Possibility of Different Fuel Cycles Usage in GT-MHR

Abstract

The GT-MHR reactor core is characterized by flexibility of neutronic characteristics at the given average power density and fixed geometrical dimensions of reactor core. Such flexibility makes it possible to start the reactor operation with one fuel cycle, and then to turn to another type of core fuel load without changes of main reactor elements: fuel block design, core and reflector size, control rod number etc. Preliminary analysis reindicates the commercial viability of the GT-MHR, part of which is due to the ability to accommodate different fuel types and cycles. This paper presents the results of studies of the neutronic characteristics of reactor cores using different fuel (low- and high-enriched uranium, MOX fuel). Comparison of different fuel cycles is carried out for a three-batch refueling option with respect to following characteristics: discharged fuel burnup, reactivity change during one partial cycle of fuel burnup, consumption of fissile isotopes per unit of produced energy, power distribution, reactivity effects, control rods worth. It is shown, that the considered options of fuel loads provide the three-year fuel campaign (with accounting of capacity factor ∼ 0,8) without change of core design, number and design of control rods at transition from the one fuel type to another.

Possibility of operating GT-MHR with different fuels

“…From this standpoint, an amount of fuel which would give the maximum power production at minimum cost should be loaded into the reactor. On the basis of this objective a fuel load for one fuel compact was chosen to study fuel cycles [5].…”

“…The fuel compositions which were used and are presented in Table 1 cover a wide spectrum of possible combinations of fissile and breeding isotopes [5,6].…”