PWR advanced fuel high burnup-dependent xenon oscillation controllability assessment

• Published in: Annals of nuclear energy Vol. 124; pp. 592 - 605
• Main Author: Chang, G.S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2019
• Subjects: High burnup fuel; MCNP ORIGEN2.2 MOX; Stability; Xenon oscillation; GWd/t; MCNP ORIGEN2.2 MOX; FT; K-eff; L/A (1 σ); UO2; pcm; wt; High burnup fuel; mk; b; AD; Stability; K-inf; PWR; Xe-Δρ; nps; ΔK (±mk); EFPD; MOX; XS; FA; Xenon oscillation; SAFP; L/A
• ISSN: 0306-4549; 1873-2100
• DOI: 10.1016/j.anucene.2018.10.035

The controllability of xenon oscillations in a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) fuel assembly was evaluated using the MCNP and ORIGEN-2 codes. Burnup-dependent symmetrical cosine depleted nuclide profiles were generated for advanced high burnup uranium oxide (UO2) and mixed oxide (MOX) fuels. A Monte Carlo burnup coupling BASH script (MCOS) was used to calculate burnup-dependent neutron Fission Tally and 135Xe axial relative oscillation profiles. Burnup-dependent xenon oscillation controllability was then assessed for the advanced high-burnup UO2 and MOX fuels using MCOS-calculated xenon reactivity worth swing bands (ΔK) with respect to the mean. The advanced fuels xenon oscillation bands ΔK are bounded by the typical PWR uranium oxide fuel with 235U enrichment of 3.0 wt%. It has demonstrated that the typical PWR full/partial length control rod banks system’s reactivity can adequately control the high burnup advanced fuels xenon oscillation in full power operation.