The effects of the depletion and buildup of fissile nuclides and of /sup 238/U fast fissions on fission product decay power. Doctoral thesis
The major source of power in the first 0 to 10,000 seconds after shutdown in a light water reactor (LWR) is the decay power of the fission products. The total decay power in LWR's result from fission products formed in thermal fissions of 235U, 239Pu, and 241Pu and fast fissions of 238U. This dissertation investigates the magnitude of the fission product decay power and its associated uncertainty including time dependent effects due to depletion of 235U, buildup of 239Pu and 241Pu, and the fast fissions of 238U. The uncertainties in the decay power from each nuclide were evaluated by analytically propagating the uncertainties in the basic fission product yields and decay energies through the summation analysis into uncertainty estimates on the fission product decay power. The average energy per fission and its associated uncertainty were evaluated. The decay power from a LWR and its associated uncertainty were estimated by combining the ratios of decay power with the standard 235U decay power and its uncertainty. The decay power from reactor cycles which model the fission rates in LWR's was analyzed. The calculations show the actual decay power in LWR's is always less than the standard 235U decay power with uncertainties of the same order of magnitude as the standard 235U uncertainties.
- Research Organization:
- Oregon State Univ., Corvallis (USA). Dept. of Nuclear Engineering
- OSTI ID:
- 6017978
- Report Number(s):
- PB-289192
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
The effects of the depletion and buildup of fissile nuclides and of /sup 238/U fast fissions on fission product decay power
The Data Analysis Framework for the NIFFTE Fission Time Projection Chamber
Related Subjects
220100* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Theory & Calculation
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
AFTER-HEAT
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ANALYTICAL SOLUTION
BARYON REACTIONS
BUILDUP
BURNUP
ERRORS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FAST FISSION
FISSION
HADRON REACTIONS
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
NEUTRON REACTIONS
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
NUCLEI
NUCLEON REACTIONS
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTORS
TIME DEPENDENCE
URANIUM 238
URANIUM ISOTOPES
WATER COOLED REACTORS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES