Title: Performance of some operating parameters of a TRIGA research reactor in natural convective cooling

Authors: Amir Zacarias Mesquita; Hugo Cesar Rezende; André Augusto Campagnole Santos; Daniel Artur Pinheiro Palma

Addresses: Nuclear Technology Development Centre - CDTN, Brazilian Nuclear Energy Commission - CNEN, Campus da UFMG - Pampulha - P.O. Box 941, ZIP Code: 30.123-970, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil ' Nuclear Technology Development Centre - CDTN, Brazilian Nuclear Energy Commission - CNEN, Campus da UFMG - Pampulha - P.O. Box 941, ZIP Code: 30.123-970, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil ' Nuclear Technology Development Centre - CDTN, Brazilian Nuclear Energy Commission - CNEN, Campus da UFMG - Pampulha - P.O. Box 941, ZIP Code: 30.123-970, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil ' Nuclear Technology Development Centre - CDTN, Brazilian Nuclear Energy Commission - CNEN, Campus da UFMG - Pampulha - P.O. Box 941, ZIP Code: 30.123-970, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil

Abstract: In order to study the safety aspects connected with the permanent increase of the maximum steady state power of the IPR-R1 TRIGA Reactor of the Nuclear Technology Development Centre (CDTN) at Belo Horizonte (Brazil), experimental measures were performed with the reactor working in power steps from 'zero' power up to 265 kW. The experiments were performed with the pool forced cooling system turned off. A number of parameters were measured in real-time such as fuel and water temperatures, radiation levels, reactivity and influence of cooling system. This paper summarises the behaviour of the operational parameters and presents some of the recent results obtained. Information on all aspects of reactor operation was displayed on the Data Acquisition System (DAS) shown the IPR-R1 real-time performance. The DAS was developed to monitor and record all operational parameters. Information displayed on the monitor was recorded on hard disk in a historical database.

Keywords: TRIGA research reactors; fuel temperature; instrumented fuel elements; operating parameters; natural convection; convective cooling; nuclear safety; nuclear reactors; nuclear energy; nuclear power; water temperature; radiation levels; reactivity; Brazil.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNEST.2014.057904

International Journal of Nuclear Energy Science and Technology, 2014 Vol.8 No.1, pp.61 - 71

Received: 05 Apr 2013
Accepted: 09 Jun 2013
Published online: 24 Oct 2014 *

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