<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>An analysis of the influence of addition of minor actinides (MA) to the fast reactor fuel on the most important safety characteristics was performed. A special emphasis was given to the total control rods worth in order to describe qualitatively and quantitatively its change with MA content. All computations were performed with a homogeneous assembly model of modified BN-600 sodium-cooled fast reactor core with 0, 3 and 6% of MA. A model was prepared for the Monte Carlo neutron transport code MCNP5 for fresh fuel in the beginning-of-life (BOL) state. Additionally, some other parameters, such as Doppler constant, sodium void reactivity, delayed neutron fraction, neutron fluxes and neutron spectra distribution, were computed and their change with MA content was investigated. Study indicates that the total control rods worth (CRW) decreases with increasing MA inventory in the fuel and confirms that the addition of MA has a negative effect on the delayed neutron fraction.</p></abstract>

An analysis of the influence of addition of minor actinides (MA) to the fast reactor fuel on the most important safety characteristics was performed. A special emphasis was given to the total control rods worth in order to describe qualitatively and quantitatively its change with MA content. All computations were performed with a homogeneous assembly model of modified BN-600 sodium-cooled fast reactor core with 0, 3 and 6% of MA. A model was prepared for the Monte Carlo neutron transport code MCNP5 for fresh fuel in the beginning-of-life (BOL) state. Additionally, some other parameters, such as Doppler constant, sodium void reactivity, delayed neutron fraction, neutron fluxes and neutron spectra distribution, were computed and their change with MA content was investigated. Study indicates that the total control rods worth (CRW) decreases with increasing MA inventory in the fuel and confirms that the addition of MA has a negative effect on the delayed neutron fraction.

Minor actinides impact on basic safety parameters of medium-sized sodium-cooled fast reactor

Institute of Heat Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, 21/25 Nowowiejska Str., 00-665, Warsaw, Poland, Tel./Fax: +48 22 234 5297

Nukleonika

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

An analysis of the influence of addition of minor actinides (MA) to the fast reactor fuel on the most important safety characteristics was performed. A special...

Minor actinides impact on basic safety parameters of medium-sized sodium-cooled fast reactor

Published Online: Mar 12, 2015

Page range: 171 - 179

Received: Apr 25, 2014

Accepted: Jan 23, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/nuka-2015-0034

Keywords
fast reactor safety, MCNP5, sodium-cooled fast reactor, nuclear waste transmutation

© Piotr Darnowski, Nikolaj Uzunow

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Minor actinides impact on basic safety parameters of medium-sized sodium-cooled fast reactor

Published Online: Mar 12, 2015

Page range: 171 - 179

Received: Apr 25, 2014

Accepted: Jan 23, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/nuka-2015-0034

Keywordsfast reactor safety, MCNP5, sodium-cooled fast reactor, nuclear waste transmutation

© Piotr Darnowski, Nikolaj Uzunow

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
fast reactor safety, MCNP5, sodium-cooled fast reactor, nuclear waste transmutation