Power Flattening on Design Study of Small Long-Life Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) with Tight Lattice Thorium Nitride Fuel

Abstract:

Preliminary study of thorium based fuel utilization with the addition of Pa-231 on tight lattice boiling water reactor (BWR) has been performed. In previous studies, the use of fuel composition Th-232 and U-233 as well as the use of protactinium as burnable poisons with hexagonal tight lattice fuel cell geometry has resulted the reactor life time of 30 years without refueling [1]. In this study, power flattening has been conducted on the reactor core by using radially heterogeneous fuel. Addition of the Pa-231 is expected to extend lifetime of the BWR core By optimizing the composition of the fuel elements (Th and Pa) at low moderation conditions (tight lattice) it can be obtained the reactor core which can be opeprated over 30 years without refueling or fuel shuffling. The Reactor core has a volume of 17,635.8 liter, power of 620 MWt, operating life of 30 and a maximum excess reactivity value of 0.384% dk/k, could be achieved by using a composition of U-233 enrichment of 8.1 to 11% and the addition of Pa-231 as much as 6.16 to 11.13% with a power density of 35.2 watts/cc.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volume 751)
• Pages: 257-262
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.751.257
• Online since: April 2015
• Authors: Nuri Trianti*, Su'ud Zaki, Idam Arif, Sidik Permana, Eka Sapta Riyana
• Keywords: Excess Reactivity, Long-Life Reactor, Power Density, Protactinium, Thorium

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