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Argonne updates: Fuel research and materials lab
Over the past two weeks, Argonne National Laboratory has announced numerous significant advancements being made by its staff to push forward nuclear fuels and materials research. Those announcements include the opening of the new Activated Materials Lab, the development of a new measurement technique, and the application of new artificial intelligence tools.
L. E. Hansen, E. D. Clayton
Nuclear Technology | Volume 6 | Number 4 | April 1969 | Pages 381-390
Technical Papers and Note | doi.org/10.13182/NT69-A28348
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Lack of experimental data for nuclear criticality control over operations with plutonium necessitates the use of computed critical parameters for guidance. To provide guidelines for criticality safety use, survey calculations for unreflected and water-reflected spheres, semi-infinite cylinders, and semi-infinite slabs have been made, using calculational techniques confirmed by available experimental data. The Pu(metal)-water mixtures examined cover the entire range of possible moderation ratios and have isotopic 240Pu contents of 20%. Critical experiment data for water-reflected spherical systems containing Pu(NO3)4 solutions with 435g Pu/liter at 4.6 wt% 240Pu were extrapolated by means of calculations to 239Pu(metal)-water mixtures for a direct comparison between calculations and experimentally derived critical parameters. The effect of 240Pu on criticality was examined as a function of both concentration and geometry. The manner in which 240Pu affected the minimum critical mass of Pu(metal)-water systems was also determined.