Serber-Wilson condition

Reactors with Spherical Symmetry Serber-Wilson Condition... 

The method based on the Serber-Wilson condition is especially suited to the treatment of reactor systems which are spherically symmetric. We will develop the basic ideas involved in this method by analyzing, on the basis of the one-velocity model, the simple case of a spherical core surrounded by an infinite reflector. However, the method is generally applicable to finite systems, to multiregion configurations, and to multigroup (energy) calculations. These problems will not be discussed here. In order to demonstrate the effect on the criticality requirements of the... 

Note that the use of (8.111) allows us to cancel the term at the left of (8.95) Avith the first term at the right.] The equation (8.112) is the Serber-Wilson condition. It is based on the requirement that the solution for the flux satisfy the transport equation at the center of the reactor, and it replaces the condition of continuity of flux at the core-reflector interface. 

The flux distributions for the case ife = 0.2, tpR = 0, and B — 0.8 are shown in Fig. 8.19. It is of interest to note the discontinuity in the flux due to the application of the Serber-Wilson condition. Also, note that the critical mass computed by the continuity-of-flux condition exceeds the Serber-Wilson estimate by as much as 40 per cent for small reactors. 

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