Analytical Design Studies of In-Reactor Tests of a Nuclear Light Bulb Unit Cell

摘要

Analytical design studies were continued to determine the design characteristics and performance of a small-scale model of a nuclear light bulb unit cell suitable for testing in a nuclear reactor. The test reactor considered was the Nuclear Furnace, a solid-core nuclear rocket fuel element test reactor. The Nuclear Furnace ca40 kw/gm of U-235 fuel.nThe results of the study indicate that a meaningful series of in-reactor demonstration tests of fuel containment, transparent-wall performance, and propellant heating could be conducted using the Nuclear Furnace realtor. Tests crouched with a configuration having reflecting walls and operating at a pressure of 500 atm could result in thermal radiation fluxes corresponding to black-body radiating temperatures ranging from 5800 to 6300 K.