The prospect of uranium nitride (UN) and mixed nitride fuel (UN-PuN) for pressurized water reactor

Journal Article · Wed Sep 30 00:00:00 EDT 2015 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4930788· OSTI ID:22488955

Suud, Zaki ^[1]

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1. Nuclear Physics and Biophysics Research Division, Physics Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Bandung Institute of Technology Jalan Ganesha 10, Bandung 40132 (Indonesia)

Design study of small Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) core loaded with uranium nitride fuel (UN) and mixed nitride fuel (UN-PuN), Pa-231 as burnable poison, and Americium has been performed. Pa-231 known as actinide material, have large capture cross section and can be converted into fissile material that can be utilized to reduce excess reactivity. Americium is one of minor actinides with long half life. The objective of adding americium is to decrease nuclear spent fuel in the world. The neutronic analysis results show that mixed nitride fuel have k-inf greater than uranium nitride fuel. It is caused by the addition of Pu-239 in mixed nitride fuel. In fuel fraction analysis, for uranium nitride fuel, the optimum volume fractions are 45% fuel fraction, 10% cladding and 45% moderator. In case of UN-PuN fuel, the optimum volume fractions are 30% fuel fraction, 10% cladding and 60% coolant/ moderator. The addition of Pa-231 as burnable poison for UN fuel, enrichment U-235 5%, with Pa-231 1.6% has k-inf more than one and excess reactivity of 14.45%. And for mixed nitride fuel, the lowest value of reactivity swing is when enrichment (U-235+Pu) 8% with Pa-231 0.4%, the excess reactivity value 13,76%. The fuel pin analyze for the addition of Americium, the excess reactivity value is lower than before, because Americium absorb the neutron. For UN fuel, enrichment U-235 8%, Pa-231 1.6% and Am 0.5%, the excess reactivity is 4.86%. And for mixed nitride fuel, when enrichment (U-235+Pu) 13%, Pa-231 0.4% and Am 0.1%, the excess reactivity is 11.94%. For core configuration, it is better to use heterogeneous than homogeneous core configuration, because the radial power distribution is better.

• OSTI ID: 22488955
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1677, Issue 1; Conference: 5. international conference on mathematics and natural sciences, Bandung (Indonesia), 2-3 Nov 2014; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
AMERICIUM
BURNABLE POISONS
ENRICHMENT
FISSILE MATERIALS
FUEL PINS
HALF-LIFE
INDIUM FLUORIDES
MIXED NITRIDE FUELS
MODERATORS
PLUTONIUM 239
PLUTONIUM NITRIDES
PROTACTINIUM 231
PWR TYPE REACTORS
REACTIVITY
REACTOR CORES
SPENT FUELS
URANIUM
URANIUM 235
URANIUM NITRIDES