de; Röpcke, J. [INP-Greifswald, Felix-Hausdorff-Str. 2, 17489 Greifswald (Germany); Börner, K.; Burlacov, I.; Spies, H.-J. [TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Institute of Materials Engineering, Gustav-Zeuner-Str. 5, 09599 Freiberg (Germany); Strämke, M.; Strämke, S. [ELTRO GmbH, Arnold-Sommerfeld-Ring 3, 52499 Baesweiler (Germany)

2015-12-15

A laboratory scale plasma nitriding monitoring reactor (PLANIMOR) has been designed to study the basics of active screen plasma nitriding (ASPN) processes. PLANIMOR consists of a tube reactor vessel, made of borosilicate glass, enabling optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and infrared absorption spectroscopy. The linear setup of the electrode system of the reactor has the advantages to apply the diagnostic approaches on each part of the plasma process, separately. Furthermore, possible changes of the electrical field and of the heat generation, as they could appear in down-scaled cylindrical ASPN reactors, are avoided. PLANIMOR has been used for the nitriding of steel samples, achieving similar results as in an industrial scale ASPN reactor. A compact spectrometer using an external cavity quantum cascade laser combined with an optical multi-pass cell has been applied for the detection of molecular reaction products. This allowed the determination of the concentrations of four stable molecular species (CH{sub 4}, C{sub 2}H{sub 2}, HCN, and NH{sub 3}). With the help of OES, the rotational temperature of the screen plasma could be determined.

Plans for an Ultra Cold Neutron source at Los Alamos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seestrom, S.J.; Bowles, T.J.; Hill, R.; Greene, G.L. [Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)

1996-08-01

Ultra Cold Neutrons (UCN) can be produced at spallation sources using a variety of techniques. To date the technique used has been to Bragg scatter and Doppler shift cold neutrons into UCN from a moving crystal. This is particularly applicable to short-pulse spallation sources. We are presently constructing a UCN source at LANSCE using method. In addition, large gains in UCN density should be possible using cryogenic UCN sources. Research is under way at Gatchina to demonstrate technical feasibility of be a frozen deuterium source. If successful, a source of this type could be implemented at future spallation source, such as the long pulse source being planned at Los Alamos, with a UCN density that may be two orders of magnitude higher than that presently available at reactors. (author)

Ceramic membrane microfilter as an immobilized enzyme reactor.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrington, T J; Gainer, J L; Kirwan, D J

1992-10-01

This study investigated the use of a ceramic microfilter as an immobilized enzyme reactor. In this type of reactor, the substrate solution permeates the ceramic membrane and reacts with an enzyme that has been immobilized within its porous interior. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of permeation rate on the observed kinetic parameters for the immobilized enzyme in order to assess possible mass transfer influences or shear effects. Kinetic parameters were found to be independent of flow rate for immobilized penicillinase and lactate dehydrogenase. Therefore, neither mass transfer nor shear effects were observed for enzymes immobilized within the ceramic membrane. Both the residence time and the conversion in the microfilter reactor could be controlled simply by regulating the transmembrane pressure drop. This study suggests that a ceramic microfilter reactor can be a desirable alternative to a packed bed of porous particles, especially when an immobilized enzyme has high activity and a low Michaelis constant.

Monte Carlo Analysis of the Accelerator-Driven System at Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wonkyeong Kim

2016-04-01

Full Text Available An accelerator-driven system consists of a subcritical reactor and a controllable external neutron source. The reactor in an accelerator-driven system can sustain fission reactions in a subcritical state using an external neutron source, which is an intrinsic safety feature of the system. The system can provide efficient transmutations of nuclear wastes such as minor actinides and long-lived fission products and generate electricity. Recently at Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute (KURRI; Kyoto, Japan, a series of reactor physics experiments was conducted with the Kyoto University Critical Assembly and a Cockcroft–Walton type accelerator, which generates the external neutron source by deuterium–tritium reactions. In this paper, neutronic analyses of a series of experiments have been re-estimated by using the latest Monte Carlo code and nuclear data libraries. This feasibility study is presented through the comparison of Monte Carlo simulation results with measurements.

Monte Carlo analysis of the accelerator-driven system at Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Won Kyeong; Lee, Deok Jung [Nuclear Engineering Division, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Hyun Chul [VHTR Technology Development Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Pyeon, Cheol Ho [Nuclear Engineering Science Division, Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute, Osaka (Japan); Shin, Ho Cheol [Core and Fuel Analysis Group, Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Central Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-04-15

An accelerator-driven system consists of a subcritical reactor and a controllable external neutron source. The reactor in an accelerator-driven system can sustain fission reactions in a subcritical state using an external neutron source, which is an intrinsic safety feature of the system. The system can provide efficient transmutations of nuclear wastes such as minor actinides and long-lived fission products and generate electricity. Recently at Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute (KURRI; Kyoto, Japan), a series of reactor physics experiments was conducted with the Kyoto University Critical Assembly and a Cockcroft-Walton type accelerator, which generates the external neutron source by deuterium-tritium reactions. In this paper, neutronic analyses of a series of experiments have been re-estimated by using the latest Monte Carlo code and nuclear data libraries. This feasibility study is presented through the comparison of Monte Carlo simulation results with measurements.

Small liquid metal reactor for an initial phase of fast breeder reactor introduction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishiguro, Y.; Nascimento, J.A. do.

1985-01-01

Safety and burnup characteristics of a 1000 MWth liquid metal reactor have been examined for various fuel types. With metallic Pu/Th fuel containing a small amount of zirconium hydride, low sodium-void reactivity, a high Doppler coefficient, and small burnup reactivity swings can be achieved. A conservative design is considered for an initial phase of fast breeder reactor development and possible modifications are discussed. (Author) [pt

Power reactors operational diagnosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dach, K.; Pecinka, L.

1976-01-01

The definition of reactor operational diagnostics is presented and the fundamental trends of research are determined. The possible sources of power reactor malfunctions, the methods of defect detection, the data evaluation and the analysis of the results are discussed in detail. In view of scarcity of a theoretical basis and of insufficient in-core instrumentation, operational diagnostics cannot be as yet incorporated in a computer-aided reactor control system. (author)

Regulation for installation and operation of reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-01-01

Concerning the description of an application for the approval of installation of a reactor, stipulated in Article 23 paragraph 2 of the Law for Regulation of Nuclear Source Materials, Nuclear Fuel Materials and Reactors (hereinafter referred to as the Law), the following items must be written. Namely, the heat output of the reactor in Article 23 paragraph 2 item 3 of the Law, the position, structure and facilities of the reactor facilities, described according to the stipulated classifications, the work plan, nuclear fuel materials employed, and the disposal of spent fuel. Concerning an application for the approval of a reactor installed aboard a foreign ship, stipulations are made separately. Description of an application for the approval of change of the heat output of a reactor and others should include the stipulated items. When it is wished to undergo inspection of the construction and performance of reactor facilities, an application for that end including the required items should be filed. Various safety measures preventing personnel from being exposed to radiation should be taken. When a foreign atomic-powered ship tries to enter a Japanese port, the stipulated necessary informations should be reported 60 days before such ship actually enters the Japanese port. A chief technician of reactors should take and pass the official examination. (Rikitake, Y.)

Preliminary design concepts of an advanced integral reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moon, Kap S.; Lee, Doo J.; Kim, Keung K.; Chang, Moon H.; Kim, Si H.

1997-01-01

An integral reactor on the basis of PWR technology is being conceptually developed at KAERI. Advanced technologies such as intrinsic and passive safety features are implemented in establishing the design concepts of the reactor to enhance the safety and performance. Research and development including laboratory-scale tests are concurrently underway for confirming the technical adoption of those concepts to the rector design. The power output of the reactor will be in the range of 100MWe to 600MWe which is relatively small compared to the existing loop type reactors. The detailed analysis to assure the design concepts is in progress. (author). 3 figs, 1 tab

Compact-toroid fusion reactor based on the field-reversed theta pinch: reactor scaling and optimization for CTOR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hagenson, R.L.; Krakowski, R.A.

1980-01-01

Early scoping studies based on approximate, analytic models have been extended on the basis of a dynamic plasma model and an overall systems approach to examine a Compact Toroid (CT) reactor embodiment that uses a Field-Reversed Theta Pinch as a plasma source. The field-reversed plasmoid would be formed and compressionally heated to ignition prior to injection into and translation through a linear burn chamber, thereby removing the high-technology plasmoid source from the hostile reactor environment. Stabilization of the field-reversed plasmoid would be provided by a passive conduction shell located outside the high-temperature blanket but within the low-field superconducting magnets and associated radiation shielding. On the basis of this batch-burn but thermally steady-state approach a reactor concept emerges with a length below approx. 40 m that generates 300 to 400 MWe of net electrical power with a recirculating power fraction less than 0.15

The effect of temperature and the control rod position on the spatial neutron flux distribution in the Syrian Miniature Neutron Source Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khattab, K.; Omar, H.; Ghazi, N.

2007-01-01

The effect of water and fuel temperature increase and changes in the control rod positions on the spatial neutron flux distribution in the Syrian Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR) is discussed. The cross sections of all the reactor components at different temperatures are generated using the WIMSD4 code. These group constants are used then in the CITATION code to calculate the special neutron flux distribution using four energy groups. This work shows that water and fuel temperature increase in the reactor during the reactor daily operating time does not affect the spatial neutron flux distribution in the reactor. Changing the control rod position does not affect as well the spatial neutron flux distribution except in the region around the control rod position. This stability in the spatial neutron flux distribution, especially in the inner and outer irradiation sites, makes MNSR as a good tool for the neutron activation analysis (NAA) technique and production of radioisotopes with medium or short half lives during the reactor daily operating time. (author)

Future directions of small research reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blotcky, A.J.; Rack, E.P.

1986-01-01

In prognosticating future perspectives, it is important to realize that the current number of small reactors throughout the world is not overly large and will undoubtedly decrease or at best remain constant in future generations. To survive and remain productive, small reactor facilities must concentrate on work that is unique and that cannot be performed as well by other instruments. Wherever possible, these facilities should develop some form of collaboration with universities and medical center investigators. Future development will continue and will flourish in neutron activation analysis and its applications for a diversity of fields. Fundamental research such as hot atom chemistry will continue to use neutrons from small research reactors. Finally, training of power reactor operators can be an important source of revenue for the small facility in addition to performing an important service to the nuclear power industry

Physical models and primary design of reactor based slow positron source at CMRR

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Guanbo; Li, Rundong; Qian, Dazhi; Yang, Xin

2018-07-01

Slow positron facilities are widely used in material science. A high intensity slow positron source is now at the design stage based on the China Mianyang Research Reactor (CMRR). This paper describes the physical models and our primary design. We use different computer programs or mathematical formula to simulate different physical process, and validate them by proper experiments. Considering the feasibility, we propose a primary design, containing a cadmium shield, a honeycomb arranged W tubes assembly, electrical lenses, and a solenoid. It is planned to be vertically inserted in the Si-doping channel. And the beam intensity is expected to be 5 ×109

Operation and reactivity measurements of an accelerator driven subcritical TRIGA reactor

Science.gov (United States)

O'Kelly, David Sean

Experiments were performed at the Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory (NETL) in 2005 and 2006 in which a 20 MeV linear electron accelerator operating as a photoneutron source was coupled to the TRIGA (Training, Research, Isotope production, General Atomics) Mark II research reactor at the University of Texas at Austin (UT) to simulate the operation and characteristics of a full-scale accelerator driven subcritical system (ADSS). The experimental program provided a relatively low-cost substitute for the higher power and complexity of internationally proposed systems utilizing proton accelerators and spallation neutron sources for an advanced ADSS that may be used for the burning of high-level radioactive waste. Various instrumentation methods that permitted ADSS neutron flux monitoring in high gamma radiation fields were successfully explored and the data was used to evaluate the Stochastic Pulsed Feynman method for reactivity monitoring.

A model for reliability avaliation of the electrical supply source of the 1A3 and 1A4 control rods assemblies of Angra I reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, T.

1978-01-01

The reliability of the electrical power supply to the 4.16KV buses for the safety system operation of a nuclear power plant was studied. Particularly, Angra Unit I system was focused. Initially, reliability of each electrical supply source was estimated. Using a probabilistic approach based on the Markov processes, the system reliability was evaluated in terms of frequency and duration of loss of power supply and of the system failure probability evolution when one or more sources remained unavailable. Based on these results, certain reactor operating rules were proposed concerning later shutdown of the plant without compromising the nuclear reactor safety. A sensitivity analysis was also performed to show the different reliability parameter influences on final results. This analysis showed that the diesel system performs an important role in the power supply for a nuclear power plant [pt

Ion source requirements for pulsed spallation neutron sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alonso, J.R.

1996-01-01

The neutron scattering community has endorsed the need for a high-power (1 to 5 MW) accelerator-driven source of neutrons for materials research. Properly configured, the accelerator could produce very short (sub-microsecond) bursts of cold neutrons, said time structure offering advantages over the continuous flux from a reactor for a large class of experiments. The recent cancellation of the ANS reactor project has increased the urgency to develop a comprehensive strategy based on the best technological scenarios. Studies to date have built on the experience from ISIS (the 160 kW source in the UK), and call for a high-current (approx. 100 mA peak) H - source-linac combination injecting into one or more accumulator rings in which beam may be further accelerated. The 1 to 5 GeV proton beam is extracted in a single turn and brought to the target-moderator stations. The high current, high duty-factor, high brightness and high reliability required of the ion source present a very large challenge to the ion source community. A workshop held in Berkeley in October 1994, analyzed in detail the source requirements for proposed accelerator scenarios, the present performance capabilities of different H - source technologies, and identified necessary R ampersand D efforts to bridge the gap. copyright 1996 American Institute of Physics

Investigation of the basic reactor physics characteristics of the Dalat Nuclear Research Reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huy, Ngo Quang [Centre for Nuclear Technique Application, Ho Chi Minh City (Viet Nam); Thong, Ha Van; Khang, Ngo Phu [Nuclear Research Inst., Da Lat (Viet Nam)

1994-10-01

The Dalat nuclear research reactor was reconstructed from TRIGA MARK II reactor, built in 1963 with nominal power of 250 KW, and reached its planned nominal power of 500 kW for the first time in Feb. 1984. The Dalat reactor has some characteristics distinct from the former TRIGA reactor. Investigation of its characteristics is carried out by the determination of the reactor physics parameters. This paper represents the experimental results obtained for the effective fraction of the delayed photoneutrons, the extraneous neutron source left after the reactor is shut down, the lowest power levels of reactor critical states, the relative axial and radial distributions of thermal neutrons, the safe positive reactivity inserted into the reactor at deep subcritical state, the reactivity temperature coefficient of water, the temperature on the surface of the fuel elements, etc. (author). 10 refs., 10 figs., 2 tabs.

Reactor materials research as an effective instrument of nuclear reactor perfection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baryshnikov, M.

2006-01-01

The work is devoted to reactor materiology, as to the practical tool of nuclear reactor development. The work is illustrated with concrete examples from activity experience of the appropriate division of the Russian Research Centre Kurchatov Institute - Institute of Reactor Materials Research and Radiation Nanotechnologies. Besides the description of some modern potentials of the mentioned institute is given. (author)

The advanced MAPLE reactor concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lidstone, R.F.; Lee, A.G.; Gillespie, G.E.; Smith, H.J.

1989-01-01

In Canada the need for advanced neutron sources has long been recognized. During the past several years Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) has been developing the new MAPLE multipurpose reactor concept. To date, the MAPLE program has focused on the development of a modest-cost multipurpose medium-flux neutron source to meet contemporary requirements for applied and basic research using neutron beams, for small-scale materials testing and analysis and for radioisotope production. The basic MAPLE concept incorporates a compact light-water cooled and moderated core within a heavy water primary reflector to generate strong neutron flux levels in a variety of irradiation facilities. In view of renewed Canadian interest in a high-flux neutron source, the MAPLE group has begun to explore advanced concepts based on AECL's experience with heavy water reactors. The overall objective is to define a high-flux facility that will support materials testing for advanced power reactors, new developments in extracted neutron-beam applications, and/or production of radioisotopes. The design target is to attain performance levels of HFR-Grenoble, HFBR, HFIR in a new heavy water-cooled, -moderated,-reflected reactor based on rodded LEU fuel. Physics, shielding, and thermohydraulic studies have been performed for the MAPLE heavy water reactor. 14 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab

The fast reactor and energy supply

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-01-01

The progress made with fast reactor development in many countries is summarised showing that the aim is to provide to the nation concerned an ability to instal fast reactor power stations at the end of this century or early in the next one. Accepting the importance of fast reactors as a potential independent source of energy, problems concerning economics, industrial capability, technical factors, public acceptibility and in particular plutonium management, are discussed. It is concluded that although fast reactors have reached a comparatively advanced stage of development, a number of factors make it likely that their introduction for electricity generation will be a gradual process. Nevertheless it is necessary to complete demonstration and development phases in good time. (U.K.)

Meltdown reactor core cooling facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuoka, Tsuyoshi.

1992-01-01

The meltdown reactor core cooling facility comprises a meltdown reactor core cooling tank, a cooling water storage tank situates at a position higher than the meltdown reactor core cooling tank, an upper pipeline connecting the upper portions of the both of the tanks and a lower pipeline connecting the lower portions of them. Upon occurrence of reactor core meltdown, a high temperature meltdown reactor core is dropped on the cooling tank to partially melt the tank and form a hole, from which cooling water is flown out. Since the water source of the cooling water is the cooling water storage tank, a great amount of cooling water is further dropped and supplied and the reactor core is submerged and cooled by natural convection for a long period of time. Further, when the lump of the meltdown reactor core is small and the perforated hole of the meltdown reactor cooling tank is small, cooling water is boiled by the high temperature lump intruding into the meltdown reactor core cooling tank and blown out from the upper pipeline to the cooling water storage tank to supply cooling water from the lower pipeline to the meltdown reactor core cooling tank. Since it is constituted only with simple static facilities, the facility can be simplified to attain improvement of reliability. (N.H.)

New research reactor for Australia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, R.

1992-01-01

HIFAR, Australia's major research reactor was commissioned in 1958 to test materials for an envisaged indigenous nuclear power industry. HIFAR is a Dido type reactor which is operated at 10 MW. With the decision in the early 1970's not to proceed to nuclear power, HIFAR was adapted to other uses and has served Australia well as a base for national nuclear competence; as a national facility for neutron scattering/beam research; as a source of radioisotopes for medical diagnosis and treatment; and as a source of export revenue from the neutron transmutation doping of silicon for the semiconductor industry. However, all of HIFAR's capabilities are becoming less than optimum by world and regional standards. Neutron beam facilities have been overtaken on the world scene by research reactors with increased neutron fluxes, cold sources, and improved beams and neutron guides. Radioisotope production capabilities, while adequate to meet Australia's needs, cannot be easily expanded to tap the growing world market in radiopharmaceuticals. Similarly, neutron transmutation doped silicon production, and export income from it, is limited at a time when the world market for this material is expanding. ANSTO has therefore embarked on a program to replace HIFAR with a new multi-purpose national facility for nuclear research and technology in the form of a reactor: a) for neutron beam research, - with a peak thermal flux of the order of three times higher than that from HIFAR, - with a cold neutron source, guides and beam hall, b) that has radioisotope production facilities that are as good as, or better than, those in HIFAR, c) that maximizes the potential for commercial irradiations to offset facility operating costs, d) that maximizes flexibility to accommodate variations in user requirements during the life of the facility. ANSTO's case for the new research reactor received significant support earlier this month with the tabling in Parliament of a report by the Australian Science