Analysis of Critical Experiments with Erbia-Urania Fuel

Conference · Sun Jun 07 04:00:00 EDT 1992 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society

OSTI ID:7193483

Jonsson, A. ^[1]; Harris, D. R. ^[2]; Chang, R. Y. ^[3]; Thomsen, O. J. ^[3]

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1. ABB Combustion Engineering Nuclear Power, Inc., Windsor, CT (United States)
2. Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY (United States)
3. Southern California Edison, Irvine (United States)

ABB-Combustion Engineering (ABB-CE) has developed a new burnable absorber, erbia (Er₂O₃), for uniform application within pressurized water reactor (PWR) fuel pellets in 18- and 24-month fuel cycle designs. In PWR fuel, erbia exhibits the following features: (1) dilute absorber (moderate cross sections, low concentrations); (2) effective local power peaking control; (3) moderate global power distribution perturbation, moderate depletion rate; (4) effective moderate temperature coefficient control; and (5) no special computational methods requirements. Material properties (thermal conductivity, melting point, and so forth) have been measured with expected results: Erbia behaves similarly to gadolinia. Neutronics properties and performance are being assessed in a development program including critical experiments by ABB-CE, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), and Southern California Edison Company (SCE) and lead test fuel irradiations in a collaboration between ABB-CE and SCE (16 {times} 16 fuel) and between ABB-CE and Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (14 {times} 14 fuel). The subject of this paper is the analysis of the critical experiments completed in the reactor critical facility (RCF) of RPI.

• Research Organization: ABB Combustion Engineering Nuclear Power, Inc., Windsor, CT (United States); Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY (United States); Southern California Edison, Irvine (United States); Southern California Edison, Irvine (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
• OSTI ID: 7193483
• Report Number(s): CONF-920606--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society Journal Volume: 65
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210200* -- Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Nonboiling Water Cooled
ABB-Combustion Engineering (ABB-CE)
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
BURNABLE POISONS
CHALCOGENIDES
CROSS SECTIONS
Critical Experiments Analysis
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
ERBIUM COMPOUNDS
ERBIUM OXIDES
EXPERIMENTAL REACTORS
Erbia
FUEL CYCLE
FUEL PELLETS
GADOLINIUM COMPOUNDS
GADOLINIUM OXIDES
MATERIALS
NEUTRON ABSORBERS
NUCLEAR POISONS
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PELLETS
PHYSICS
POWER DENSITY
POWER REACTORS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
RARE EARTH COMPOUNDS
REACTIVITY COEFFICIENTS
REACTIVITY WORTHS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR CORES
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTOR PHYSICS
REACTORS
RENSSELAER CRITICAL FACILITY
RESEARCH AND TEST REACTORS
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
TEMPERATURE COEFFICIENT
TESTING
THERMAL REACTORS
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM OXIDES
VALIDATION
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
ZERO POWER REACTORS