Nuclear Burning Wave Reactor: Smooth Start-Up Problem

Alex Fomin National Science Center “Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology”, Kharkov, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3631-0604
Sergey Fomin NSC “Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology” NASU, Kharkiv, Ukraine; V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Kharkiv, Ukraine
Yurii Mel’nik NSC “Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology” NASU, Kharkiv, Ukraine
V. V. Pilipenko NSC “Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology” NASU, Kharkiv, Ukraine
Nikolai Shul’ga NSC “Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology” NASU, Kharkiv, Ukraine

Keywords: fast reactor, nuclear burning wave, , smooth start-up method, intrinsic safety

Abstract

The search for a smooth start-up method preventing the excessive increase of neutron flux and power production in the prospective fast reactor at the stage of establishing the self-sustained nuclear burning wave (NBW) regime is carried out. The problem is studied by means of numerical simulation of the initiation and evolution of NBW in such a reactor. For this simulation we use the deterministic approach based on solving the non-stationary neutron diffusion equation using the effective multi-group approximation together with a set of burn-up equations for fuel components and equations of nuclear kinetics for precursor nuclei of delayed neutrons. The special composition of the ignition zone composition that provides a smooth start-up of the NBW reactor is proposed. The features of the initial stage of the NBW reactor are studied in detail.

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