Title: Calculation of fuel burnup and excess reactivity using TRIGLAV code for the BAEC TRIGA research reactor

Authors: Md. Mizanur Rahman; Anisur Rahman; Shafiul Hossain; P.K. Das; Md. Ashraf Ali; Md. Abdul Malek Soner; Abdullah-Al-Mahmud

Addresses: Rooppur NPP Project, Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Ltd (NPCBL), Rooppur, Ishwardi, Pabna, Bangladesh ' Center for Research Reactor (CRR), Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE), Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC), Ganakbari, Savar, Dhaka 1349, Bangladesh ' Department of Physics, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1200, Bangladesh ' Department of Physics, Pabna University of Science and Technology (PUST), Pabna, Bangladesh ' Department of Physics, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET), Chittagong 4349, Bangladesh ' Center for Research Reactor (CRR), Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE), Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC), Ganakbari, Savar, Dhaka 1349, Bangladesh ' Center for Research Reactor (CRR), Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE), Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC), Ganakbari, Savar, Dhaka 1349, Bangladesh

Abstract: The TRIGLAV computer code, a computation analysis package tool, was used for the first time in BAEC TRIGA research reactor (BTRR) to calculate burnup and excess reactivity. Since its commissioning in 1986, the reactor has been operating around 800 megawatt days for research, education, training and radioisotope production without any reshuffling or reloading of core. In this study, the fuel burnup and excess reactivity for BTRR are calculated using TRIGLAV code. The calculated burnup result of TRIGLAV code is compared with the results of TRIGAP and MVP-BURN code to find out the usefulness of TRIGLAV code and the result is found reasonable. The calculated excess reactivity data is also compared with actual operational data and safety analysis report and were found in good agreement. The individual fuel burnup data can be used to reshuffle the fuel and the excess reactivity data to predict the core life. The calculated total burnup, identification of hottest fuel and excess reactivity data shows that the reactor can be operated safely for another 800 megawatt days regarding the requirement of burnup and excess reactivity.

Keywords: TRIGLAV; BTRR; excess reactivity; burnup; nuclear reactor.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNEST.2020.117699

International Journal of Nuclear Energy Science and Technology, 2020 Vol.14 No.4, pp.291 - 301

Received: 26 Jul 2020
Accepted: 28 Mar 2021
Published online: 21 Sep 2021 *

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