Application of Burnable Absorbers in an Accelerator-Driven System
- Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm (Sweden)
The application of burnable absorbers (BAs) to minimize power peaking, reactivity loss, and capture-to-fission probabilities in an accelerator-driven waste transmutation system has been investigated. Boron-10-enriched B{sub 4}C absorber rods were introduced into a lead-bismuth-cooled core fueled with transuranic (TRU) discharges from light water reactors to achieve the smallest possible power peakings at beginning-of-life (BOL) subcriticality level of 0.97. Detailed Monte Carlo simulations show that a radial power peaking equal to 1.2 at BOL is attainable using a four-zone differentiation in BA content. Using a newly written Monte Carlo burnup code, reactivity losses were calculated to be 640 pcm per percent TRU burnup for unrecycled TRU discharges. Comparing to corresponding values in BA-free cores, BA introduction diminishes reactivity losses in TRU-fueled subcritical cores by {approx}20%. Radial power peaking after 300 days of operation at 1200-MW thermal power was <1.75 at a subcriticality level of {approx}0.92, which appears to be acceptable, with respect to limitations in cladding and fuel temperatures. In addition, the use of BAs yields significantly higher fission-to-capture probabilities in even-neutron-number nuclides. Fission-to-absorption probability ratio for {sup 241}Am equal to 0.33 was achieved in the configuration studied. Hence, production of the strong alpha-emitter {sup 242}Cm is reduced, leading to smaller fuel-swelling rates and pin pressurization. Disadvantages following BA introduction, such as increase of void worth and decrease of Doppler feedback in conjunction with small values of {beta}{sub eff}, need to be addressed by detailed studies of subcritical core dynamics.
- OSTI ID:
- 20804689
- Journal Information:
- Nuclear Science and Engineering, Vol. 137, Issue 1; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2006 American Nuclear Society (ANS), United States, All rights reserved. http://epubs.ans.org/; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0029-5639
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
ABSORPTION
ACCELERATOR DRIVEN TRANSMUTATION
AMERICIUM 241
BISMUTH
BORON 10
BORON CARBIDES
BURNUP
CAPTURE
CLADDING
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
CRITICALITY
CURIUM 242
FISSION
LOSSES
MONTE CARLO METHOD
NEUTRONS
NUCLEAR FUELS
PRESSURIZATION
PROBABILITY
REACTIVITY
REACTOR OPERATION
SWELLING
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
ZONES