Fast Flux Test Facility Reactor Initial Criticality Predictions and Measurements

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

OSTI ID:7231797

The Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) was designed to test fast-reactor fuels and other nonfuel materials. In its 37 reactor cycles of operations, the FFTF reactor has performed very well and successfully completed all the irradiation testings with an operating efficiency factor as high as 98%. Since FFTF is an experimental reactor, its core loading changed from cycle to cycle. Depending on the number of test assemblies in the core and their location, the core loading can change significantly from an essentially homogeneous core loading to a relatively nonhomogeneous or even highly localized heterogeneous loading. Consequently, the core reload design and initial criticality analyses were required for each operating cycle. The zero power initial critical control rod bank height was predicted before each reactor startup. The initial critical prediction depends on the reactivity conditions at the end of the previous cycle, the temperature feedback reactivities, the individual and total control rod bank worths for the current cycle, the differential rod worth profile, and the refueling reactivity for the current cycle core loading. The predicted and the measured initial critical control rod bank heights for the recent cycles are summarized.

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Hanford Co., Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
• OSTI ID: 7231797
• 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
210500 -- Power Reactors
Breeding
220600* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Research
Test & Experimental Reactors
CONTROL ROD WORTHS
CRITICALITY
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
EFFICIENCY
EPITHERMAL REACTORS
EQUATIONS
FAST REACTORS
FFTF REACTOR
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUEL INTEGRITY
FUEL MANAGEMENT
Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF)
HETEROGENEOUS REACTOR CORES
IRRADIATION
LIQUID METAL COOLED REACTORS
NEUTRON DIFFUSION EQUATION
Nonfuel Materials
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
PERFORMANCE TESTING
PHYSICS
REACTIVITY COEFFICIENTS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR CORES
REACTOR FUELING
REACTOR PHYSICS
REACTORS
RESEARCH AND TEST REACTORS
RESEARCH REACTORS
SODIUM COOLED REACTORS
TEMPERATURE COEFFICIENT
TEST REACTORS
TESTING
TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
Test Fast-Reactor Fuels