CHAPTER IX

            CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS


        The analysis of the important characteristics of the plasma core reactor has demonstrated that such a system has definite potential as a large, high temperature heat source. The numerical studies of the static behavior establish several requirements of the operating capabilities of the system. First, in order to sustain a critical uranium mass at average core temperatures in the 40,000'K to 70,0001K range, pressures from approximately 500 to 1000 atmospheres will be required. The second requirement is that the hydrogen coolant must be seeded with some opaque material, which preferably has a low neutron absorption cross section and does not react chemically with the coolant or the containment wall. Finally, the plasma reactor will require a complex automatic control system to provide for stable operation in the presence of plasma instabilities associated with the coaxial flow of uranium and hydrogen.

        In order to provide more extensive evaluation of the important engineering parameters of the reactor, additional theoretical and experimental studies in the areas of reactor physics, fluid flow, and radiant energy


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