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Title: Analysis of the in-vessel control rod guide tube and subpile room shielding design for the advanced neutron source reactor

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/212437· OSTI ID:212437

An extensive sheilding analysis of the control rod guide tube (CRGT) and the subpile room was performed for the Advanced Neutron Source (ANS) reactor. A two-dimensional model for the CRGT and subpile room was developed. Coupled 39 neutron group and 44 gamma group calculations with the multigroup DORT discrete originates transport code were done using cross sections from the ANSL-V library including photoneutron production. Different shield designs were investigated with a shield thickness of 10 to 15 mm. None of the shields affected the neutron dose rate and gamma dose rate at the top of the subpile room, which were 1 {center_dot} 10{sup 5} mrem/h and 1 {center_dot} 10{sup 3} mrem/h, respectively. An L-shaped cylindrical boral shield positioned around the core pressure boundary tube at the bottom of the reflector vessel with the horizontal part extended over the whole bottom of the reflector vessel reduced the maximal displacements per atom (DPA) level and helium production level in the primary coolant supply adapter and its flange after 40 years of reactor operation from 1 and 500 appm to 5 {center_dot} 10{sup -2} and 2 {center_dot} 10{sup -2} appm compared with the unshielded arrangement. Shields of boral and hafnium with the horizontal part of the shield restricted to a radius of 485 mm gave a maximal DPA of 5 {center_dot} 10{sup -2} and a helium production of up to 20 appm. Heat loads of up to 70 W{center_dot}cm{sup -3} were calculated at the most exposed parts of the shield both for boral and hafnium shields. A depletion/activation analysis of the hafnium shield showed that at the most exposed part of the shield, the naturally occurring isotope {sup 177}Hf is 34% depleted at the end of two years of reactor operation. This high burnup is somewhat balanced by a subsequent buildup of {sup 178}Hf, {sup 179}Hf, and {sup 180}Hf. In all other parts of the shield, the burnup is much smaller.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-84OR21400
OSTI ID:
212437
Report Number(s):
ORNL/TM-12996; ON: DE96006224; TRN: 96:020692
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: Aug 1995
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English