Abstracts and Available Papers Presented at the
2002 International RERTR Meeting

FEASIBILITY STUDY OF USING OF LOW ENRICHED URANIUM FUEL FOR RESEARCH REACTOR IN SOFIA

T. Apostolov, S. Belousov

Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy of Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

72 Tzarigradsko shosse, 1784 Sofia, Bulgaria

ABSTRACT

The results of the study of arrangement of the reactor core of pool type Research Reactor 200 kW in Sofia are presented. The number of planned horizontal experimental channels of Research Reactor is equal to 8 and vertical ones to 9. The beginning of study performed for fresh IRT2M tabular fuel assemblies containing highly enriched uranium with 36% enrichment is presented. The core modelling calculations are performed by the MCNP4C code. The IRT-2M fuel assembly modelling is tested by experimental data. The configuration of the reactor core including three-tube and four-tube fuel assemblies as well as beryllium blocks is analysed.

The aspects of feasibility of using of developed in Russia pin-type fuel assemblies IRT-MR with low enriched uranium (LEU<20%) in core design instead of IRT-2M ones are discussed.

---

---