Fukushima plutonium effect and blow-up regimes in neutron-multiplying media

Abstract

It is shown that the capture and fission cross-sections of 238U and 239Pu increase with temperature within 1000-3000 K range, in contrast to those of 235U, that under certain conditions may lead to the so-called blow-up modes, stimulating the anomalous neutron flux and nuclear fuel temperature growth. Some features of the blow-up regimes in neutron-multiplying media are discussed.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures. (v2: numerous corrections and style improvements). arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1207.369