2006 International RERTR Meeting

Abstracts and Available Papers Presented at the Meeting

Analyses for the Conversion of the Purdue University Reactor from HEU to LEU Fuel

J.H. Jenkins, J.W. Anglin, C.R. Glass
School of Nuclear Engineering
Purdue University, 400 Central Dr., West Lafayette, IN 47907 - USA

And

J.E. Matos, J.A. Stillman
RERTR Program
Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL - USA

ABSTRACT

Analyses were performed in preparation for the conversion of the Purdue University Research Reactor, PUR-1, from HEU U-Al alloy to LEU Silicide fuel. The culmination of these analyses was the submission of a conversion analysis proposal to the USNRC in August 2006, in preparation for conversion to LEU in the summer of 2007. This study concludes that the replacement of the sixteen HEU assemblies, which contain 10 plates, with sixteen assemblies containing up to 14 plates, will allow for similar safety and performance as the HEU core. The analyses were performed by students and staff at the PUR-1 facility, with the support of the RERTR program at the Argonne National Laboratory.

PUR-1 is a pool-type reactor that was built for Purdue by the Lockheed Nuclear Corporation in 1962. It was designed for operation at 10 kW, but is licensed for 1 kW operation. The reactor serves the training, education and research needs of the School of Nuclear Engineering at Purdue University.

 

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