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neutronic feedback resulting from rarefraction waves in the fuel region.
Also necessary is a code dealing with the radial motion of the fuel within
the cavity. These properties eventually should be described with three-
dimensional codes.
For the projected fissioning plasma research facility codes to deal
with the coupling of both fuel components, the plasma-core and the solid
drives region are required.
CONCLUSION
In the foregoing it has been shown that a need for improvement of
nuclear data exists. There is also a need for reactor codes dealing with the
specific problems of plasma-core reactors. The most striking feature of this
new technology however is the intimate interrelationship between reactor
physics and plasma physics, which calls for more precise knowledge of plasma
data that have a strong effect on the nuclear behavior of the system. These
plasma data have to be considered in this connection as nuclear data as well.
The following nuclear data and computational codes appear at present
significant for plasma-core reactor analysis and design:
(1) Neutron fission cross sections at low energies (including
resonances)
(2) Kernels for neutron scattering in hot hydrogen (up to 40000°K)
(3) Spectra of delayed neutrons
(4) Neutron capture cross sections and gamma ray spectra of low
cross-section elements
(5) Radiation damage of optically transparent material
(6 ) Codes for criticality calculations involving angular and radial
distributions, two and three dimensions, coupled fuel systems, and mixed
fuel (U + H)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors had the privilege of discussions with most of the authors
cited in this article. Particularly valuable advice was obtained from
F. C. Schwenk, SNSO, AEC/NASA, R. G. Ragsdale, NASA Lewis Research Center,
and M. J. Ohanian, The University of Florida.
REFERENCES
[1] THOM, K., SCHNEIDER, R.T., Symposium on Research on Uranium Plasmas
and Their Technological Applications, NASA-SP 236 (1971) (U.S.
Government Printing Office).
[2] RAGSDALE, R.G., Second Symposium on Uranium Plasmas: Research and
Applications, AIAA, New York (1971).
[3] THOM, K., Review of fission enqine concepts, J. Spacecr. Rockets, 9,
9 (1972).