Palmer, R. G. | Engineering Papers

NASA NTRS1987

Transmission of order in some unusual dilute systems

As a system is diluted, the critical temperature T may fall to zero at a concentration X sub c greater than the percolation concentration, because mere connectivity does not guarantee the transmission of order even at T = 0. Detailed results, including bounds on X sub c, are presented for the three-state Potts antiferromagnet on a triangular lattice and for quadrupolar models of (o-H2)x(p-H2)1-x mixtures on fcc and triangular lattices.

Adler, Joan↗

NASA NTRS1982

Nuclear reactor system study for NASA/JPL

Reactor shielding, safety studies, and heat pipe development work are described. Monte Carlo calculations of gamma and neutron shield configurations show that substantial weight penalties are incurred if exposure at 25 m to neutrons and gammas must be limited to 10 to the 12th power nvt and 10 to the 6th power rad, instead of the 10 to the 13th power nvt and 10 to the 7th power rad values used earlier. For a 1.6 MW sub t reactor, the required shield weight increases from 400 to 815 kg. Water immersion critically calculations were extended to study the effect of water in fuel void spaces as well as in the core heat pipes. These show that the insertion into the core of eight blades of B4C with a mass totaling 2.5 kg will guarantee subcriticality. The design, fabrication procedure, and testing of a 4m long molybdenum/lithium heat pipe are described. It appears that an excess of oxygen in the wick prevented the attainment of expected performance capability.

Palmer, R. G.↗