Scoping Studies on the Impacts of Increased Enrichment on Nuclear Criticality Safety

Alex M. Shaw, Walid A. Metwally, William B. J. Marshall

Research output: Book/ReportCommissioned report

Abstract

Fuel vendors and industry are increasingly interested in new fuel designs with increased enrichment. These fuel types are categorized as high-assay low-enriched uranium: their fuel enrichment is low in the regulatory sense, but it is much higher than industry’s typical operating enrichment bounds. It should be demonstrated that the appropriate mechanisms have been established to control this increased reactivity, and the conditions that arise from common operational occurrences must be considered. This report presents case studies that were conducted to determine whether increased burnable absorber loading can be used to offset increased enrichment. Increases in integral fuel burnable absorber and gadolinium bearing rods in pressurized water reactor (PWR) and boiling water reactor (BWR) assemblies must be examined. Increases in reactivity were shown to be feasibly controlled by increased burnable absorber loading, even when operational specificities were considered, as in BWR partial length rods and PWR annular fuel blankets.
Original languageEnglish
Place of PublicationUnited States
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2024

Keywords

  • 11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS

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