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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.net.2018.10.022

Neutronic study of utilization of discrete thorium-uranium fuel pins in CANDU-6 reactor  

Deng, Nianbiao (School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of South China)
Yu, Tao (School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of South China)
Xie, Jinsen (School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of South China)
Chen, Zhenping (School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of South China)
Xie, Qin (School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of South China)
Zhao, Pengcheng (School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of South China)
Liu, Zijing (School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of South China)
Zeng, Wenjie (School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of South China)
Publication Information
Nuclear Engineering and Technology / v.51, no.2, 2019 , pp. 377-383 More about this Journal
Abstract
Targeting at simulating the application of thorium-uranium (TU) fuel in the CANDU-6 reactor, this paper analyzes the process using the code DRAGON/DONJON where the discrete TU fuel pins are applied in the CANDU-6 reactor under the time-average equilibrium refueling. The results show that the coolant void reactivity of the assembly analyzed in this paper is lower than that of 37-element bundle cell with natural uranium and 37-element bundle cell with mixed TU fuel pins; that the max time-average channel/bundle power of the core meets the limits - less than 6700kW/860 kW; that the fuel conversion ratio is higher than that of the CANDU-6 reactor with natural uranium; and that the exit burnup increases to 13400 MWd/tU. Thus, the simulation in this paper with the fuel in the 37-element bundle cell using discrete TU fuel pins can be considered to be applied in CANDU-6 reactor with adequate modifications of the core structure and operating modes.
Keywords
Th-U fuel; CANDU; Assembly schemes; Core schemes; Time-average model;
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