CHAPTER VII

  SIMULATION OF HYDROGEN-URANIUM MIXING IN STEADY FLOW Introduction

        An accurate treatment of the hydrodynamic characteristics of the coaxial flow of high velocity coolant and low velocity fuel is necessary in order to analyze the relation between nuclear criticality, fuel loss, energy transfer, and system stability. A number of theoretical fluid flow studies, based on different degrees of approximation, have been performed with specific emphasis on two-fluid flow in gaseous core reactors. A representative account of some of the problems treated in these studies is given by references (17) and (53) through (56). The results of experimental studies of mixing and heat transfer in coaxial flow of dissimilar gases are described in references (57), (58), (59), and (60). Although these studies are indicative of the hydrodynamic characteristics which may exist in a coaxially flowing hydrogen-uranium plasma at high pressure and temperature, many problems of high temperature turbulent plasma flow still need to be solved for larger systems which more closely approximate the plasma reactor. A sophisticated mathematical description of coaxial plasma flow constitutes a substantial effort in


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