Abstract
This paper presents the development of a SCALE model for a generic tristructural-isotropic (TRISO)-fueled heat-pipe microreactor. The model is a modified version of Idaho National Laboratory’s monolithic heat-pipe microreactor concept. The reactor, designed to produce 7.5 MWth with a 3 year core lifetime, incorporates TRISO fuel with a 40% packing fraction and a BeO reflector to enhance neutron economy. Depletion analyses for generating radionuclide inventories leverage recent advancements in SCALE, including the random placement of high-packing-fraction TRISO fuel particles. Additionally, new features in SCALE allow users to perform reactor physics depletion calculations by specifying total reactor power in MWth and generate inventory results without standard normalization to a heavy metal mass of 1 metric ton of initial heavy metal (MTIHM). The resulting fuel inventory serves as the source term for further analysis, demonstrating the applicability of the SCALE code to non–light-water reactor systems (including the heat-pipe microreactor).
| Original language | English |
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| Title of host publication | Proceedings of Advances in Nuclear Fuel Management, ANFM 2025 |
| Publisher | American Nuclear Society |
| Pages | 61-66 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9780894482267 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2025 |
| Event | 2025 Advances in Nuclear Fuel Management, ANFM 2025 - Clearwater Beach, United States Duration: Jul 20 2025 → Jul 23 2025 |
Publication series
| Name | Proceedings of Advances in Nuclear Fuel Management, ANFM 2025 |
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Conference
| Conference | 2025 Advances in Nuclear Fuel Management, ANFM 2025 |
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| Country/Territory | United States |
| City | Clearwater Beach |
| Period | 07/20/25 → 07/23/25 |
Funding
This work was funded by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
Keywords
- SCALE
- depletion
- heat-pipe microreactor
- tristructural-isotropic (TRISO) fuel