2013/09/27 by Yaniv Shaposhnik, Y. Shaposhnik, Eugene Shwageraus +5
Engineering · Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Instrumentation and Detectors (physics.ins-det) #Nuclear Engineering Thermal-Hydraulics #Nuclear Materials and Properties #Nuclear Theory (nucl-th) #Nuclear reactor physics and engineering #nucl-th #physics.ins-det
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1309.7214
Total number of pages: 36 Total number of tables: 13 Total number of figures: 21
arxiv created 2013/09/27 · openalex publication_date 2013/09/27 · arxiv updated 2013/09/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Several reactivity control system design options are explored in order to satisfy shutdown margin (SDM) requirements in a high conversion BWRs operating in Th-233U fuel cycle (Th-RBWR). The studied has an axially heterogeneous fuel assembly structure with a single fissile zone sandwiched between two fertile blanket zones. The utilization of an originally suggested RBWR Y-shape control rod in Th-RBWR is shown to be insufficient for maintaining adequate SDM to balance the high negative reactivity feedbacks, while maintaining fuel breeding potential, core power rating, and minimum Critical Power Ratio (CPR). Instead, an alternative assembly design, also relying on heterogeneous fuel zoning, is proposed for achieving fissile inventory ratio (FIR) above unity, adequate SDM and meeting minimum CPR limit at thermal core output matching the ABWR power. The new concept was modeled as a single 3-dimensional fuel assembly having reflective radial boundaries, using the BGCore system, which consists of the MCNP code coupled with fuel depletion and thermo-hydraulic feedback modules.