The characteristics and effective utilization of a separate burnable absorber

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (USA)

OSTI ID:5530759

Spetz, S W

Burnable poisons (BPs) are used in pressurized water reactors to control power distributions and assure acceptable moderator coefficients at beginning of cycle (BOC). There are two basic categories of BPs: the integral poison that is located within the fuel rod and the separate poison that either replaces a fuel rod in the lattice or is located din the control rod guide tubes (thimbles) of the fuel assembly. This paper discusses the Babcock Wilcox (B W) Fuel Company's burnable poison rod assembly (BPRA), a separate poison located in the control rod guide tubes. Experience has shown the BPRA to be a highly reliable core component. Aside from a 1978 failure of the mechanical latching device in use at the time, no failures have occurred in more than 14 yr of use. In addition, the highly efficient shuffle schemes made possible by the BPRA have reduced ore requirements by >3% and separative work requirements by >4%.

• OSTI ID: 5530759
• Report Number(s): CONF-881011--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (USA) Journal Volume: 57
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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