Mini Subcritical Nuclear Reactor

 

• Hector Rene Vega-Carrillo
  Academic Unit of Nuclear Studies of the University Autonomous of Zacatecas C. Cipres 10, Fracc. La Peñuela, Zacatecas, Zac. Mexico
• V. P. Singh
  Karanatak University, Dharwad, Karnataka, India
• Claudia Rafela Escobedo-Galván
  Center of Scientific and Technological Studies No 18, Blvd. del Bote s/n. Cerro del Gato, Ejido la Escondida. 98160 Zacatecas, Zac. Mexico.
• Diego Medina Castro
  Academic Unit of Nuclear Studies of the University Autonomous of Zacatecas C. Cipres 10, Fracc. La Peñuela, Zacatecas, Zac. Mexico.
• Arturo Agustin Ortiz Hernandez
  Polytechnic University of Zacatecas, Plan de Pardillo s/n. Zona Industrial. Fresnillo, Zac. Mexico
• Teodoro Rivera-Montalvo
  Research Center in Applied Science and Advanced Technology-IPN Legaria unit, Av. Legaria 694, Col. Irrigación. 11500 Ciudad de Mexico. Mexico.
• Segundo Agustín Martínez-Ovalle
  Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia, Tunja, Colombia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15415/jnp.2019.62026

Keywords: Subcritical nuclear reactor, Nuclear Chicago, Monte Carlo, Neutron spectrum, keff.

Abstract

A mini subcritical nuclear reactor was designed using Monte Carlo methods. The reactor has light water as moderator, natural uranium as fuel, and a ²³⁹PuBe neutron source. In the design uranium fuel was modeled in an arrangement of concentric rings: 8.5, 14.5, 20.5 26.5, 32.5 cm-inner radius, 3 cm-thick, and 36 cm-high. Different models were made from a single ring of natural uranium to five rings. For each case, the neutron spectra, the neutron fluence distribution, the effective multiplication factor, the amplification factor, and the reactor power were estimated. The ambient dose equivalent rate outside the mini reactor was also estimated. The maximum value for the k_eff (0.78) was obtained when five rings of fuel were used; this value is close to 0.86 which belongs to a Nuclear Chicago subcritical reactor which requires almost twice the amount of uranium than the mini subcritical reactor.

 

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Issue

Vol 6 No 2 (2019)

 

How to Cite

Hector Rene Vega-Carrillo; V. P. Singh; Claudia Rafela Escobedo-Galván; Diego Medina Castro; Arturo Agustin Ortiz Hernandez; Teodoro Rivera-Montalvo; Segundo Agustín Martínez-Ovalle. Mini Subcritical Nuclear Reactor. J. Nucl. Phy. Mat. Sci. Rad. A. 2019, 6, 179-185.