GEFEST800 Software Complex for Performing Real-Time Neutron-Physical Calculations of the BN-800 Reactor in a Stationary Regime

Abstract

The GEFEST800 software-hardware system was developed for performing real-time neutron-physical calculations of the BN-800 sodium-cooled fast reactor, viz. calculations of the effective breeding ratio, maximum reactivity excess, effi ciency of single and groups of control rods, total, specifi c, and linear density of power release in fuel assemblies, coeffi cients of nonuniformity of energy release in fuel assemblies and the reactor, damaging dose of irradiation of fuel assemblies, fuel burnup, reactivity coeffi cients (temperature, power, density) and void effect of reactivity, effective delayed-neutron fraction, characteristics of transient processes for normal operating regimes, residual energy release, activity of spent fuel assemblies, and others. The software-hardware system provides for calculations of normal operating regimes (stationary and nonstationary regimes at the lowest controllable power level and at power while controlling transient processes with rods, fuel burnup). The software-hardware system for computational tracking of BN-800 reactor operation was developed to determine the neutron-physical and thermohydraulic characteristics of BN-800 and to automate the process of collecting, analyzing, storing, and furnishing information on all fuel assemblies in the core from the start to fi nish of the operation of the reactor facility. The GEFEST800 software-hardware system was developed for performing real-time neutron-physical calculations of the BN-800 sodium-cooled fast reactor, viz. the effective breeding ratio, maximum reactivity excess, effi ciency of single and groups of control rods, total, specifi c, and linear density of power release in fuel assemblies, coeffi cients of nonuniformity of energy release in fuel assemblies and the reactor, damaging dose of irradiation of fuel assemblies, fuel burnup, reactivity coeffi cients (temperature, power, density) and void effect of reactivity, effective delayed-neutron fraction, characteristics of transient processes for normal operating regimes, residual energy release, activity of spent fuel assemblies, and others. The software-hardware complex provides for calculations of normal operating regimes (stationary and nonstationary regimes at the lowest controllable power level and at power while controlling transient processes with control rods, fuel burnup). The present variant of the GEFEST800 system is an elaboration of its preceding versions for the BN-600 reactor [1]. The software-hardware system has a modular structure. The primary modules are modules for preparing the neutron 1 Institute of Problems in the Safe Development of Nuclear Energy, Russian Academy of Sciences (IBRAE RAN), Moscow, Russia. 2 State Science Center of the Russian Federation – Leipunskii Institute for Physics and Power Engineering (GNTs RF – FEI), Obninsk, Russia. 3 All-Russia Research Institute for Operation of Nuclear Power Plants (VNIIAES), Moscow, Russia.