Fresh-Core Reload of the Neutron Radiography (NRAD) Reactor with Uranium(20)-Erbium-Zirconium-Hydride Fuel

Bess, John D. ; Maddock, Thomas L. ; Marshall, Margaret A. ; Montierth, Leland M.

Idaho National Laboratory

关键词: Criticality;    Triga;    Neutron Radiography;    Configuration;    73 Nuclear Physics And Radiation Physics;   

DOI  :  10.2172/1004283
RP-ID  :  INL/EXT-10-19486
RP-ID  :  DE-AC07-05ID14517
RP-ID  :  1004283

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

The neutron radiography (NRAD) reactor is a 250 kW TRIGA® (Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics) Mark II , tank-type research reactor currently located in the basement, below the main hot cell, of the Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF) at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). It is equipped with two beam tubes with separate radiography stations for the performance of neutron radiography irradiation on small test components. The 60-fuel-element operational core configuration of the NRAD LEU TRIGA reactor has been evaluated as an acceptable benchmark experiment. The initial critical configuration developed during the fuel loading process, which contains only 56 fuel elements, has not been evaluated as it is very similar to the evaluated core configuration. The benchmark eigenvalue is 1.0012 ± 0.0029. Calculated eigenvalues differ significantly (~±1%) from the benchmark eigenvalue and have demonstrated sensitivity to the thermal scattering treatment of hydrogen in the U-Er-Zr-H fuel.