Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Reduction of PWR moderator temperature coefficient by gadolinium substitution

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5558227
In a PWR, should an anticipated transient without scram (ATWS) follow a loss of feedwater, the resulting pressure transient can be reduced to an acceptable limit by designing the core to have an early-in-cycle-1 moderator temperature coefficient (MTC) which is sufficiently negative. A reduction of 40% in the MTC has been shown to be feasible by augmenting lumped boron burnable absorber with gadolinium burnable absorber (admixed with fuel). Additional benefits obtained are improved power distributions and increased beginning-of-life control rod worth.
Research Organization:
Science Applications, Inc., McLean, VA (USA)
OSTI ID:
5558227
Report Number(s):
EPRI-NP-2191; ON: DE82902204
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English