Abstract
Engineering design studies are underway to assess the feasibility of converting the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) to operate with low-enriched uranium silicide dispersion (LEU3Si2-Al) fuel. These studies are supported by the U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Material Management and Minimization. A systematic approach employing neutronic and thermal-hydraulic analyses has been performed with the ORNL Shift and HFIR Steady State Heat Transfer Code tools, respectively, to predict reactor performance and thermal safety margins for proposed LEU3Si2-Al fuel designs. The design process was initiated by generating an optimized design with fabrication features identified from previous studies that result in excellent performance and safety metrics. The approach continued by substituting a single fabrication feature anticipated to be difficult to manufacture with another feature expected to perform an analogous function to that of the removed feature. Four conceptual fuel element design candidates, with various fabrication features, for conversion of HFIR with 4.8 gU/cm3 LEU3Si2-Al fuel have been generated and shown to meet pre-defined performance and safety metrics. Results to date indicate that HFIR could convert with the subject fuel system and meet performance and safety requirements if, among other considerations, fabrication of the specific design features are demonstrated and qualification of the fuel is complete under HFIR-specific conditions.
Highlights
In collaboration with the U.S reactor conversion program, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has been performing engineering evaluations on the conversion of its High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) from high-enriched uranium (HEU) to low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel since 2005
A systematic approach employing neutronic and thermal-hydraulic analyses has been performed with the ORNL Shift Monte-Carlo based neutron transport and depletion tool [4, 5] and an updated version of the HFIR Steady State Heat Transfer Code [3, 6], respectively, to predict reactor performance and thermal safety margins for proposed LEU3Si2-Al fuel designs
Except for the fuel plate internal regions, the LEU cores are assumed identical to the current HEU core
Summary
In collaboration with the U.S reactor conversion program, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has been performing engineering evaluations on the conversion of its High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) from high-enriched uranium (HEU) to low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel since 2005. Established in 2015, the U.S Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Office of Material Management and Minimization (M3) continues to reduce the risk of HEU through, among other means, its. This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC under Contract No DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the U.S Department of Energy. The program has pursued conversion of the remaining U.S high-performance research reactors with a U-10Mo monolithic fuel. Due to fabrication concerns with the complex fuel design needed to convert HFIR, M3 requested ORNL to evaluate LEU U3Si2-Al (LEU3Si2-Al) dispersion fuel in the summer of 2017 for risk mitigation purposes. Four conceptual fuel element design candidates, with various fabrication features, have been generated and shown to meet pre-defined performance and safety metrics
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