GCFR radial blanket and shield experiment: objectives, preanalysis, and specifications

An integral experiment has been designed for the verification of radiation transport methods and nuclear data used for the design of the radial shield for the proposed 300 MW(e) gas-cooled fast breeder reactor (GCFR). The scope of the experiment was chosen to include a thorium oxide radial blanket mockup as well as several shield configurations in order to reduce the uncertainties in the calculated source terms for the radial shield, and to reduce the uncertainties in the calculated radiation damage to the prestressed concrete reactor vessel (PCRV). Additionally, the measurements are intended to bound the uncertainties in calculated gamma-ray heating rates within the blanket and shield. Although designed specifically for the GCFR, the experiment will provide generic data regarding deep penetration in ThO2 and common shield materials, which should also benefit LMFBR designers