Deployment of the HFIRCON Transport and Depletion Tool for Plutonium-238 Production Studies

D. Chandler; C. R. Daily

doi:10.13182/PHYSOR22-37561

Deployment of the HFIRCON Transport and Depletion Tool for Plutonium-238 Production Studies

D. Chandler, C. R. Daily

Research and Test Reactor Physics

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Irradiation of ²³⁷Np-bearing targets in Oak Ridge National Laboratory's (ORNL) High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) results in the efficient production of ²³⁸Pu, which, in the form of heat source PuO₂, is used as a reliable power source for deep-space and planetary NASA missions. A technology demonstration subproject was initiated at ORNL in 2011 to develop and implement the technology required to establish a ²³⁸Pu supply chain. A systematic progression of NpO₂/Al cermet (20 vol.% NpO₂) activities to date has successfully demonstrated target fabrication, irradiation, and chemical recovery processes. Recent program tasks have included the development of the HFIRCON transport and depletion tool for efficient reactor physics analyses and the evaluation of increased NpO₂ loadings (i.e., beyond 20 vol.%) and NpN-based targets. This paper documents the deployment of the HFIRCON code to assess various Np concentrations in NpO₂- and NpN-based targets in HFIR's inner small vertical experiment facilities. Results indicate that ²³⁸Pu production and quality can be enhanced with increased Np loadings; however, target conversion rates are reduced. The results recorded in this paper, thermal and material balance evaluations, and testing requirement planning will be used to determine whether increased NpO₂ loadings or NpN-based targets will be further considered.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Proceedings of the International Conference on Physics of Reactors, PHYSOR 2022
Publisher	American Nuclear Society
Pages	1913-1922
Number of pages	10
ISBN (Electronic)	9780894487873
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.13182/PHYSOR22-37561
State	Published - 2022
Event	2022 International Conference on Physics of Reactors, PHYSOR 2022 - Pittsburgh, United States Duration: May 15 2022 → May 20 2022

Publication series

Name	Proceedings of the International Conference on Physics of Reactors, PHYSOR 2022

Conference

Conference	2022 International Conference on Physics of Reactors, PHYSOR 2022
Country/Territory	United States
City	Pittsburgh
Period	05/15/22 → 05/20/22

Funding

This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the U.S. Department of Energy. The United States Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, world-wide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes. The Department of Energy will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan (http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan). The authors would like to acknowledge the support for this work, which was provided by NASA's Science Mission Directorate and the US DOE Office of Nuclear Infrastructure Programs. The authors would also like to acknowledge R. M. Wham and A. J. Parkison of ORNL for their encouragement of this work and A. J. Conant, J. Navarro, B. R. Betzler, and J. T. Batson, III of ORNL for their reviews of this paper. This paper was authored by UT-Battelle, LLC, under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US DOE. The authors would like to acknowledge the support for this work, which was provided by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate and the US DOE Office of Nuclear Infrastructure Programs. The authors would also like to acknowledge R. M. Wham and A. J. Parkison of ORNL for their encouragement of this work and A. .J Conant , J. Navarro , B. R. Betzler, and . J T. Batson, III of ORNL for their reviews of this paper. This paper was authored by UT-Battelle, LLC, under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US DOE. The overall purpose of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)-led 238Pu Supply Project (PSP) is to establish a domestic supply of 238Pu to power future NASA deep-space missions [1]. Production of 238Pu via 237Np irradiation takes place in research reactors such as the ORNL High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) and the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) operated at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). This paper focuses on production studies at HFIR, which is an 85 MW, pressurized, light water–cooled and moderated research ∗This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the U.S. Department of Energy. The United States Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, world-wide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes. The Department of Energy will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan (http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan).

Funders	Funder number
DOE Public Access Plan
United States Government
U.S. Department of Energy	DE-AC05-00OR22725
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Science Mission Directorate

Keywords

HFIR
HFIRCON
Pu-238
depletion
isotope production
transport

Access to Document

10.13182/PHYSOR22-37561

Cite this

Chandler, D., & Daily, C. R. (2022). Deployment of the HFIRCON Transport and Depletion Tool for Plutonium-238 Production Studies. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Physics of Reactors, PHYSOR 2022 (pp. 1913-1922). (Proceedings of the International Conference on Physics of Reactors, PHYSOR 2022). American Nuclear Society. https://doi.org/10.13182/PHYSOR22-37561

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title = "Deployment of the HFIRCON Transport and Depletion Tool for Plutonium-238 Production Studies",

abstract = "Irradiation of 237Np-bearing targets in Oak Ridge National Laboratory's (ORNL) High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) results in the efficient production of 238Pu, which, in the form of heat source PuO2, is used as a reliable power source for deep-space and planetary NASA missions. A technology demonstration subproject was initiated at ORNL in 2011 to develop and implement the technology required to establish a 238Pu supply chain. A systematic progression of NpO2/Al cermet (20 vol.% NpO2) activities to date has successfully demonstrated target fabrication, irradiation, and chemical recovery processes. Recent program tasks have included the development of the HFIRCON transport and depletion tool for efficient reactor physics analyses and the evaluation of increased NpO2 loadings (i.e., beyond 20 vol.%) and NpN-based targets. This paper documents the deployment of the HFIRCON code to assess various Np concentrations in NpO2- and NpN-based targets in HFIR's inner small vertical experiment facilities. Results indicate that 238Pu production and quality can be enhanced with increased Np loadings; however, target conversion rates are reduced. The results recorded in this paper, thermal and material balance evaluations, and testing requirement planning will be used to determine whether increased NpO2 loadings or NpN-based targets will be further considered.",

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author = "D. Chandler and Daily, {C. R.}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 Proceedings of the International Conference on Physics of Reactors, PHYSOR 2022. All Rights Reserved.; 2022 International Conference on Physics of Reactors, PHYSOR 2022 ; Conference date: 15-05-2022 Through 20-05-2022",

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language = "English",

series = "Proceedings of the International Conference on Physics of Reactors, PHYSOR 2022",

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Chandler, D & Daily, CR 2022, Deployment of the HFIRCON Transport and Depletion Tool for Plutonium-238 Production Studies. in Proceedings of the International Conference on Physics of Reactors, PHYSOR 2022. Proceedings of the International Conference on Physics of Reactors, PHYSOR 2022, American Nuclear Society, pp. 1913-1922, 2022 International Conference on Physics of Reactors, PHYSOR 2022, Pittsburgh, United States, 05/15/22. https://doi.org/10.13182/PHYSOR22-37561

Deployment of the HFIRCON Transport and Depletion Tool for Plutonium-238 Production Studies. / Chandler, D.; Daily, C. R.
Proceedings of the International Conference on Physics of Reactors, PHYSOR 2022. American Nuclear Society, 2022. p. 1913-1922 (Proceedings of the International Conference on Physics of Reactors, PHYSOR 2022).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

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N2 - Irradiation of 237Np-bearing targets in Oak Ridge National Laboratory's (ORNL) High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) results in the efficient production of 238Pu, which, in the form of heat source PuO2, is used as a reliable power source for deep-space and planetary NASA missions. A technology demonstration subproject was initiated at ORNL in 2011 to develop and implement the technology required to establish a 238Pu supply chain. A systematic progression of NpO2/Al cermet (20 vol.% NpO2) activities to date has successfully demonstrated target fabrication, irradiation, and chemical recovery processes. Recent program tasks have included the development of the HFIRCON transport and depletion tool for efficient reactor physics analyses and the evaluation of increased NpO2 loadings (i.e., beyond 20 vol.%) and NpN-based targets. This paper documents the deployment of the HFIRCON code to assess various Np concentrations in NpO2- and NpN-based targets in HFIR's inner small vertical experiment facilities. Results indicate that 238Pu production and quality can be enhanced with increased Np loadings; however, target conversion rates are reduced. The results recorded in this paper, thermal and material balance evaluations, and testing requirement planning will be used to determine whether increased NpO2 loadings or NpN-based targets will be further considered.

AB - Irradiation of 237Np-bearing targets in Oak Ridge National Laboratory's (ORNL) High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) results in the efficient production of 238Pu, which, in the form of heat source PuO2, is used as a reliable power source for deep-space and planetary NASA missions. A technology demonstration subproject was initiated at ORNL in 2011 to develop and implement the technology required to establish a 238Pu supply chain. A systematic progression of NpO2/Al cermet (20 vol.% NpO2) activities to date has successfully demonstrated target fabrication, irradiation, and chemical recovery processes. Recent program tasks have included the development of the HFIRCON transport and depletion tool for efficient reactor physics analyses and the evaluation of increased NpO2 loadings (i.e., beyond 20 vol.%) and NpN-based targets. This paper documents the deployment of the HFIRCON code to assess various Np concentrations in NpO2- and NpN-based targets in HFIR's inner small vertical experiment facilities. Results indicate that 238Pu production and quality can be enhanced with increased Np loadings; however, target conversion rates are reduced. The results recorded in this paper, thermal and material balance evaluations, and testing requirement planning will be used to determine whether increased NpO2 loadings or NpN-based targets will be further considered.

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M3 - Conference contribution

AN - SCOPUS:85158865234

T3 - Proceedings of the International Conference on Physics of Reactors, PHYSOR 2022

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BT - Proceedings of the International Conference on Physics of Reactors, PHYSOR 2022

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Deployment of the HFIRCON Transport and Depletion Tool for Plutonium-238 Production Studies

Abstract

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Keywords

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