Analyses and Measurements of Gamma-Ray Heating in the Demonstration Benchmark Plutonium-Fueled Critical Assembly

Absolute gamma-ray heating was investigated in Assembly 2 of the Zero Power Plutonium Reactor (during operation in support of the Demonstration Reactor Benchmark critical program). Three loading configurations were studied: loading 90, normal plate core; loading 156, core with central control rod of boron carbide plus sodium; and loading 157, core with central control rod of tantalum plus sodium. All measurements were made with ⁷LiF thermoluminescent dosimeters encapsulated in a variety of electron-equilibrium sleeves, and the results are compared with calculated doses. This paper gives details of both the experimental procedures and the calculational techniques used to obtain gamma-radiation dose distributions.