A Parametric Study of the DUPIC Fuel Cycle to Reflect Pressurized Water Reactor Fuel Management Strategy

Journal Article · Tue May 15 04:00:00 EDT 2001 · Nuclear Science and Engineering

DOI:https://doi.org/10.13182/NSE138-1-25· OSTI ID:20804710

Rozon, Daniel; Wei, Shen ^[1]

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1. Institut de Genie Nucleaire (Canada)

For both pressurized water reactor (PWR) and Canada deuterium uranium (CANDU) tandem analysis, the Direct Use of spent PWR fuel In CANDU reactor (DUPIC) fuel cycle in a CANDU 6 reactor is studied using the DRAGON/DONJON chain of codes with the ENDF/B-V and ENDF/B-VI libraries. The reference feed material is a 17 x 17 French standard 900-MW(electric) PWR fuel. The PWR spent-fuel composition is obtained from two-dimensional DRAGON assembly transport and depletion calculations. After a number of years of cooling, this defines the initial fuel nuclide field in the CANDU unit cell calculations in DRAGON, where it is further depleted with the same neutron group structure. The resulting macroscopic cross sections are condensed and tabulated to be used in a full-core model of a CANDU 6 reactor to find an optimized channel fueling rate distribution on a time-average basis. Assuming equilibrium refueling conditions and a particular refueling sequence, instantaneous full-core diffusion calculations are finally performed with the DONJON code, from which both the channel power peaking factors and local parameter effects are estimated. A generic study of the DUPIC fuel cycle is carried out using the linear reactivity model for initial enrichments ranging from 3.2 to 4.5 wt% in a PWR. Because of the uneven power histories of the spent PWR assemblies, the spent PWR fuel composition is expected to differ from one assembly to the next. Uneven mixing of the powder during DUPIC fuel fabrication may lead to uncertainties in the composition of the fuel bundle and larger peaking factors in CANDU. A mixing method for reducing composition uncertainties is discussed.

• OSTI ID: 20804710
• Journal Information: Nuclear Science and Engineering, Journal Name: Nuclear Science and Engineering Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 138; ISSN NSENAO; ISSN 0029-5639
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
CANDU TYPE REACTORS
CROSS SECTIONS
DEUTERIUM
DIFFUSION
DISTRIBUTION
EQUILIBRIUM
FUEL CYCLE
FUEL ELEMENT CLUSTERS
FUEL MANAGEMENT
NEUTRONS
NUCLEAR DATA COLLECTIONS
PARAMETRIC ANALYSIS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
RADIATION TRANSPORT
SPENT FUELS
TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
URANIUM