Optimization of core reload design for low leakage fuel management in pressurized water reactors

Thesis/Dissertation · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:6683194

Kim, Y J

A new method was developed to optimize pressurized water reactor core reload design for low leakage fuel management, a strategy recently adopted by most utilities to extend cycle length and mitigate pressurized thermal shock concerns. The method consists of a two-stage optimization process which provides the maximum cycle length for a given fresh fuel loading subject to power peaking constraints. In the first stage, a best fuel arrangement is determined at the end of cycle in the absence of burnable poisons. A direct search method is employed in conjunction with a constant power, Haling depletion. In the second stage, the core control poison requirements are determined using a linear programming technique. The solution provides the fresh fuel burnable poison loading required to meet core power peaking constraints. An accurate method of explicitly modeling burnable absorbers was developed for this purpose. The design method developed here was implemented in a currently recognized fuel licensing code, SIMULATE, that was adapted to the CYBER-205 computer. This methodology was applied to core reload design of cycles 9 and 10 for the Commonwealth Edison Zion, Unit-1 Reactor. The results showed that the optimum loading pattern for cycle 9 yielded almost a 9% increase in the cycle length while reducing core vessel fluence by 30% compared with the reference design used by Commonwealth Edison.

• Research Organization: Purdue Univ., Lafayette, IN (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6683194
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210200* -- Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Nonboiling Water Cooled
BURNABLE POISONS
COMPUTER CODES
FUEL MANAGEMENT
LICENSING
LINEAR PROGRAMMING
MATERIALS
NEUTRON ABSORBERS
NUCLEAR POISONS
OPTIMIZATION
PROGRAMMING
PWR TYPE REACTORS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR CORES
REACTOR FUELING
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTORS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS