CHAPTER V

        PRESSURE-TEMPERATURE ANALYSIS OF HYDROGEN PLASMA COOLANT REGION


Introduction

        The high temperature plasma core reactor will be

cooled by hydrogen which is injected concentrically around the central uranium region. Cooling will be accomplished by radiant energy transfer from the high temperature uranium plasma to the lower temperature hydrogen. When injected at low temperatures, the hydrogen will be in a diatomic molecular gaseous state. As the hydrogen coolant flows coaxially around the uranium fuel, the hydrogen temperature will increase due to absorption of radiant energy from the fissioning uranium plasma. At high temperatures hydrogen becomes dissociated and ionized so that the exhausted coolant will consist of numerous hydrogen species resulting from the various dissociation and ionization reactions. In order to determine the neutron scattering effects and radiant energy absorption properties of the hydrogen coolant, it is necessary to calculate the composition of a hydrogen plasma as a function of plasma temperature and pressure.


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