IN-PILE AND OUT-OF-PILE TESTS AND RESEARCH ON FAST CRITICAL ASSEMBLIES OF HIGH DENSITY URANIUM ZIRCONIUM CARBONITRIDE LEU FUEL
Abstract
UZrCN fuel is a high-density, high-temperature fuel that has potential for application in different type reactors. In the past, reactor tests using UZrCN HEU (96% U-235) fuel have been performed to low burnup. However, reactor-testing data are still needed at high burnup to confirm the optimal performance of this-type fuel. The SM-3 research reactor, which is a high-flux reactor located at the State Scientific Center – Research Institute of Atomic Reactors, Dimitrovgrad, Russia, will be used to test a UZrCN LEU (19.73% U-235) fuel to ~40% of burnup. The fuel will then be examined to determine its performance during irradiation.
On the “Giacint” and “Kristal” critical facilities located at the Joint Institute for Power and Nuclear Research – SOSNY of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Minsk, Belarus, criticality experiments on multiplying systems modeling physical features of cores with UZrCN LEU (19.75% U-235) fuel have been prepared for use in works on fast reactors with gaseous and liquid-metal coolants. Critical assemblies represent uniform hexagonal lattices of fuel assemblies, each of which consists of 7 fuel rods and has no clad. The active fuel length is 500 mm. Clad material is stainless steel or Nb. Three types of fuel assemblies with different matrix material (air, aluminum and lead) are investigated. These are side radial, top and bottom reflectors – beryllium (internal layer) and stainless steel (external layer).
This article desribes the design of the experiment that will be performed in the SM-3 reactor and discusses the results of different calculations that have been performed to show that the experiment design will meet all objectives. The description of construction and composition of critical assemblies with UZrCN fuel and the calculation results are also presented.
About the Authors
S. N. Sikorin
Joint Institute for Power and Nuclear Research – Sosny of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
Belarus
Belarus
Head of the Laboratory of Experimental Physics and Nuclear Safety of Reactor Plants
PO 119, 220109, Minsk
A. V. Kuzmin
Joint Institute for Power and Nuclear Research – Sosny of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
Belarus
Belarus
Ph. D. (Physics and Mathematics), Director General
PO 119, 220109, Minsk
S. G. Mandzik
Joint Institute for Power and Nuclear Research – Sosny of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
Belarus
Belarus
Senior Researcher
PO 119, 220109, Minsk
S. A. Polazau
Joint Institute for Power and Nuclear Research – Sosny of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
Belarus
Belarus
Senior Researcher
PO 119, Minsk, 220109
T. K. Hryharovich
Joint Institute for Power and Nuclear Research – Sosny of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
Belarus
Belarus
Researcher
PO 119, 220109, Minsk
P. A. Zaytsev
Scientific Research Institute Scientific Industrial Association “LUCH”
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Ph. D. (Engineering), Director General
24, Zheleznodorozhnaya Str., 142100, Podolsk, Moscow Region
Sh. T. Tukhvatulin
Scientific Research Institute Scientific Industrial Association “LUCH”
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Ph. D. (Engineering), Deputy Director General for Research, Director of the Department
24, Zheleznodorozhnaya Str., 142100, Podolsk, Moscow Region
I. E. Galev
Scientific Research Institute Scientific Industrial Association “LUCH”
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Deputy Director of the Department
24, Zheleznodorozhnaya St, 142100, Podolsk, Moscow Region
A. N. Bakhin
Scientific Research Institute Scientific Industrial Association “LUCH”
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Ph. D. (Engineering), Head of the Laboratory
24, Zheleznodorozhnaya Str., 142100, Podolsk, Moscow Region
E. K. Diyakov
Scientific Research Institute Scientific Industrial Association “LUCH”
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
D. Sc. (Engineering), Chief Designer-Technologist
24, Zheleznodorozhnaya Str., 142100, Podolsk, Moscow Region
A. L. Izhutov
State Scientific Center – Research Institute of Atomic Reactors
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Ph. D. (Engineering), Deputy Director for Research
Zapadnoe Shosse Str., 9, 433510, Dimitrovgrad, Ulyanovsk Region
V. E. V. E. Alekseev
State Scientific Center – Research Institute of Atomic Reactors
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Researcher
Zapadnoe Shosse Str., 9, 433510, Dimitrovgrad, Ulyanovsk Region
D. Keiser
Idaho National Laboratory
United States
United States
Ph. D., Technical Specialist
2525 Fremont Ave, Idaho Falls, ID 83402
I. Bolshinsky
Idaho National Laboratory
United States
United States
Ph. D., Senior Technical Advisor
2525 Fremont Ave., Idaho Falls, ID 83402
Y. Gohar
Argonne National Laboratory
United States
United States
Ph. D., Program Director, Senior Nuclear Engineer, Argonne Distinguished Fellow
9700 S. Cass Avenue Lemont, IL 60439
References
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2. Briesmeister J. F. (ed.) MCNP – A General Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code, Version 4C. LANL Report LA13709-M, Los Alamos, 2000.
3. Application Description and User’s Manual for MCU-PD program. Report №36-10/30-11. NRC “Kurchatov Institute”, 2011. 569 p.
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