Depletion optimization of lumped burnable poisons in pressurized water reactors

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:5569031

Kodah, Z H

Techniques were developed to construct a set of basic poison depletion curves which deplete in a monotonical manner. These curves were combined to match a required optimized depletion profile by utilizing either linear or non-linear programming methods. Three computer codes, LEOPARD, XSDRN, and EXTERMINATOR-2 were used in the analyses. A depletion routine was developed and incorporated into the XSDRN code to allow the depletion of fuel, fission products, and burnable poisons. The Three Mile Island Unit-1 reactor core was used in this work as a typical PWR core. Two fundamental burnable poison rod designs were studied. They are a solid cylindrical poison rod and an annular cylindrical poison rod with water filling the central region.These two designs have either a uniform mixture of burnable poisons or lumped spheroids of burnable poisons in the poison region. Boron and gadolinium are the two burnable poisons which were investigated in this project. Thermal self-shielding factor calculations for solid and annular poison rods were conducted. Also expressions for overall thermal self-shielding factors for one or more than one size group of poison spheroids inside solid and annular poison rods were derived and studied. Poison spheroids deplete at a slower rate than the poison mixture because each spheroid exhibits some self-shielding effects of its own. The larger the spheroid, the higher the self-shielding effects due to the increase in poison concentration.

• Research Organization: Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5569031
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph.D.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
BURNABLE POISONS
BURNUP
COMPUTER CODES
E CODES
L CODES
X CODES
FUEL RODS
DESIGN
PWR TYPE REACTORS
THREE MILE ISLAND-1 REACTOR
REACTOR CORES
BORON
GADOLINIUM
OPTIMIZATION
SPHEROIDS
ELEMENTS
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
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MATERIALS
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NEUTRON ABSORBERS
NUCLEAR POISONS
POWER REACTORS
RARE EARTHS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTORS
SEMIMETALS
THERMAL REACTORS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
210200* - Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Nonboiling Water Cooled