THERMAL EVALUATIONS FOR NEXT GENERATION NUCLEAR PLANT FUEL TESTING

摘要

The He-Ne control range with the assumed configuration results in a control band that does not encompass the heating range from 40 W/cc to 176 W/cc tor boron carbide. The results indicate a larger gas gap is needed to obtain the desired temperatures at the peak heat rate and to allow control at the lower heat rate. To obtain optimal operating control, these results also indicate that boron carbide must be added to the graphite. Iterations between the boron carbide concentration and thermal performance will be required to determine the ideal proportions. The results of this study indicate that an experiment can be designed to operate at the desired temperature over the irradiation interval by carefully determining the proper boron carbide content in the graphite holder and by sizing the control gas annulus to provide the largest control range.