Conversion of the University of Virginia reactor to low-enrichment fuel

Conference · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1989 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (USA)

OSTI ID:6757086

Rydin, R A; Freeman, D W; Fehr, M K

The University of Virginia is using the LEOPARD-LINX-TWODB computational package to assist in converting the 2-MW(thermal) University of Virginia Reactor (UVAR) to low-enrichment uranium fuel (LEU). Recent efforts have been focused on designing an upgraded LEU replacement core. The UVAR is unique in that anywhere from 16 to 27 fuel elements have been used over the years in a variety of geometrical arrangements. However, a compact and fixed core arrangement offers significant operational and experimental advantages over past practice, including a higher and more temporally constant thermal flux. The authors have concentrated on relative burnup comparisons between representative 4 {times} 4, 4 {times} 5, and 5 {times} 5 cores using 18 curved-plant/element HEU (HEU-18) and 18 and 22 flat-plate/element LEU (LEU-18 and LEU-22) fuel. It is concluded that the UVAR should be supplied with LEU-22 fuel. The authors have also explored the reactivity and power-peaking effects of separately varying the reflector compositions on various reactor faces from light water to heavy water to graphite. Thermal-hydraulic behavior has also been analyzed with a combination of the PARET and THERHYD codes, which indicates the LEU cores will be acceptable with only small modifications in UVAR safety system settings.

• OSTI ID: 6757086
• Report Number(s): CONF-890604--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (USA) Journal Volume: 59
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
220600* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Research
Test & Experimental Reactors
ACCURACY
ACTINIDES
ANL
BENCHMARKS
COMPUTER CODES
CONTROL ROD WORTHS
CROSS SECTIONS
ELEMENTS
ENGINEERED SAFETY SYSTEMS
ENRICHED URANIUM
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
FLUIDS
GASES
HIGHLY ENRICHED URANIUM
IRRADIATION REACTORS
ISOTOPE ENRICHED MATERIALS
ISOTOPE PRODUCTION REACTORS
KINETICS
L CODES
MATERIALS
METALS
MODERATELY ENRICHED URANIUM
MODIFICATIONS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NONMETALS
POOL TYPE REACTORS
RARE GASES
REACTIVITY
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR CORES
REACTOR KINETICS
REACTORS
RESEARCH AND TEST REACTORS
RESEARCH REACTORS
TEST REACTORS
THERMAL REACTORS
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
TRAINING REACTORS
URANIUM
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
UVAR REACTOR
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
XENON