研究设计了基于中国实验快堆(China Experimental Fast Reactor, CEFR)的小型“行波”概念堆。采用中子输运程序MCNP和点燃耗程序ORIGEN2的耦合程序进行堆芯设计,重点研究了不同点火组件的富集度和不同布料方案对小型堆的物理参数的影响,设计堆芯寿期为30a,并给出相应的倒料方案。不同点火组件富集度对比结果表明,小堆需要选取合适的富集度,富集度太低无法维持临界,而太高会影响堆芯增殖效应;而低泄漏和棋盘式布料两种方式对比结果表明,后者的增殖组件增殖效应明显高于前者。最终确定倒料周期为8a,倒料三次,堆芯实现较长寿期,且整个寿期内反应性变化小,各组件燃耗深度相对均匀,组件平均卸料燃耗深度约为238MWD/kgHM。
Background: Traveling wave reactor is a new-type advanced nuclear reactor utilizing depleted uranium or natural uranium as the fuel. However, there are few researches on the small traveling wave reactor with radial shuffling. Purpose: This study aims to design a small traveling wave reactor core and the corresponding radial shuffling schemeto achieve a long service life of 30 a at least and deep burnup of assemblies. Methods: A coupled code of MCNP code and ORIGEN2 was utilized as the means of core design. A conceptual core design of small traveling wave reactor was studied with emphasis on the influence factors of enrichment and distribution of fuel assemblies to the physical parameters of reactor, based on the China Experimental Fast Reactor (CEFR). Results: Study on the enrichment of burning assemblies shows that the small reactor needs appropriately enrichment. It cannot be critical if enrichment is too low and the breeding of the core decreases if it is too high. Compared the low leakage with the board type layout, it reveals that both of the power distribution are similar while the breeding assemblies in the latter own better breeding characteristic. Finally, the reactivity of the designed core varies slightly in the whole life and the discharge burnups of different fuel assemblies are relatively close to each other and the average burnup is about 238 MWD/kgHM. Conclusion: A small traveling wave reactor core with 30-a life is designed. The shuffling schemes with 8 a makes the discharge burnup of assemblies uniform and deep relatively.