Physics Survey Calculations for a PuO₂-UO₂ Fuel in Idealized H₂O Power Reactors

Technical Report · Fri Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1966

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4474988· OSTI ID:4474988

Liikala, R. C. ^[1]; Jenquin, U. P. ^[1]

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1. Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, WA (United States)

The interest in utilizing plutonium as a power reactor fuel is becoming widespread. The USAEC buyback guarantees for plutonium which are currently in effect will disappear in the near future. Thus, the economics of competitive nuclear power will rest heavily on the degree to which plutonium is utilized in power reactors. Most indications are that plutonium is "best" utilized as a fast reactor fuel. However, the fast power reactor is yet in the developmental state and the commercial fast power reactor probably won't appear before the 1980's. In the interim, the possible uses of plutonium as a thermal reactor fuel are being investigated. Some information concerning the behavior of plutonium fuel in a heavy water (D₂o) reactor has been accumulated from the plutonium recycle program utilizing the Plutonium Recycle Test Reactor (PRTR). A batch core experiment is scheduled to get underway in mid 1966 in the PRTR. This experiment, labelled the high-power density core (HPDC), will consist of irradiating plutonium fuel (2w/oPuO₂-UO₂) to obtain experimental data relating excess reactivity and fuel composition as functions of time. Over the past few years, clean critical and approach to critical experiments for a variety of plutonium fueled light water (H₂O) lattices have been performed, at Pacific Northwest Laboratories and are continuing. These experiments provide a foundation in establishing a sound technical basis for utilizing plutonium fuel in light waterpower reactors. Two power reactor experiments which include partial loadings of plutonium fuel have also begun. (The first experiment is a joint program between Pacific Northwest Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory in which plutonium fuel will be irradiated in the Experimental Boiling Water Reactor (EBWR). The other power reactor experiment is the Saxton plutonium program, in which plutonium fuel will be irradiated in the Saxton reactor. The Saxton reactor is a pressurized H₂O system whereas the EBWR is a boiling H₂O system. Both programs seek to develop information on plutonium utilization in prototypes of commercial thermal power reactors. Thus, over the next few years, a considerable body of information will be accumulated concerning the behavior of plutonium fuel in H₂O power reactors. However, estimates of the physics behavior for plutonium fueled H₂O power systems are currently needed. Because of the general lack of experimental information regarding the physics characteristics of plutonium fuel in H₂O power reactor environments, a calculational survey study has been carried out in an attempt to satisfy this need. Our data are presented for a variety of conditions which were selected to cover the range of interest for both pressurized and boiling H₂O systems. We limit this portion of the investigation to the reactivity effects associated with changes in moderator and fuel temperature, and moderator void. The other portions of the investigation which entail describing the burnup behavior, temperature and void reactivity characteristics versus burnup and a comparison to "equivalent" UO₂ systems will be reported at a later date. For the sake of simplicity and generality we list results only for infinite systems. Also, the power reactor systems considered are idealized in the sense they are simple, clean systems and contain none of the complexities present in most power reactors (control rods, fuel element boxes, etc.). The infinite multi plications, k_∞'s are separated into parameters which describe the relative thermal and epithermal effects (i.e., components of k_∞). We also include data which can be utilized in converting any result for the infinite system (k_∞) to a finite system (k_eff).

• Research Organization: Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP); US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)
• DOE Contract Number: AT(45-1)-1830
• NSA Number: NSA-21-005603
• OSTI ID: 4474988
• Report Number(s): BNWL-305
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
ABSORPTION
Analysis
CONFIGURATION
Criticality
DOPPLER EFFECT
ECONOMICS
EQUATIONS
FUELS
GAUSSIAN POTENTIAL
MULTIPLICATION FACTORS
NUMERICALS
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
PLUTONIUM
PLUTONIUM OXIDES
POWER PLANTS
Physics
Power Reactor
REACTIVITY
REACTORS
RESONANCE
SPECTRAL SHIFT
Safety
Survey
TEMPERATURE
URANIUM DIOXIDE
USAEC
VELOCITY
WATER COOLANT
WATER MODERATOR
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