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Utilization of gadolinium burnable poison for reactivity control of pressurized water reactors

Conference · · Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States)
OSTI ID:5549774
Summarized here is an attempt to utilize gadolinium as a burnable poison for total reactivity control of a PWR core equilibrium cycle, i.e., control without a soluble poison system. In the course of the research, a few design guidelines evolved: 1) gadolinium can be utilized well in the form of a lumped poison rod; 2) the optimal gadolinium rod is an annulus of gadolinium immersed in water; 3) BP rods are inserted into vacant thimble guide tubes; and 4) only fresh fuel assemblies are loaded with BP rods, thus avoiding insertion of the BP clusters into irradiated fuel assemblies.
Research Organization:
Ben-Gurion Univ., Beersheba, Israel
OSTI ID:
5549774
Report Number(s):
CONF-851115-
Conference Information:
Journal Name: Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States) Journal Volume: 50
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English