A reactor designed to perform criticality experiments in support of the Space Nuclear Thermal Propulsion program is currently in operation at the Sandia National Laboratories’ reactor facility. The reactor is a small, water‐moderated system that uses highly enriched uranium particle fuel in a 19‐element configuration. Its purpose is to obtain neutronic measurements under a variety of experimental conditions that are subsequently used to benchmark rector‐design computer codes. Brookhaven National Laboratory, Babcock & Wilcox, and Sandia National Laboratories participated in determining the reactor’s performance requirements, design, follow‐on experimentation, and in obtaining the licensing approvals. Brookhaven National Laboratory is primarily responsible for the analytical support, Babcock & Wilcox the hardware design, and Sandia National Laboratories the operational safety. All of the team members participate in determining the experimentation requirements, performance, and data reduction. Initial criticality was achieved in October 1989. An overall description of the reactor is presented along with key design features and safety‐related aspects.
A critical assembly designed to measure neutronic benchmarks in support of the space nuclear thermal propulsion program
10th SymposiumùSpace Nuclear Power and Propulsion ; 1993 ; Albuquerque, NM, USA
AIP Conference Proceedings ; 271 , 2 ; 785-793
1993-01-15
9 pages
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
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