Open AccessOPTIMIZATION OF IGNITION ZONE OF ADVANCED FAST REACTOR, WORKING IN NUCLEAR BURNING WAVE MODE
Author(s) -
S.P. Fomin,
A. I. Kirdin,
M. S. Malovytsia,
V. V. Pilipenko,
Н.Ф. Шульга
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
problems of atomic science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.216
H-Index - 17
eISSN - 1562-6016
pISSN - 1682-9344
DOI - 10.46813/2019-121-080
Subject(s) - ignition system , fissile material , nuclear engineering , mechanics , cylinder , neutron transport , mode (computer interface) , delayed neutron , neutron , diffusion , nuclear reactor , materials science , physics , nuclear physics , thermodynamics , engineering , neutron temperature , mechanical engineering , computer science , operating system
This article deals with the problem of optimizing composition and structure of the ignition zone of the fast reactor operating in the self-sustaining mode of nuclear burning wave with the purpose of its smooth start-up and reducing fissile material amount in initial assembly. The cylindrical homogeneous reactor with the ignition zone placed in the center or near the cylinder end is considered. The analysis has been performed basing on solving the non-stationary neutron diffusion equation together with the fuel burn-up equations and the equations of nuclear kinetics for precursor nuclei of delayed neutrons, with using the radial buckling approximation. An optimized structure of the ignition zone has been proposed, which ensures a smooth transition of the reactor to the self-sustaining nuclear burning wave mode, avoiding an excessive energy release, which is observed when using a simplified scheme of ignition zone. Comparison of the startup variants with the ignition zone at the cylinder end and at its center shows the benefits of the second one.