Title :
Effect of Reactor Fuel Enrichment on Gamma Heating of Irradiated Samples
Author :
Varvayanni, Melpomeni ; Savva, Panayiota ; Catsaros, Nicolas ; Antonopoulos-Domis, Michael
Author_Institution :
Nat. Centre for Sci. Res. Demokritos, Inst. of Nucl. Technol.-Radiat. Protection, Aghia Paraskevi, Greece
Abstract :
Assessment of the gamma heating deposited on samples irradiated in material testing reactors is basic safety issue. The GHRRC (Gamma Heating in Research Reactor Cores) code developed in NCSR ¿Demokritos¿ is used here to estimate the relative importance of the mechanisms contributing to the total gamma heating of the irradiated material, for a core fuelled with Low (LEU) and with High Enrichment Uranium (HEU). The Greek Research Reactor core configuration with a 13% burnup has been assumed for the numerical experiments. The gamma heating of a Fe sample irradiated near the core center is examined. The heating components due to fission gammas, capture gammas and gamma dose build-up in the core are compared with respect to the fuel enrichment. Although individual components are found higher either in the LEU or in the HEU core, the total gamma heating is found comparable for the two fuel enrichments.
Keywords :
fission reactor cooling; fission reactor core control; fission reactor fuel preparation; fission reactor fuel reprocessing; fission reactor safety; fission reactor theory; fission research reactors; gamma-ray effects; nuclear engineering computing; uranium; Fe sample irradiation; GHRRC code; Gamma Heating in Research Reactor Cores; Greek Research Reactor core configuration; HEU core; High Enrichment Uranium; LEU; NCSR; U; cooling; gamma heating component; material testing reactors; reactor fuel enrichment; safety issue; Assembly; Fuels; Gamma rays; Heating; Inductors; Iron; Materials testing; Numerical simulation; Protection; Radiation safety; Core conversion; dose built-up; gamma heating processes; numerical simulation; reactor safety;
Journal_Title :
Nuclear Science, IEEE Transactions on
DOI :
10.1109/TNS.2009.2033912