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An Empirical Approach to Bounding the Axial Reactivity Effects of PWR Spent Nuclear Fuel
An Empirical Approach to Bounding the Axial Reactivity Effects of PWR Spent Nuclear Fuel
One of the significant issues yet to be resolved for using
burnup credit ~BUC! for spent nuclear fuel ~SNF! is establishing
a set of depletion parameters that produce an adequately conservative
representation of the fuel’s isotopic inventory. Depletion
parameters ~such as local power, fuel temperature, moderator temperature,
burnable poison rod history, and soluble boron concentration!
affect the isotopic inventory of fuel that is depleted in a
pressurized water reactor ~PWR!. However, obtaining the detailed
Nondestructive Assay of Nuclear Low-Enriched Uranium Spent Fuels for Burnup Credit Application
Nondestructive Assay of Nuclear Low-Enriched Uranium Spent Fuels for Burnup Credit Application
Criticality safety analysis devoted to spent-fuel storage and transportation has to be conservative in order to be sure no accident will ever happen. In the spent-fuel storage field, the assumption of freshness has been used to achieve the conservative aspect of criticality safety procedures. Nevertheless, after being irradiated in a reactor core, the fuel elements have obviously lost part of their original reactivity. The concept of taking into account this reactivity loss in criticality safety analysis is known as burnup credit.
Investigation of the Effect of Fixed Absorbers on the Reactivity of PWR Spent Nuclear Fuel for Burnup Credit
Investigation of the Effect of Fixed Absorbers on the Reactivity of PWR Spent Nuclear Fuel for Burnup Credit
The effect of fixed absorbers on the reactivity of pressurized water reactor (PWR) spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in support of burnup-credit criticality safety analyses is examined. A fuel assembly burned in conjunction with fixed absorbers may have a higher reactivity for a given burnup than an assembly that has not used fixed absorbers. As a result, guidance on burnup credit, issued by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Spent Fuel Project Office, recommends restricting the use of burnup credit to assemblies that have not used burnable absorbers.
Used Fuel Management System Interface Analyses
Used Fuel Management System Interface Analyses
Preliminary system-level analyses of the interfaces between at-reactor used fuel management, consolidated storage facilities, and disposal facilities, along with the development of supporting logistics simulation tools, have been initiated to provide the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and other stakeholders with information regarding the various alternatives for managing used nuclear fuel (UNF) generated by the current fleet of light water reactors operating in the United States.
Categorization of Used Nuclear Fuel Inventory in Support of a Comprehensive National Nuclear Fuel Cycle Strategy
Categorization of Used Nuclear Fuel Inventory in Support of a Comprehensive National Nuclear Fuel Cycle Strategy
A technical assessment of the current inventory [~70,150 metric tons of heavy metal (MTHM) as of
2011] of U.S.-discharged used nuclear fuel (UNF) has been performed to support decisions regarding fuel
cycle strategies and research, development and demonstration (RD&D) needs. The assessment considered
discharged UNF from commercial nuclear electricity generation and defense and research programs and
determined that the current UNF inventory can be divided into the following three categories:
Effects of the Presence of Axial Blankets and Integral Burnable Absorbers on the End Effect of PWR Burnup Profiles
Effects of the Presence of Axial Blankets and Integral Burnable Absorbers on the End Effect of PWR Burnup Profiles
Limited Burnup Credit for Increased Fuel Enrichments in a Swiss PWR Storage Pool
Limited Burnup Credit for Increased Fuel Enrichments in a Swiss PWR Storage Pool
Research Supporting Implementation of Burnup Credit in Transport and Storage Casks
Research Supporting Implementation of Burnup Credit in Transport and Storage Casks
Comparison of Computational Estimations of Reactivity Margin from Fission Products and Minor Actinides in PWR Burnup Credit
Comparison of Computational Estimations of Reactivity Margin from Fission Products and Minor Actinides in PWR Burnup Credit
Impact of Integral Burnable Absorbers on PWR Burnup Credit Criticality Safety Analyses
Impact of Integral Burnable Absorbers on PWR Burnup Credit Criticality Safety Analyses
Parametric Study of Control Rod Exposure for PWR Burnup Credit Criticality Safety Analyses
Parametric Study of Control Rod Exposure for PWR Burnup Credit Criticality Safety Analyses
Spent Fuel Criticality Benchmark Experiments
Spent Fuel Criticality Benchmark Experiments
The Burn-Up Credit Experimental Programme REBUS
The Burn-Up Credit Experimental Programme REBUS
Addressing the Axial Burnup Distribution in PWR Burnup Credit Criticality Safety
Addressing the Axial Burnup Distribution in PWR Burnup Credit Criticality Safety
Reactivity End-Effects Estimates Using a K Perturbation Model
Reactivity End-Effects Estimates Using a K Perturbation Model
Criticality Safety Evaluation of Fuel Storage Pools in Spain
Criticality Safety Evaluation of Fuel Storage Pools in Spain
A Validated Methodology for Evaluating Burnup Credit in Spent Fuel Casks
A Validated Methodology for Evaluating Burnup Credit in Spent Fuel Casks
Uncertainties in Criticality Analysis Which Affect the Storage and Transportation of LWR Fuel
Uncertainties in Criticality Analysis Which Affect the Storage and Transportation of LWR Fuel
Generic Reactivity Equivalence of PWR Fuel in Spent Fuel Storage Racks
Generic Reactivity Equivalence of PWR Fuel in Spent Fuel Storage Racks
Conservative Axial Burnup Distributions for Actinide-Only Burnup Credit
Conservative Axial Burnup Distributions for Actinide-Only Burnup Credit
Research to Support Expansion of U.S. Regulatory Position on Burnup Credit for Transport and Storage Casks
Research to Support Expansion of U.S. Regulatory Position on Burnup Credit for Transport and Storage Casks
In 1999, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (U.S. NRC) initiated a research program
to support the development of technical bases and guidance that would facilitate the implementation of burnup
credit into licensing activities for transport and dry cask storage. This paper reviews the following major areas of
investigation: (1) specification of axial burnup profiles, (2) assumption on cooling time, (3) allowance for
assemblies with fixed and removable neutron absorbers, (4) the need for a burnup margin for fuel with initial
HTC Experimental Program: Validation and Calculational Analysis
HTC Experimental Program: Validation and Calculational Analysis
In the 1980s a series of the Haut Taux de Combustion (HTC) critical experiments with fuel pins in a water-moderated lattice was conducted at the Apparatus B experimental facility in Valduc (Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, France) with the support of the Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire and AREVA NC. Four series of experiments were designed to assess profit associated with actinide-only burnup credit in the criticality safety evaluation for fuel handling, pool storage, and spent-fuel cask conditions.
Validation Issues for Depletion and Criticality Analysis in Burnup Credit
Validation Issues for Depletion and Criticality Analysis in Burnup Credit
This paper reviews validation issues associated with implementation of burnup credit in transport, dry storage,
and disposal. The issues discussed are ones that have been identified by one or more constituents of the
United States technical community (national laboratories, licensees, and regulators) that have been exploring the
use of burnup credit. There is not necessarily agreement on the importance of the various issues, which
sometimes is what creates the issue. The broad issues relate to the paucity of available experimental data