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LEU conversion study for the University of Virginia 2 MW UVAR research reactor. Technical progress report, September 1, 1986-April 30, 1987

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6797627

The 2 MW UVAR research reactor, operated by the University of Virginia under NRC license R-66, is tentatively scheduled to have its HEU MTR plate-type fuel exchanged for LEU fuel in October of 1988. This date may be pushed forward if delays in DOE fuel procurement should result due to federal budget constraints. The university has sent a conversion plan to the NRC, as mandated by the so-called NRC conversion rule, which provides details about the conversion schedule and documentation for this reactor. The plan and its schedule will be reviewed and resubmitted to the NRC annually. The University of Virginia has a second reactor, the low-power 100 W CAVALIER training reactor, which will no longer be converted, as decided by the Reactor Facility management in February 1987. The CAVALIER reactor was to have been converted before the UVAR, and a conversion study was funded for this purpose by DOE (Grant No. DE-FG05-86ER75273), beginning in September of 1986. As a result of the decision to dismantle the CAVALIER instead of proceeding with its conversion, the continuation proposal for the second year of the CAVALIER study will no longer be submitted to DOE. Instead, a continuation proposal for the UVAR reactor has been prepared and is being submitted to DOE under separate cover, at this time. The UVAR conversion study will take off from the point at which the CAVALIER proposal ends. There will be no loss resulting from the merger of the studies, because the results sought for the CAVALIER are fully applicable to the UVAR. The reactors are both very similar, using the same fuel elements. The major difference is in the operating power levels.

Research Organization:
Virginia Univ., Charlottesville (USA). Dept. of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics
DOE Contract Number:
FG05-86ER75273
OSTI ID:
6797627
Report Number(s):
DOE/ER/75273-1; ON: DE87009419
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English