Abstract

BATAN has three aging research reactors, so it is necessary to design a new, more modern MTR type reactor using high-density, low enrichment uranium molybdenum fuel. The thermal neutron flux at the irradiation position is an important concern in the design of research reactors. This analysis is performed using standard computer codes WIMSD-5B and Batan-FUEL. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of the core configuration with safety control rods and neutronic parameters using the diffusion method calculation. The reactor core consists of 16 fuel elements and four control rods placed in the 5 x 5 position of the grid plate and is loaded the reflector elements outside the core. The cycle length is also a concern, not less than 20 days, and the reactor can be operated safely with a power of 50 MW. The calculation results show that for the highest fuel loading, which is 450 grams of U7Mo/Al fuel with D2O as a reflector, it will provide the lowest thermal neutron flux at the center of the core irradiation position, namely 1.0 x1015 n/cm2s. The core fuel cycle length will be up to 39 days, meeting the expected acceptance and safety criteria.

Highlights

  • Nuclear technology is very beneficial for humans

  • One of the uses of nuclear technology is in a research reactor

  • The alternative design of the RRI core of this study is to use Material Testing Reactor (MTR) fuel with variations in the mass loading of the fuel, and the purpose of this study is to obtain the optimal configuration of the reactor core, which has a thermal neutron flux in the middle of the core 1.0 × 1015 n/cm2s at a power of 50 MW with fuel as high as 70 cm

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Summary

Introduction

Nuclear technology is very beneficial for humans. One of the uses of nuclear technology is in a research reactor. Research reactors are used for the production of radioisotopes for health, agricultural, industrial, and research purposes. Indonesia has three research reactors, two research reactors are the TRIGA types, and one is the MTR (Material Testing Reactor) type, RSG-GAS. The TRIGA type reactor no longer produces its fuel, while the RSG-GAS research reactor uses uranium silicide fuel. Uranium silicide fuels will no longer be used because of the very limited density that can be contained in a fuel assembly [1]. The world’s research reactors will switch to a new fuel, namely higher density uranium molybdenum (U7Mo/Al)

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