Criticality safety analysis of spent fuel pool for a PWR using UO2, MOX, (Th-U)O2 and (TRU-Th)O2 fuels

Authors

  • Claubia Pereira Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
  • Jéssica P. Achilles Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
  • Fabiano Cardoso Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
  • Victor F. Castro Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
  • Maria Auxiliadora F. Veloso Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15392/bjrs.v7i3A.833

Keywords:

reprocessed fuel, Spent Fuel Pool, criticality, PWR

Abstract

A spent fuel pool of a typical Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) was evaluated for criticality studies when it uses reprocessed fuels. PWR nuclear fuel assemblies with four types of fuels were considered: standard PWR fuel, MOX fuel, thorium-uranium fuel and reprocessed transuranic fuel spiked with thorium. The MOX and UO2 benchmark model was evaluated using SCALE 6.0 code with KENO-V transport code and then, adopted as a reference for other fuels compositions. The four fuel assemblies were submitted to irradiation at normal operation conditions. The burnup calculations were obtained using the TRITON sequence in the SCALE 6.0 code package. The fuel assemblies modeled use a benchmark 17x17 PWR fuel assembly dimensions. After irradiation, the fuels were inserted in the pool. The criticality safety limits were performed using the KENO-V transport code in the CSAS5 sequence. It was shown that mixing a quarter of reprocessed fuel withUO2 fuel in the pool, it would not need to be resized 

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

A. G. Croff and S. L. Krahn, Comparative Assessment of Thorium Fuel cycle radiotoxicity, Nuclear technology, Vol. 194, pp271-280, Nashville (2016)

OECD-NEA, 2015. Introduction of Thorium in the nuclear fuel cycle, short-to long term considerations.

K. D. Weaver et al., A PWR Thorium Pin Cell Burnup Benchmarck, INEEL-/CON 2000-00227, Idaho National Laboratory, 7-11 may, USA (2000).

M. Ding and J. L. Kloosterman, Thorium utilization in a small long-life HTR. Part I: Th/U MOX fuel blocks, Nuclear Engineering and Design, Vol. 267, pp. 238–244 (2014).

S. Yatabe et al., Canadian experience in irradiation and testing of MOX fuel, Journal of Nuclear Materials, Vol. 502, pp. 177-190, Canada (2018).

International Atomic Energy Agency, Spent Fuel Reprocessing Options, IAEATECDOC-1587, IAEA, 144 pp, Vienna (2008).

F. B. A Monteiro et al., Micro Heteregeneous Approaches for the Insertion of Reprocessed and Combined Thorium Fuel Cycles in a PWR System, MRS Proceedings, v. 1814, (2016)

G. J. O’Connor and P. H. Liem, Burn-up Credit Criticality benchmarck Phase IV – B: Results and Analysis of MOX Fuel Depletion Calculations, Nuclear Energy Agency, France (2003).

Eletrobras Eletronuclear, FSAR - Final Safety Analysis Report - Central Almirante Álvaro Alberto - Unit 2,( 2013).

R.C. Lopez-Solis et al., Fuel depletion analysis of a small sodium fats reactor with KANEXT and SERPENT, Ann. Nuclear EnergyVo. 98, pp. 26-35, (2016)

N. R. Brow et al., Sustainable thorium nuclear fuel cycles: a comparision of intermediate and fast neutron spectrum systems, Nuclear Engineering and design, Vol 289, pp. 252-265.

A. B. Lindley et al., Thorium breeder and burner fuel cycles in reduced-moderation LWRs compared to fast reactors, Progress in Nuclear Energy, Vol. 77, pp. 107-123, (2017).

M. A Mohamed, Nader et al., Use of thorium-plutonium MOX in the inner pins of CANDU fuel bundles, Progress in Nuclear Energy, Vol. 91 pp. 49-55, (2016).

Downloads

Published

2019-07-14

How to Cite

Pereira, C., Achilles, J. P., Cardoso, F., Castro, V. F., & Veloso, M. A. F. (2019). Criticality safety analysis of spent fuel pool for a PWR using UO2, MOX, (Th-U)O2 and (TRU-Th)O2 fuels. Brazilian Journal of Radiation Sciences, 7(3A (Suppl.). https://doi.org/10.15392/bjrs.v7i3A.833

Issue

Section

Week of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Sciences

Most read articles by the same author(s)

<< < 1 2