An Empirical Approach to Bounding the Axial Reactivity Effects of PWR Spent Nuclear Fuel

O' ; Leary, P. M. ; Scaglione, J. M.

United States. Department of Energy. Yucca Mountain Project Office.

关键词: Criticality;    Burnable Poisons;    Pwr Type Reactors;    11 Nuclear Fuel Cycle And Fuel Materials;    Nuclear Fuels;   

DOI  :  10.2172/786543
RP-ID  :  MOL.20010522.0024
RP-ID  :  NONE
RP-ID  :  786543

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

One of the significant issues yet to be resolved for using burnup credit (BUC) for spent nuclear fuel (SNF) is establishing a set of depletion parameters that produce an adequately conservative representation of the fuel's isotopic inventory. Depletion parameters (such as local power, fuel temperature, moderator temperature, burnable poison rod history, and soluble boron concentration) affect the isotopic inventory of fuel that is depleted in a pressurized water reactor (PWR). However, obtaining the detailed operating histories needed to model all PWR fuel assemblies to which BUC would be applied is an onerous and costly task. Simplifications therefore have been suggested that could lead to using ''bounding'' depletion parameters that could be broadly applied to different fuel assemblies. This paper presents a method for determining a set of bounding depletion parameters for use in criticality analyses for SNF.