Critical configuration of a SMR based on CAREM 25 using the SERPENT code

• Published in: Nuclear engineering and design Vol. 423; p. 113192
• Main Authors: Antonio C. Lima, Marco, Henrice, Edson, Palma, Daniel A.P., Zacarias Mesquita, Amir
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.07.2024
• ISSN: 0029-5493
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nucengdes.2024.113192

•Boron-free SMR.•Critical configuration of a SMR.•Monte Carlo simulation.•Axial neutron flux shape.•Small Modular Reactors. In this paper, the simulation of a conceptual reactor based on the Argentinian prototype SMR CAREM 25 is presented. The reference reactor is a project of the National Atomic Energy Commission of Argentina (CNEA). CAREM 25 represents the strides made on the development and construction of SMRs in Latin America. The reason for choosing this particular model is that it fulfills the main requirement for a new reactor design, which is to secure inherent and passive safety features, making this technology reliable. Considering that, CAREM 25 is a PWR like, and the fact that a PWR (Pressurized Water Reactor) is the most advanced and commonly used technology, its compact size and inherent passive systems have made this model the object of investigation due to its proximity to the PWR behaviour. The PWR control mechanisms, however, differ from CAREM 25. PWR uses 2 mechanisms: control rods with absorbing material and boric acid diluted in the refrigerator; CAREM 25 is only controlled by the control rods. This implies that, in order to operate, the critical conditional of the reactor is determined only by the insertion or removal of the control rods. The goal of this work is to determine the configuration of the control rods that will make a reactor based on CAREM 25 critical for the following states: cold zero power (CZP), hot zero power (HZP) and hot full power (HFP). The simulations will use the Monte-Carlo code SERPENT. The code made it possible to achieve the control rods configuration in which the reactor is critical, to determinate the neutron flux shape for two energy groups and the effective multiplicative factor for each one of these states.