Planning Document for an NBSR Conversion Safety Analysis Report

Diamond D. J. ; Baek J. ; Hanson, A.L. ; Cheng, L-Y. ; Brown, N. ; Cuadra, A.

关键词: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST);    high-enriched uranium (HEU);    Safety Analysis Report (SAR);   

DOI  :  10.2172/1109466
RP-ID  :  BNL--102284-2013-IR
PID  :  OSTI ID: 1109466
Others  :  R&D Project: 10608

学科分类：工程和技术（综合）

美国|英语

来源: SciTech Connect

【 摘 要 】

The NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) is a reactor-laboratory complex providing the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the nation with a world-class facility for the performance of neutron-based research. The heart of this facility is the National Bureau of Standards Reactor (NBSR). The NBSR is a heavy water moderated and cooled reactor operating at 20 MW. It is fueled with high-enriched uranium (HEU) fuel elements. A Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI) program is underway to convert the reactor to low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel. This program includes the qualification of the proposed fuel, uranium and molybdenum alloy foil clad in an aluminum alloy, and the development of the fabrication techniques. This report is a planning document for the conversion Safety Analysis Report (SAR) that would be submitted to, and approved by, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) before the reactor could be converted.This report follows the recommended format and content from the NRC codified in NUREG-1537, ???Guidelines for Preparing and Reviewing Applications for the Licensing of Non-power Reactors,??? Chapter 18, ???Highly Enriched to Low-Enriched Uranium Conversions.??? The emphasis herein is on the SAR chapters that require significant changes as a result of conversion, primarily Chapter 4, Reactor Description, and Chapter 13, Safety Analysis. The document provides information on the proposed design for the LEU fuel elements and identifies what information is still missing. This document is intended to assist ongoing fuel development efforts, and to provide a platform for the development of the final conversion SAR. This report contributes directly to the reactor conversion pillar of the GTRI program, but also acts as a boundary condition for the fuel development and fuel fabrication pillars.