Stochastic Optimization of a Uranium Reaction Mechanism Using Plasma Flow Reactor Measurements*

Despite years of study, the chemical processes governing the formation of nuclear debris in a condensing nuclear fireball are still poorly understood. In particular, most chemical and plasma chemical reaction pathways responsible for forming uranium molecular species remain either unknown or unverified. We address this issue by utilizing a coupled Monte Carlo Genetic Algorithm approach to optimize a uranium reaction mechanism with respect to emission measurements from a uranium plasma flow reactor. The plasma flow reactor presents an ideal experimental system for optimization due to the spatio-temporal correlation of the reactor, which allows it to be modeled by a simple global kinetic model. As a result, the complex parameter space of the uranium reaction mechanism can be reliably optimized to produce an experimentally corroborated set of reaction pathways and rate coefficients. This effort comprises a first step towards producing a comprehensive experimentally validated reaction mechanism of uranium molecular species formation.