Table Of Content

. Printed in the United States of America. Available from Clearinghouse for Federal Scientific and Technical Information, National Bureau of Standards, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, Virginia 22151 .,. Price: Printed Copy $3.00; Microfiche $0.65 This ieport was prepared as an account of Government sponsored work. Neither the United States, nor the Commission, nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission: A. Makes any warranty or reprerantation, expressed’or implied, with respect to the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of the information contained in this report, or that the use of any information, apparatus, method, M process disclosed in this report may not infringe privately owned rights; or 6. Assumes any liabilities with respect to the use ,of, or fir damages resulting from the use of any information, apparatus, method, or process disclosed in this report. As used in the above, “person acting on behalf of the Commission” includes any employee or , contractor of the Commission, OT employee of such contractor, to the extent that such employee or contractor of the Commission, or employee of such contractor prepwas, disseminates, or provides access to, any information pursuant to-his employment or contra& with the Commission, or hi+ employment with such contractor. . -. , c ,-LEGAL NOTICE.-\ ORNL-4449 UC-90 - Reactor Technology Contract No. W-7406enp26 MOLTENSALT REACTOR PROGRAM SEMIANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT For Period Ending August 31,1969 M. W. Rosenthal, Progt’am Director R. B. Briggs, Associate Director P. R. Kasten, Associate Director FEBRUARY 1970 OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY Oak Ridge, Tennessee operated by UNION CARBWCfRPORATlON U. S. ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION DLSJXIBUTION OF THIS DOCUMENT IS UNLIM,Im This report is one of a series of periodic reports in which we describe the progress of the program. Other , reports issued in this series are listed below. ORNL3708 is especially useful because it gives a thorough review of the design and construction and supporting development work for the MSRE. ORNL2474 Period Ending January 3 1,1958 ORNL2626 Period Ending October 31,1958 ORNL2684 Period Ending January 3 1,1959 ORNC2723 Period Ending April 30,1959 ORNL-2799 Period Ending July 3 1,1959 ORNL2890 Period’Ending October 31,1959 ORNL2973 Periods Ending January 31 and April 30,1960 ORNL-3014 Period Ending July 3 1,1960 OWL31 22 Period Ending February 28,1961 OWL-3215 Period Ending August 3 1,1961 ORNL-3282 Period Ending February 28,1962 ORNL3369 Period Ending August 3 1,1962 ORNL-3419 Period Ending January 3 1,1963 ORNL-35 29 Period Ending July 3 1, 1 963 ORNL-3626 Period Ending January 3 1, 1 964 ORNL-3708 Period Ending July 3 1,1964 ORNL38 12 Period Ending February 28,1965 ORNL-3872 Period Ending August 3 1,1965 ORNL-3936 Period Ending February 28,1966 ORNL-4037 Period Ending August 3 1,1966 ORNL-41 19 Period Ending February 28,1967 ORNL-4 19 1 Period Ending August 3 1,1967 ORNL-4254 Period Ending February 29,1968 ORNL-4344 Period Ending August 3 1,1968 ORNL4396 Period Ending February 28,1969 -U Contents ........................................................................ INTRODUCTION ix ............................................................................. SUMMARY xi . PART 1 MOLTENSALT REACTOR EXPERIMENT . .................................................................. 1 MSREOPERATIONS 1 ................................... 1.1 Chronological Account of Operations and Maintenance 1 .............................................................. 1.2 OperationsAnalysis 4 ........................................................ 1.2.1 Reactivity Balance 4 ....................................... 1.2.2 Reactivity Effects of Graphite Distortion 5 ..................................................... 1.23 GasintheFuel Syste m 6 ................................................. 1.2.4 Diagnosis by Noise Analysis 10 .................................... 1.2.5 Fission Product Distributions in Fuel System 11 .............................................. 1.2.6 Salt Transfer to Overflow Tank 12 .................................................... 1.2.7 Coolant Salt Flow Rate 12 ........................................................ 1.2.8 Radiation Heating 13 ............................................................. 1.2.9 Service Life 13 ............................................................ 1.2.10 Heat Transfer 14 ..................................................................... 13 Equipment 14 ...................................... 13.1 New Irradiation-Specimen Array for Core 14 ............................................................ 13.2 Saltsamplers 15 ................................................... 1.33 Control Rods and Drives 16 .......................................................... 13.4 Off-GasSystem 17 ................................................. 13.5 Component Cooling System 19 ................................................ 13.6 Containment and Ventilation 19 ............................................... 1.3.7 Heaters and Electrical System 19 ................................................. 13.8 Oil Systems for Salt Pumps 20 ................................................. 13.9 Radiator and Main Blowers 20 ............................................................. 1.4 RemoteMaintenance 20 . ........................................................... 2 MSRE REACTOR ANALYSIS 22 .................................................................... 2.1 Introduction 22 .......................................... 2.2 Definition of Average Reaction Cross Sections 22 .......................................... 23 Results of Revised Cross-SectionC alculations 23 ....................................... 2.4 Effects on Other MSRE Neutronic Characteristics 25 . .......................................................... 3 COMPONENTDEVELOPMENT 27 ................................................... 3.1 Freeze-Flange Thermal-Cycle Test 27 .................................................. 3.1.1 Facility Operation Problems 27 ................................................... 3.1.2 Inspection of the Flanges 27 iii I iv ........................................................................ 3.2 Pumps ........................................................ 29 u csq . 3.2.1 Mark2FuelPump 29 ................................................... 3.2.2 Oil Pump Endurance Test 31 ................................................ I 3.3 MSRE Remote Gamma Spectrometer 31 ............................................... 3.3.1 Description of the Equipment 31 ............................................................ 33.2 Test Program 33 .................................................. 3.4 Noble-Metal Migration in the MSRE 33 4 . INSTRUMENTS AND CONTROLS ....................................................... 36 .................................. 4.1 Development of Reactor Diagnosis Using Noise Analysis 36 ....................................................... 4.2 MSRE Operating Experience 37 ............................................................ 43 Control SystemDesign 37 . PART 2 MSBR DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT . ............................................................................ 5 DESIGN 39 ........................................................................ 5.1 General 39 ................................................................... 5.2 Plant Layout 43 ...................................... 5.3 Seismic Review of MSBR Plant Conceptual Design 49 ........................................... 5.4 Cooling Requirements for Waste Storage Pit 51 ........................................................... 5.5 Primary SaltDrainTa nk 52 ......................... 5.6 Primary-Salt-Drain-Tank Operation and Afterheat Removal System 55 ............................................ 5.7 Gamma Heating in MSBR Heat Exchangers 56 . 6 . REACXOR PHYSICS .................................................................. 59 ......................................................... 6.1 Physics Analysis of MSBR 59 ................... 6.1.1 One-Fluid MSBR Reference Design: Two-Dimensional Calculation 59 ............................................... 6.1.2 MSBR Nudear Design Studies 60 .............................................. 6.13 Alternate MSBR Design Studies 61 ........................................ 6.1.4 Gamma and Neutron Heating in MSBR 63 ................................................. 6.1.5 MSBR Dynamics and Control 66 ......................................................... 6.2 Physics Analysis of MSBE 69 ...................................................... 6.2.1 MSBE Design Studies 69 ......................................................... 6.3 MSR Experimental Physics 70 ........................ 63.1 U Capture-to-Absorption Ratio in the Fuel of the MSRE 70 ........................ 63.2 233UCa pture-to-Absorption Ratio in the Fuel of the MSRE 72 63.3 U Capture-to-Absorption Ratio in Encapsulated Samples j3 ............................................................ intheMSR E 72 . ........................................... 7 SYSTEMS AND COMPONENTS DEVELOPMENT 73 ................................................................ 7.1 Bubble Generator 73 ....................................................... 7.2 Molten-Salt Steam Generator 73 .......................................... 7.2.1 Steam-Generator Industrial Program 74 ............................................ 1 72.2 Steam-Generator Tube Test Stand 74 ........................................... 73 Sodium Fluoroborate Circulating Test Loop 74 ............................................... 73.1 Corrosion-Product Deposition 74 ....................................................... 73.2 Gas System Studies 75 .. V ................................................................... 7.4 MSBEPumps 77 ............................................... 7.4.1 MSBE Salt Pump Procurement 77 ................................................ 7.4.2 MSBE Salt Pump Test Stand 78 ........................................................... 7.4.3 ALPHAPump 78 ................................................................. 7.5 Remotewelding 79 . ............................................. 8 MSBR INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROLS 83 .......................................................... 8.1 Control System Analysis 83 .......................................... 8.2 Dynamic Analysis of MSBR Steam Generator 83 9 . HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER AND THERMOPHYSICAL PROPERTIES ........................ 85 ................................................................... 9.1 Heat Transfer 85 ......................................................... 9.2 Thermophysical Properties 89 ................................................. 93 Mas Transfer to Circulating Bubbles 93 . PART 3 CHEMISTRY . ............................................................ 10 CHEMISTRY OF THE MSRE 96 ................................................. 10.1 Composition of the MSRE Fuel Salt 96 ................................. 10.2 A Material Balance for Plutonium in the MSRE Fuel Salt 98 .................................. 103 Some Factors in Cas Behavior in the MSRE Fuel System 102 . ......................................................... . 11 FISSION PRODUCT BEHAVIOR 104 ...................... 11.1 Examination of the Fourth Set Surveillance Specimens from the MSRE 104 . .................................................... 11.1 1 Examination of Graphite 104 ;Y ........................................ j’ 11.1.2 Radiochemical Analyses of the Graphite 104 ........................................ 11.1.3 Penetration of the Graphite by Uranium 106 11.1.4 Radiochemical Analyses and Deposition of Fission Products on ....................................... Hastelloy N from the Core of the MSRE 107 .................................................... 11.2 Samples from MSRE Pump Bowl 107 ..................................... 11.3 Examination of Materials from MSRE 0ff-Ga.s Lines 109 ................................... 11A The Surface Tension of the MSRE Fuel and Flush Salts 109 ...................................................... 11.5 Niobium Reduction Potentials 112 ............................................... 11.6 Noble-Metal Fission Product Chemistry 113 ................................. 11.6.1 Synthesis and Stability of Molybdenum Fluorides 113 ......................... 11.6.2 Kinetics of MoF3 Disproportionation in Molten 2LiF-BeF2 115 .................................................. 11.63 Mass Spectrometric Studies 116 ...................................................... 11.6.4 Infrared Spectroscopy 121 . ......................................... 12 PROPERTIES OF THE ALKALI FLUOROBORATES 122 .................... 12.1 Melting Points and Solid Transition Temperatures of Alkali Fluoroborates 122 ................................... 12.2 Densities and Molar Volumes of Molten Fluoroborates 122 ............................. 12.3 Predicted Volume Changes in Crystalline Alkali Fluoroborates 123 12.4 Refractive Indices and Electronic Polarizabilities in Crystalline Alkali .................................................................. Fluoroborates 124 vi ........................................... L;* 12.5 Decomposition Pressures and of LiBF4 125 .................................................. /i 12.6 X-Ray Crystal Parameters of LiBF4 127 . ...................................... 12.7 Mixing Reactions of MSBR Fuel and Coolant Salts 127 ............................................ 12.8 Phase Relations in the System NaF-KF-BF3 128 ........................................................ 12.9 Preparation of Pure NaBF4 129 .................................................. 12.10 Attempted Synthesis of NaBF30H 130 . .............................................. 13 PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY OF MOLTEN SALTS 131 .......................................... 13.1 Phase Relations in the System LiF-BeF2-CeF3 131 13.2 Heterogeneous Equilibria Between Cerium-ContainingM elts and Various .................................................................. OxidePhases 131 .................................... 133 Liquidus Temperatures in the System LiFBeF2-ThF4 135 ............................. ....... 13.4 The Solubility of Thorium in Thorium Tetrafluoride 135 2 ..................... 13.5 Potentiometric Determination of the P/U* Ratio in Molten Fluorides 135 ................................................... 13.6 Refinement of the UF3 Spectrum 137 13.7 EMF Measurements with Concentration Cells with Transference in Molten Mixtures ................................................................ ofLiFandBeF2 138 ............... 13.8 Improved Determination of Electrical Conductance of LiF.BeF, (66-34 mole %) 141 .............................. 13.9 Electrical Conductivities of Low-Melting NaF-BeF2 Mitures 142 .......................................................... 13.10 Viscosity of Molten Salts 144 ........................................ 13.1 1 Density of Molten Fluorides of Reactor Interest 145 1. 13.1 2 Room-Temperature Densities and Estimated Density Change. Upon Melting. of MSBR %4 ;' ( ........................................................... Fuel and Coolant Salts 146 . .............. 14 CHEMISTRY OF MOLTENSALT REACTOR FUEL REPROCESSING TECHNOLOGY 149 14.1 Reductive Extraction of Protactinium at High Concentrations (2000 ppm Level) from MSBR Fuel Solvent Salt (LiF.BeF2.ThF4. 72-16-12 mole %) ............................................................ intoMoltenBismuth 149 . 14.2 The Separation of Zirconium from Uranium in Bismuth Solutions by Platinide ................................................................... Precipitation 151 .................................. 14.3 Bismuth-Magnesium Mixtures as Rare-Earth Extractants 152 14.4 Reductive Extraction of Rare Earths from Molten LiF-BeF2-'lhF4 ......................... (72-16-12 mole %) into Tin and Aluminum-Tin Mixtures at 600°C 152 .................... 14.5 Extraction of Thorium from Processed MSBR Fuel Salt into Molten Lead 154 . 15 DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF ANALYTICAL METHODS FOR MOLTEN-SALT ........................................................................ REACTORS 156 ............................................... 15.1 Determination of Oxide in MSRE Fuel 156 ......................... 15.2 Voltammetric Determination of v(IV)/v(III) Ratios in MSRE Fuel 156 . ........................ 153 Computer-Operated Voltammetric U(N)/U(III) Ratio Determination 157 .......................................... 15.4 Electroanalytical Studies in Molten Fluorides 158 c" ............................... 15.5 Spectral Studies of Superoxide Ion in Molten Fluoride Salts 159 hi vii ................................................ 15.6 Hot-Cell Spectrophotometric Facility 160 ..................................................... 15.7 Removal of Oxide from NaBF4 161 .............................................. 15.8 Determination of Bismuth in MSRP Salts 162 ..................................................... 15.8.1 Emission Spectrography 162 ....................................................... 15 .8.2 Inverse Polarography 162 . PART 4 MOLTENSALT IRRADIATION EXPERIMENTS . PART 5 MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT . ...................................................... 16 MSRE SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM 165 ...................................... 16.1 Removal and Examination of Surveillance Samples 165 ...................................... 16.2 Properties of the Hastelloy N Surveillance Samples 168 . .................................................................. 17 GRAPHITESTUDIES 171 ..................................................... 17.1 Procurement of New Graphites 171 ............................................................. 17.2 Graphite Fabrication 171 .................................................................. 17.3 X-Raystudies 172 .................................................... 17.4 Electron Microscopy of Graphite 174 ............................................ 17.5 Gas Impregnation of Graphite with Carbon 174 ...................................................... 17.6 Graphite Irradiations in HFIR 175 ................................. 17.7 The Energy Dependence of Neutron Damage in Graphite 177 . ......................... .. 17.8 Fundamental Studies of Radiation Damage Mechanisms in Graphite 179 ....................................................... 17.9 Macroscopic Damage Models 180 . I! 18 . HASTELLOYN ...................................................................... 182 .............................................. 18.1 Aging of Titanium-Modified Hastelloy N 182 ..................................... 18.2 Statistical Treatment of Aging Data for Hastelloy N 183 ............................................... 183 Development of a Modified Hastelloy N 184 ....................................................... 18.4 Electron Microscope Studies 193 ................................................................ 18.5 CorrosionStudies 195 ................................................................ 18.5.1 FuelSalts ......................................................... 195 18.5.2 FertiIe-Fissile Salts 195 ............................................................. 18.53 Blanket Salts 200 .............................................................. 18.5.4 Coolant Salts 200 ........................................................... 18.5.5 Corrosion Meter 202 ........................................................... 18.5.6 Corrosion Status 202 ............................................... 18.6 Forced Convection Loop (MSR-FCLl) 203 ..................................................... 18.7 Steam Corrosion of Hastelloy N 205 i ................................................. . 19 SUPPORT FOR CHEMICAL PROCESSING 210 .................................................. 1- 5 19.1 Chemical Vapor-Deposited Coatings 210 I .a .............. j\ . 19.2 Development of Bismuth-Resistant Brazing Filler Metals for Joining Molybdenum 211 . .................................. 20 SUPPORT FOR COMPONENTS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM 213 ........................................................... 20.1 Remote Welding Studies 213 I ! . 1 i viii . PART 6 MOLTENSALT PROCESSING AND PREPARATION . ....... 21 MEASUREMENT OF DISTRIBUTION COEFFICIENTS IN MOLTEN-SALT-METAL SYSTEMS 215 ........................ 21.1 Extraction of Transuranium Elements from Single-Fluid MSBR Fuels 215 ...................... 21.2 Extraction of Rare Earths and Thorium from Single-Fluid MSBR Fuels 216 ......... ........................ 21.3 Coprecipitation of Rare Earths with Thorium Bismuthide I 217 .......................... 21.4 Dissolvability and Solubility of PuFj in LiFBeF2 (66-34 mole %) 219 . .............................................................. 22 FLQWSHEETANALYSIS 220 .......................................................... 22.1 Isolation of Protactinium 220 ................. 22.1.1 Steady-State Performance for the Case of MSBR Fueled with Uranium 220 ................... 22.1.2 Transient Performance for the Case of MSBR Fueled with Uranium 221 ............... 22.13 Steady-State Performance for the Case of MSBR Fueled with Plutonium 224 ...................................... 22.2 Removal of Rare Earths from a Single-Fluid MSBR 225 .............................. 223 Stripping of ThF4 from Molten Salt by Reductive Extraction 226 ........................... 22.4 MSBR Processing Plant Material and Energy Balance Calculations 226 . ................................ 23 ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT OF PROCESS OPERATIONS 229 ............................................. 23.1 Reductive Extraction Engineering Studies 229 ...................................................... 23.2 Electrolytic Cell Development 230 ...................................................... 23.2.1 Static Cell Experiments 230 ................................................ 23.2.2 Flow Electrolytic Cell Facility 233 .................................... 23.23 Analysis of Mass Transfer in Electrolytic Cells 235 ................................................... . 23.3 Salt-Metal Contactor Development 236 '* .................................... 23.4 Effect of Axial Mixing on Extraction Column Height 238 ..................................................... 23.5 Axial Mixing in Bubble Columns 240 . .......................................... 24 DISTILLATION OF MSRE FUEL CARRIER SALT 241 . ............................................... 25 DESIGN STUDIES FOR SALT PROCESSING 244 ......................... 25.1 Heat Transfer Through the Frozen Salt Walls of an Electrolytic Cell 244 ........................................ 25.2 Design of a Continuous Salt Purification System 244 253 Design and Preparation of 2 3 9 ~ FC3ap sules for Small Refueling .......................................................... AdditionstotheMSRE 245

Description:

Distribution of actinide and lanthanide elements between molten fluoride salts and liquid bismuth uranium and the trivalent lanthanides are insoluble in the latter salt.I6 There seemed to be a Ca(N03)2 system Ar1gell'~9~' was able to determine. To, the zero-mobility temperature, for three glass-.

ORNL-4449 PDF

274 Pages·2002·32.7 MB·English

Checking for file health...

Save to my drive

Quick download

Download

Download ORNL-4449 PDF Free - Full Version

by Unknow| 2002| 274 pages| 32.7| English

Download ORNL-4449 by in PDF format completely FREE. No registration required, no payment needed. Get instant access to this valuable resource on PDFdrive.to!

Free Download PDF

About ORNL-4449

Detailed Information

Author:	Unknown
Publication Year:	2002
Pages:	274
Language:	English
File Size:	32.7
Format:	PDF
Price:	FREE

Download Free PDF

Safe & Secure Download - No registration required

Why Choose PDFdrive for Your Free ORNL-4449 Download?

100% Free: No hidden fees or subscriptions required for one book every day.
No Registration: Immediate access is available without creating accounts for one book every day.
Safe and Secure: Clean downloads without malware or viruses
Multiple Formats: PDF, MOBI, Mpub,... optimized for all devices
Educational Resource: Supporting knowledge sharing and learning

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it really free to download ORNL-4449 PDF?

Yes, on https://PDFdrive.to you can download ORNL-4449 by completely free. We don't require any payment, subscription, or registration to access this PDF file. For 3 books every day.

How can I read ORNL-4449 on my mobile device?

After downloading ORNL-4449 PDF, you can open it with any PDF reader app on your phone or tablet. We recommend using Adobe Acrobat Reader, Apple Books, or Google Play Books for the best reading experience.

Is this the full version of ORNL-4449?

Yes, this is the complete PDF version of ORNL-4449 by Unknow. You will be able to read the entire content as in the printed version without missing any pages.

Is it legal to download ORNL-4449 PDF for free?

https://PDFdrive.to provides links to free educational resources available online. We do not store any files on our servers. Please be aware of copyright laws in your country before downloading.

The materials shared are intended for research, educational, and personal use in accordance with fair use principles.