Evaluation of the Enhanced LEU Fuel (ELF) Design for Conversion of the Advanced Test Reactor to a Low-Enrichment Fuel Cycle

DeHart, Mark D.; Karriem, Zain; Pope, Michael A.

doi:10.1080/00295450.2017.1322451

Title: Evaluation of the Enhanced LEU Fuel (ELF) Design for Conversion of the Advanced Test Reactor to a Low-Enrichment Fuel Cycle

Abstract

A conceptual low-enrichment uranium (LEU) fuel design has been developed for the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at Idaho National Laboratory. The ATR is currently fueled with a high-enrichment fuel but is slated to be converted to LEU under programs led by the National Nuclear Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy. A conceptual LEU fuel design, the Enhanced LEU Fuel (ELF), has been developed assuming power peaking control through the use of variable fuel meat thicknesses and no use of burnable poison. In initial work, this design was shown to satisfy performance requirements for ATR operation. Following these design calculations, a safety analysis process was initiated to demonstrate that the ELF design would successfully meet safety limits for postulated accident conditions. Those calculations, performed using RELAP5 and ATR-SINDA, require physics analysis to provide spatial power distributions and kinetics parameters for various core operations configurations. Finally, this article describes the findings of the physics analysis and provides predictions for the behavior of a LEU-fueled version of ATR, and compares these to calculations of the performance of the current high-enrichment uranium fuel.

Authors:

^[1];

^[1]; Pope, Michael A. ^[2]

Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States). Reactor Physics Design and Analysis
Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

Publication Date:: Thu Aug 31 00:00:00 EDT 2017

Research Org.:: Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)

OSTI Identifier:: 1471052

Report Number(s):: INL/JOU-17-40906-Rev000
Journal ID: ISSN 0029-5450

Grant/Contract Number:: AC07-05ID14517

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Nuclear Technology

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 201; Journal Issue: 3; Journal ID: ISSN 0029-5450

Publisher:: Taylor & Francis - formerly American Nuclear Society (ANS)

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS; Advanced Test Reactor; low-enrichment uranium; conversion

Citation Formats


                    DeHart, Mark D., Karriem, Zain, and Pope, Michael A. Evaluation of the Enhanced LEU Fuel (ELF) Design for Conversion of the Advanced Test Reactor to a Low-Enrichment Fuel Cycle.  United States: N. p., 2017. 
Web.  doi:10.1080/00295450.2017.1322451.

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                    DeHart, Mark D., Karriem, Zain, & Pope, Michael A. Evaluation of the Enhanced LEU Fuel (ELF) Design for Conversion of the Advanced Test Reactor to a Low-Enrichment Fuel Cycle.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2017.1322451

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                    DeHart, Mark D., Karriem, Zain, and Pope, Michael A. Thu .  
"Evaluation of the Enhanced LEU Fuel (ELF) Design for Conversion of the Advanced Test Reactor to a Low-Enrichment Fuel Cycle".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2017.1322451.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1471052.

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@article{osti_1471052,

  title        = {Evaluation of the Enhanced LEU Fuel (ELF) Design for Conversion of the Advanced Test Reactor to a Low-Enrichment Fuel Cycle},

  author       = {DeHart, Mark D. and Karriem, Zain and Pope, Michael A.},

  abstractNote = {A conceptual low-enrichment uranium (LEU) fuel design has been developed for the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at Idaho National Laboratory. The ATR is currently fueled with a high-enrichment fuel but is slated to be converted to LEU under programs led by the National Nuclear Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy. A conceptual LEU fuel design, the Enhanced LEU Fuel (ELF), has been developed assuming power peaking control through the use of variable fuel meat thicknesses and no use of burnable poison. In initial work, this design was shown to satisfy performance requirements for ATR operation. Following these design calculations, a safety analysis process was initiated to demonstrate that the ELF design would successfully meet safety limits for postulated accident conditions. Those calculations, performed using RELAP5 and ATR-SINDA, require physics analysis to provide spatial power distributions and kinetics parameters for various core operations configurations. Finally, this article describes the findings of the physics analysis and provides predictions for the behavior of a LEU-fueled version of ATR, and compares these to calculations of the performance of the current high-enrichment uranium fuel.},

  doi          = {10.1080/00295450.2017.1322451},

  journal      = {Nuclear Technology},

  number       = 3,

  volume       = 201,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Thu Aug 31 00:00:00 EDT 2017},

  month        = {Thu Aug 31 00:00:00 EDT 2017}

}

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Works referenced in this record:

Validation of the ATR-SINDA Fuel Plate Model Using Advanced Test Reactor Startup Data
journal, December 1994

Polkinghorne, Steven T.
Nuclear Technology, Vol. 108, Issue 3
DOI: 10.13182/NT94-A35022

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Title: Evaluation of the Enhanced LEU Fuel (ELF) Design for Conversion of the Advanced Test Reactor to a Low-Enrichment Fuel Cycle

Abstract

Citation Formats

Validation of the ATR-SINDA Fuel Plate Model Using Advanced Test Reactor Startup Data journal, December 1994

Validation of the ATR-SINDA Fuel Plate Model Using Advanced Test Reactor Startup Data
journal, December 1994