Open AccessExperimental Estimation of Moderator Temperature Coefficient of the IPEN-MB-01 Reactor
Author(s) -
Rubens Cavalcante da Silva
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
brazilian journal of radiation sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2319-0612
DOI - 10.15392/bjrs.v7i2b.615
Subject(s) - research reactor , thermocouple , materials science , temperature coefficient , nuclear engineering , rod , analytical chemistry (journal) , core (optical fiber) , neutron moderator , neutron temperature , neutron , chemistry , nuclear physics , neutron cross section , composite material , physics , chromatography , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology , engineering
The aim of this article is to present the procedure for the experimental estimation of the Moderator Temperature Coefficient of Reactivity of the IPEN/MB-01 Research Reactor, a parameter that has an important role in the physics and the control operations of any reactor facility. At the experiment, the IPEN/MB-01 reactor went critical at the power of 1W (1% of its total power), and whose core configuration was 28x26 rectangular array of UO2 fuel rods, inside a light water (moderator) tank. In addition, there was a heavy water (D2O) reflector installed in the West side of the core to obtain an adequate neutron reflection along the experiment. The moderator temperature was increased in steps of 4oC, and the measurement of the mean moderator temperature was acquired using twelve calibrated thermocouples, placed around the reactor core. As a result, the mean value of -4.81 pcm/°C was obtained for such coefficient. The curves of ρ(T) (Reactivity x Temperature) and (Moderator Temperature Coefficient of Reactivity x Temperature) were developed using data from an experimental measurement of the integral reactivity curves through the Stable Period and Inverse Kinetics Methods, that was carried out at the reactor with the same core configuration. Such curves were compared and showed a very similar behavior between them.