Abstracts and Available Papers Presented at the
1999 International RERTR Meeting

NEUTRONIC SAFETY AND TRANSIENT ANALYSES FOR POTENTIAL LEU
CONVERSION OF THE IR-8 RESEARCH REACTOR

J. R. Deen, N. A. Hanan, R. S. Smith and J. E. Matos
Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne, IL, USA 60349-4815

and

P. M. Egorenkov and V. A. Nasonov
Russian Research Centre “Kurchatov Institute”
Reactor Technology and Material Research Institute
Moscow 123182, Russia

ABSTRACT

Kinetic parameters, isothermal reactivity feedback coefficients and three transients for the IR-8 research reactor cores loaded with either HEU(90%), HEU(36%), or LEU (19.75%) fuel assemblies (FA) were calculated using three dimensional diffusion theory flux solutions, RELAP5/MOD3.2 and PARET. The prompt neutron generation time and effective delayed neutron fractions were calculated for fresh and beginning-of-equilibrium-cycle cores. Isothermal reactivity feedback coefficients were calculated for changes in coolant density, coolant temperature and fuel temperature in fresh and equilibrium cores. These kinetic parameters and reactivity coefficients were used in transient analysis models to predict power histories, and peak fuel, clad and coolant temperatures. The transients modeled were a rapid and slow loss-of-flow, a slow reactivity insertion, and a fast reactivity insertion.

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