Varivtcev A.V., Zhemkov I.Yu.
JSC “State Scientific Center – Research Institute of Atomic Reactors”, Dimitrovgrad, Russia
Experimental FA containing elements with effective neutron moderator (zirconium hydride) is proposed for new nuclear fuel types testing in the BOR-60 reactor. To justify the efficiency and safety of the proposed design to be used in the BOR-60 core, neutronic calculations were done using MCU code.
The calculation results show that the proposed EFA design makes it possible to increase the heat rate and fuel burnup rate significantly (by about 50%). It will also allow enlarging the BOR-60 capabilities in testing promising nuclear fuels.
As for the standard FA fuel pins neighboring to the EFA with a moderator, they demonstrate an increase in the heat rate and fuel burnup rate. This effect is the most notable in the first three rows of fuel pins located close to the EFA but the limited liner power of the standard FA fuel pins is not exceeded.
The proposed design was tested in the BOR-60 core and the calculation results were experimentally confirmed.
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