Core Design
The core consisted of an aluminum grid with 54 vertical channels arranged in 6 rows by 9 channels wide. The channels could be used for fuel rods, experiments and additional uses. An additional 8 channels were used for control rods. The core was contained in a cylindrical stainless steel tank 2.4 meters in diameter and 7.3 meters tall. The core was surrounded by a heavy concrete shield which also served as a secondary containment vessel. One of the configurations of the reactor had a 2.5-inch-thick (64 mm) lead gamma ray shield installed in the first row and 4-inch-thick (100 mm) beryllium blocks installed in row 6. This left rows 2 through 5 for installation of fuel and experimental usage. A typical core loading consisted of 33 fuel elements, each containing 236 grams of 93% enriched Uranium (when new).
Cooling and moderation was provided by ordinary (light) water which transferred heat out of the core to the air via cooling towers. The reactor could be operated at low power in natural convection mode. At full power the flowrate through the core was 13,250 liters/minute.
Read more about this topic: Omega West Reactor (OWR)
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