ORNL/SUB/00-85B99398V-11

Mission MOX Fuel Physics Design—Preliminary Equilibrium MOX AssemblyDesign and Expected Operating Power

for Existing Balakovo FuelManagement Scheme

A. M. Pavlovichev

A Russian Contribution to theFissile Materials Disposition Program

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ORNL/SUB/00-85B99398V-11

MISSION MOX FUEL PHYSICS DESIGN—PRELIMINARYEQUILIBRIUM MOX ASSEMBLY DESIGN AND EXPECTED

OPERATING POWER FOR EXISTING BALAKOVO FUELMANAGEMENT SCHEME

A. M. Pavlovitchev

Date Published: September 2001

Prepared byRussian Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”

Institute of Nuclear Reactorsunder subcontract 85B-99398V

Funded byOffice of Fissile Materials Disposition

U.S. Department of Energy

Prepared forComputational Physics and Engineering Division

OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORYOak Ridge, Tennessee 37831

managed byUT-BATTELLE, LLC

for theU.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGYunder contract DE-AC05-00OR2272

Review of Mission MOX Fuel Physics Design—Preliminary Equilibrium MOX AssemblyDesign and Expected Operating Power for Existing Balakovo Fuel Management Schemeby D. T. Ingersoll and R. T. Santoro, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

General Comments

The work appears to be technically correct. The results presented in the figures and tables areconsistent. The main criticism of the report is that it is not a “stand-alone” document. For example,after the introduction, the results are presented with no clear indication of how the data were obtained.The author does not explain the sequence in which the calculations were carried out although he didmention the use of several codes, including attempts to benchmark them.

It is suggested that future documents either provide a complete set of references or follow a moresystematic approach such as the following:

IntroductionMethods of Calculation

Include descriptions of the codes and data and details on the reactor models.Discussion of Results

Include discussion of uncertainties.Conclusions

Corrections to Acronyms for Consistency

Change the following terms:

x “Russian authority for nuclear safety” to “Russian Authority for Nuclear Safety”x “Mixed Oxide (uranium-plutonium fuel)” to “Mixed Oxide (Uranium-Plutonium Fuel)”x “Zirconium fuel for cladding” to “Zirconium Fuel for Cladding”x “Russian water-water reactor” to “Russian Water-Water Reactor”

Text Comments

1. Page 5, paragraph 1, line 1: Add “,” after “handling.”2. Page 5, paragraph 1, line 3: Change “power value” to “energy content.”3. Page 5, paragraph 2, suggested wording for first sentence: “Options for burning weapons grade

plutonium in VVER-, BN-, HTGR-type reactors are being developed in Russia.”4. Page 5, paragraph 2, suggested wording for second sentence: “Experience in the use of mixed

uranium-plutonium fuel gained in the West along with preliminary results obtained in Russia[1–3] show that …..”

5. Page 5, paragraph 3, suggested wording: “Russia has seven VVER-1000 in operation with a totalcapacity of 11GWE. Eleven of these reactors are in operation in the Ukraine and two are runningin Bulgaria. It is planned to put two additional VVER-1000 units into operation in Russia andat leas two into operation in the Ukraine before the tear 2003.”

6. Page 5, paragraph 4, suggested wording: “The core designs of all VVERs are essentially thesame. The main differences are in the number of control rods.”

7. Page 5, paragraph 5, suggested wording: “Therefore, it is used as the reference cycle…..”8. Page 5, paragraph 5, suggested wording: “Part 2 describes the main characteristics of the …..”9. Page 5, paragraph 6, suggested wording: “At present, extensive efforts are underway in Russia

on the VVER-1000 [5] advanced fuel cycle.”10. Page 5, paragraph 6, suggested wording: “…..control rods consisting of two parts: the upper

region comprised of B4C and the lower region comprised of Dy2O3·TiO2.”

11. Page 6, paragraph 1, line 1: Change “By present” to “At present.”12. Page 6, paragraph 1, line 1: Change “has” to “have.”13. Page 6, paragraph 1, suggested wording: “In Russia, the basic parameters for large-scale

implementation of advanced fuel cycles improved FAs and uranium-gadolinium fuel have beenestablished.– pilot operation of FAs with UGF is being conducted at the Balakovo NPP.––– in many VVER1000 reactors, low leakage loading patterns have been successfully used.”

14. Page 6, paragraph 3, suggested wording:“In Russia, calculational studies ……….Emphasis is placed on the most simple …….”

15. Page 6, paragraph 4, suggested wording:– Investigations by Russian and Western specialists have shown [1,2] that the ….––– …. between MOX and UOX FAs making it necessary to use …..”

16. Page 6, paragraph 4, line 2: Change “civil” to “civilian.”17. Page 7, paragraph 1, suggested wording:

“Code BIPR-7A ………samarium transients, etc., Code PERMAK-A ……power and burn-up distributions”

18. Page 7, paragraph 2, suggested wording:“……calculated errors in MOX fuelled core is a difficult task.Therefore, ……….current stage of code verification.Some years ago, ………….were engaged in code verification.”

19. Page 8, paragraph 1, suggested wording: “…..5% and 4% to lower the neutron multiplicationin fresh UOX and MOX FAs.”

20. Page 8, paragraph 5, suggested wording: “…..calculated errors associated with emergencysystems …….”

21. Page 8, paragraph 6, suggested wording: “…..Boron-10 content in the upper part of thecombined absorber was varied from natural boron to 80 wt % enriched boron.”

22. Table 1. Use the notation wt % throughout.23. Table C.1 (continuation 2), last row should read: “Lifetime of prompt neutrons, sec*10–5”24. Page 13, Fig. 4: Should define symbols on graph axes (Kq, Kv, etc.).25. Page 14, Table 2: Should specify core height values corresponding to rows.26. Page 20, first set of conclusions, suggested wording:

First bullet: “The equilibrium fuel cycle is reviewed on the basis of ………..”“The principle of direct replacement of UOX fuel with MOX …..”

Third bullet: “In the equilibrium fuel cycle, eleven UOX assemblies burn-up during threecycles, nineteen U assemblies burn-up during four cycles, and eighteen MOXassemblies (all in the core center) burn-up in three cycles.”

Fourth bullet: “……are located in parts of the UOX assemblies ………….and to additionallyflatten the power distribution.”

Fifth bullet: “…….upper part comprised of B4C and the lower part comprised ofDy2O3·TiO2.”

Sixth bullet: “Some of the irradiated samples are placed in the core periphery close to thereactor vessel to lower the neutron fluence in the vessel.”

27. Page 18, Table 4: Need to define “(RO)AP.”28. Page 20, second set of conclusions, suggested wording: “……1/3 MOX core is summarized in

Table C.1. For comparison, …….”

29. Page 21, third bullet: Change “Mox” to “MOX.”30. Page 21, suggested wording for first bullet: “…..deposition is about 270 kg in both options.”31. Page 22, suggested wording for second bullet: “prompt neutrons are 10% lower in MOX …”32. Page 23, Table C.1: Change “Annular plutonium” to “Annual plutonium.”

ORNL/SUB/00-85B99398V-11

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