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Credit for soluble boron in the spent-fuel pool

Journal Article · · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society
OSTI ID:437004
;  [1]
  1. Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA (United States)
A Westinghouse owners group (WOG) program to take analytical credit for the soluble boron contained in the spent-fuel pool (SFP) water in the SFP rack criticality analyses was recently submitted to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for review and approval. Current SFP rack criticality analyses do not take credit for the soluble boron based on the requirements in Sec. III.2.a of Standard Review Plan 9.1.2, which states that criticality analyses must show that the fuel rack array is maintained in a subcritical condition when fully loaded and flooded with nonborated water. Nuclear plant owners are facing increasing fuel assembly enrichments, spent-fuel assembly burnup limitations, SFP storage cell restrictions (checkerboards), and problems with SFP fixed neutron absorber (Boraflex) degradation, all of which are challenging their traditional criticality analyses. The credit for soluble boron in the spent-fuel pool criticality analysis offers a solution to these concerns.
OSTI ID:
437004
Report Number(s):
CONF-9606116--
Journal Information:
Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society Vol. 74; ISSN 0003-018X; ISSN TANSAO
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English