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DOE OSTI · 1805703

Data and Insights for the KRUSTY Nuclear-Powered Tests

Poston, David Irvin
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Abstract

This document, and the associated files, describe all of the data from the KRUSTY warm criticals and the KRUSTY nuclear system test. The warm criticals were a group of tests where fission power heated the core and the feedback response was studied. There were 3 experiments, the 15-cent run (which was a true “free run”), followed by 30-cent and 60-cent runs, where reactivity was added to heat the core to higher temperatures. The nuclear system test (often referred to as the full-run or the final-run), engaged the power conversion system and evaluated system performance. These experiments are described in a pair of NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY papers, which includes plots of the data that this document-set includes. Note that a lot of information in this document is based on my interpretation and could be wrong, but I’ve included it to potentially save some people a lot of time and headaches by trying to figure out which instrumentation to believe, but beware treating anything I say as fact. I’ve also included several post-irradiation photos, to show some thermocouple locations and indicate possible changes in emissivity and/or geometry (although no changes in geometry were indicated).

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21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICSfission powerkilopowerKRUSTYreactorspace reactorsurface reactor

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Poston, David Irvin. 2021-06-29. Data and Insights for the KRUSTY Nuclear-Powered Tests. https://doi.org/10.2172/1805703

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