The slightly-enriched spectral shift control reactor. Final report, September 30, 1988--September 30, 1991
- Michigan Univ., Ann Arbor, MI (United States). Dept. of Nuclear Engineering
- Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ., Blacksburg, VA (United States). Dept. of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
An advanced converter reactor design utilizing mechanical spectral shift control rods in a conventional pressurized water reactor configuration is under investigation. The design is based on the principle that a harder spectrum during the early part of the fuel cycle will result in large neutron captures in fertile {sup 238}U, which can then be burned in situ in a softer spectrum later in the cycle. Preliminary design calculations performed during FY 89 showed that the slightly-enriched spectral shift reactor design offers the benefit of substantially increased fuel resource utilization with the proven safety characteristics of the pressurized water reactor technology retained. Optimization of the fuel design and development of fuel management strategies were carried out in FY 90, along with effort to develop and validate neutronic methodology for tight-lattice configurations with hard spectra. During FY 91, the final year of the grant, the final Slightly-Enriched Spectral Shift Reactor (SESSR) design was determined, and reference design analyses were performed for the assemblies as well as the global core configuration, both at the beginning of cycle (BOC) and with depletion. The final SESSR design results in approximately a 20% increase in the utilization of uranium resources, based on equilibrium fuel cycle analyses. Acceptable pin power peaking is obtained with the final core design, with assembly peaking factors equal to less than 1.04 for spectral shift control rods both inserted and withdrawn, and global peaking factors at BOC predicted to be 1.4. In addition, a negative Moderation Temperature Coefficient (MTC) is maintained for BOC, which is difficult to achieve with conventional advanced converter designs based on a closed fuel cycle. The SESSR design avoids the need for burnable poison absorber, although they could be added if desired to increase the cycle length while maintaining a negative MTC.
- Research Organization:
- Michigan Univ., Ann Arbor, MI (United States). Dept. of Nuclear Engineering
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG07-88ER12809
- OSTI ID:
- 10106714
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/ER/12809-4; ON: DE92004026
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Nov 1991
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
REACTOR CONTROL SYSTEMS
PROGRESS REPORT
SPECTRAL SHIFT
DESIGN
SLIGHTLY ENRICHED URANIUM
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUEL MANAGEMENT
FUEL CYCLE
BURNABLE POISONS
MODERATORS
TEMPERATURE COEFFICIENT
CONTROL ELEMENTS
220400
210200
CONTROL SYSTEMS
POWER REACTORS
NONBREEDING
LIGHT-WATER MODERATED
NONBOILING WATER COOLED