Fort Saint Vrain HTGR (Th/U carbide) Fuel Characteristics for Disposal Criticality Analysis

Taylor, Larry Lorin

Idaho National Laboratory

关键词: Fort Saint Vrain;    Criticality;    Power Reactors;    Disposal;    Spent Fuels Characteristics;   

DOI  :  10.2172/911528
RP-ID  :  DOE/SNF/REP-060
RP-ID  :  DE-AC07-99ID-13727
RP-ID  :  911528

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

DOE-owned spent nuclear fuels encompass many fuel types. In an effort to facilitate criticality analysis for these various fuel types, they were categorized into eight characteristic fuel groups with emphasis on fuel matrix composition. Out of each fuel group, a representative fuel type was chosen for analysis as a bounding case within that fuel group. Generally, burnup data, fissile enrichments and total fuel mass govern the selection of the representative or candidate fuel within that group. For the HTGR group, the Fort Saint Vrain (FSV) reactor fuel has been chosen for the evaluation of viability for waste co-disposal. The FSV reactor was operated by Public Service of Colorado as a licensed power reactor. The FSV fuel employs a U/Th carbide matrix in individually pyrolytic carbon-coated particles. These individual particles are in turn coated with silicon carbide (SiC) and contained within fuel compacts, that are in turn embedded in graphite blocks that comprised the structural core of the reactor.