PROSPECT OF URANIUM NITRIDE FOR PRESSURIZED WATER REACTOR (PWR)

• Main Author: DEWI SYARIFAH (NIM :20211003) ; Pembimbing Prof. Dr. Eng. Zaki Su'ud, RATNA
• Format: Theses
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/19236
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

A small Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) core loaded with uranium <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> nitride fuel (UN) and mixed nitride fuel (UN-PuN), Pa-231 as a material burnable <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> poison, and Americium as a addition of minor actinide has been performed. Pa- <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> 231 known as actinide material, have large capture cross section and capability to <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> convert into fissile material that can decrease excess reactivity. Americium is one <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> of minor actinide which have long half life. The objective of adding americium is <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> to decrease nuclear spent fuel in the world. The neutronic analysis results of <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> infinite cell calculation shows that mixed nitride fuel have k-inf greater than <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> uranium nitride fuel. It caused by the addition of Pu-239 in mixed nitride fuel. In <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> fuel fraction analysis, the optimum fuel fraction are 50% fuel fraction, 20% <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> cladding and 30% moderator. For the addition of Pa-231 and Americium, the <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> lowest excess reactivity for UN when enrichment U-235 9%, Pa-231 1% and Am <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> 1%, the excess reactivity is 7,5%. And for mix nitride fuel, when enrichment U- <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> 235 1%, Pa-231 20% and Am 12%, the excess reactivity is 3,7%. In core <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> configuration, it's better to use heterogeneous than homogeneous core <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> configuration, because the radial power distribution is flatter.