• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.749-755
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• 2023

A new approximation method was proposed for treating the non-resonant spatial self-shielding effects of double heterogeneous region such as the double heterogeneous effect of VHTR fuel compact in the thermal energy range and that of BP compact with BISO. The method was developed based on the effective homogenization method and a spherical unit cell model with explicit coated layers and a matrix layer. The self-shielding factor was derived from the relation between the collision probabilities for a double heterogeneous compact and the effective cross section for the homogenized compact. First, the collision probabilities and transmission probabilities for all layers of the spherical model were calculated using conventional collision probability solver. Then, the effective cross section for the homogenized sphere cell representing the homogenized compact was obtained from the transmission probability calculated using the probability density function of a chord length. The verification calculations revealed that the proposed method can predict the self-shielding factor with a maximum error of 2.3% and the double heterogeneous effect with a maximum error of 200 pcm in the typical VHTR problems with various packing fractions and BP compact sizes.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.1464-1470
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• 2022

This paper presents a high performance burnable absorber named as CIMBA (Cylindrically Inserted and Mechanically Separated Burnable Absorber) for the soluble-boron-free SMR. The CIMBA is the cylindrical gadolinia inserted into the annular fuel pellets. Although the CIMBA utilizes the spatial self-shielding effect of the fuel material, a large reactivity upswing occurs when the gadolinia is depleted. To minimize the reactivity swing of the CIMBA-loaded FA, two approaches were investigated. One is controlling the spatial self-shielding effect of the CIMBA as burnup proceeds by a multi-layered structure of the CIMBA (ML-CIMBA) and the other is the mixed-loading of two different types of CIMBA (MIX-CIMBA). Both approaches show promising performances to minimize the reactivity swing, where the MIX-CIMBA is more preferable due to its simpler fabrication process. In conclusion, the MIX-CIMBA is expected to accelerate the commercialization of the CIMBA and can be used to achieve an optimal soluble-boron-free SMR core design.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.1287-1300
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• 2017

Based on the observation that ignoring the angle dependency of multigroup resonance cross sections within a fuel pellet would result in nontrivial underestimation of the spatial self-shielding of flux, a parametrized spectral superhomogenization (SPH) factor library (PSSL) method is developed as a practical means of resolving the problem. Region-wise spectral SPH factors are calculated by the normal and transport corrected SPH iterations after ultrafine group slowing down calculations over various light water reactor pin-cell configurations. The parametrization is done with fuel temperature, U-238 number density, fuel radius, moderator source represented by ${\Sigma}_{mod}V_{mod}$, and the number density ratio of resonance nuclides to that of U-238 in a form of resonance interference correction factors. The parametrization is successful in that the root mean square errors of the interpolated SPH factors over the fuel regions of various pin-cells are within 0.1%. The improvement in reactivity error of the PSSL method is shown to be superior to that by the original SPH method in that the reactivity bias of -200 pcm to -300 pcm vanishes almost completely. It is demonstrated that the environment effect takes only about 4% in the reactivity improvement so that the pin-cell based PSSL method is effective in the assembly problems.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.8
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• pp.3144-3154
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• 2024

The development of soluble boron-free (SBF) operation in the innovative Small Modular Reactor (i-SMR) requires effective strategies for managing excess reactivity over extended operational cycles. This paper introduces a practical approach to reactor core design for SBF operation in i-SMR, emphasizing the use of gadolinia burnable absorbers (BA). The study investigates the feasibility of Highly Intensive and Discrete Gadolinia/Alumina Burnable Absorber (HIGA) rods for controlling excess reactivity sustainably. Through comprehensive analysis and simulations, the reactivity behavior with varying quantities of HIGA rods is examined, leading to the development of optimized fuel assembly designs. Furthermore, the integration of HIGA rods with integral gadolinia BA rods is discussed to enhance reactivity control and operational flexibility further. This approach utilizes the spatial self-shielding effect of gadolinia for extended reactivity management, crucial for stable and efficient reactor performance. The paper thoroughly addresses core design considerations, including fuel assembly configurations and control rod patterns, to ensure safety and performance in initial and reload cycles. This research advances the development of SBF operation in i-SMR by offering practical reactivity management solutions.