Essay on Maintaining a Steady Chain Reaction: The Infinite Medium Multiplication Factor

The needed situation for a steady, continuous fission series reaction in a nuclear reactor system involves a response in which each fission prompts another one. The minimum condition entails the respective nucleus experiencing fission reaction to generate, typically, a neutron that results in the splitting chain reaction of another core. Besides, the reaction rate within the system must remain constant (Saracco et al., 2019). The infinite medium multiplication factor refers to the ratio of the neutrons generated by the chain reaction in one neutron production to the number of neutrons missing through raptness in the previous neutron creation. Mathematically:

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k = neutron generation from fission chain reaction in one neutron production neutron absorption in the former neutron production.

The infinite medium multiplication factor refers to the quantity of variation in the number of neutrons in the reaction chain from one neutron production to the next creation.

The migration area or square of the migration length (M2) equal to a sixth of the square of the mean length between the neutrons' natal point and its absorption (Liu et al., 2020). The distance moved by fast neutrons during control and the length covered by thermal neutrons in the course of fission in a chain reaction plays a significant role in the reactor system due to their impact on the critical size and influence on the neutron leakage. The migration area (M2) = L2 +LS2

Where L2 refers to the diffusion length, and LS2 refers to the Fermi age or the slowing-down length. High-temperature reactors have higher safety standards than other reactors. Geometric buckling refers to the quantity of neutron escape from the fission reaction system. In contrast, material buckling refers to the variation between neutron reaction with the fuel and the neutron generation (Ray et al., 2017). Mathematically: Bg2 = [(k/ k) - 1]/ L2.

The behavior of Fission Products in the Primary System In Case of Severe Accidents

The conditions of a severe nuclear reactor mishap in connection to an accident depends on the possible discharge of fission products. The release into the environment and the outcomes of such a discharge can result in severe accidents. The fission products include an amalgamation of nuclei belonging to the intermediate section of the periodic table that has barium, nickel, strontium, xenon, and iodine (Pontillon et al., 2017). Under severe accidents, the presence of inert conditions around the fission plant minimizes corrosion. Besides, decay heating in the fission reaction system can generate high temperatures sufficient to create massive re-vaporization of volatile fission products, such as iodine, cesium, tellurium, and antimony (Pontillon et al., 2017). These unstable elements can separate from the aqueous mode back into the suppression condition hence causing a persistent basis of radioactive products accessible for discharge in the event of a severe accident.

The constant source of fission products in the repression mode can grow even after containing the accident at an early phase. The reaction of ozone and the molecular iodine in the gaseous state creates non-volatile iodine oxides (Stacey, 2018). During natural settings, most of the fission products exist in the fuel structure as tiny gas froths, minor insertion, or as dense solutions. Release relies on the birth rate, the conduct of its predecessor, and chain reaction, although the isobar fission reaction remains intertwined. Researchers noted that low volatile fission products, such as cesium and barium, displayed higher atomic movements than xenon.

References

Liu, Z., Smith, K., & Forget, B. (2020). Calculation of multi-group migration areas in deterministic transport simulations. Annals of Nuclear Energy, 140, 107110. www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306454919306206

Pontillon, Y., Geiger, E., Le Gall, C., Bernard, S., Gallais-During, A., Malgouyres, P. P., & Ducros, G. (2017). Fission products and nuclear fuel behaviour under severe accident conditions part 1: Main lessons learnt from the first VERDON test. Journal of Nuclear Materials, 495, 363-384. www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022311517303380

Ray, D., Kumar, M., Bhadouria, V. S., Saraswat, S. P., & Munshi, P. (2017). A Study of Transverse Buckling Effect on the Characteristics of Burnup Wave in a Diffusive Media. https://indico.iync2020.org/event/6/papers/141/files/348-IYNC_final_dipanjan.pdf

Saracco, P., Chentre, N., Abrate, N., Dulla, S., & Ravetto, P. (2019). Neutron multiplication and fissile material distribution in a nuclear reactor. Annals of Nuclear Energy, 133, 696-706. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306454919303627

Stacey, W. M. (2018). Nuclear reactor physics. John Wiley & Sons. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=NzlJDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR23&dq=geometric+buckling+in+fission+reaction&ots=TxL54Zcfwo&sig=HcyBbXyGZpudZ_TH1CltN4X06Ro