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Study on the Characteristics of Effective Delayed Neutron Fraction (βeff) for Pebble-Bed Reactor with Plutonium Fuel

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Abstract

A current effort focused on mechanisms of maximizing plutonium consumption is one of the solutions to control large stockpile of plutonium produced from nuclear power plants and military programs. The pebble-bed reactor with plutonium fuel is a unique case in the high-temperature reactors intended to reduce the concentration of plutonium that has been accumulated in the world. However, the plutonium core with tendency to produce a lower effective delayed neutron fraction (βeff), which is a crucial parameter in reactor safety, should be examined. The purpose of this study is to investigate the characteristics of effective delayed neutron fraction (βeff) for pebble-bed reactor with plutonium fuel. The uranium and thorium contents with a 1:1 and 1:2 ratio of heavy metal mass per pebble were combined into the plutonium core to study their effect on the characteristics of βeff. A series of calculations with various mass of plutonium per pebble were performed by using the MCNP6 code and ENDF/B-VII library. The βeff of pebble-bed reactor with plutonium fuel and its combination with uranium and thorium fuels were analyzed in term of core safety aspect because it could affect the transient behavior into a fatal accident situation.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Dr. Geni Rina Sunaryo and Dr. Syaiful Bakhri for their continued motivation and support in conducting this research. Moral encouragements from our colleagues in the division of reactor physics and technology are highly appreciated. This research work was financially supported by the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education, Republic of Indonesia through INSINAS-Flagship program and DIPA-PTKRN BATAN FY 2019.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Nuclear Reactor Technology and Safety – BATAN, Puspiptek Area, Office Building No. 80, Serpong, Tangerang Selatan, 15310, Indonesia

    Zuhair,  Suwoto & Topan Setiadipura

  2. NUCLIC – Nuclear Innovation Consultancy, Iepenlaan 129, 1741 TD, Schagen, The Netherlands

    Jim C. Kuijper

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  1. Zuhair
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  2. Suwoto
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  3. Topan Setiadipura
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  4. Jim C. Kuijper
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Correspondence to Zuhair.

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Zuhair, Suwoto, Setiadipura, T. et al. Study on the Characteristics of Effective Delayed Neutron Fraction (βeff) for Pebble-Bed Reactor with Plutonium Fuel. Iran J Sci Technol Trans Sci 43, 3037–3045 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40995-019-00772-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40995-019-00772-8

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