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Conference Article: HTR-N Reactor Physics and Fuel Cycle Studiies
J.C. Kuijper, J.B.M. de Haas, J. Oppe, NRG, Petten, THE NETHERLANDS; X. Raepsaet, F. Damian, F. Dolci, CEA, Saclay-Cadarache FRANCE; W. von Lensa, U. Ohlig, H.-J. Ruetten, H. Brockmann, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, GERMANY; W. Bernnat, Universität Stuttgart, IKE, Stuttgart, GERMANY; J.L. Kloosterman, Delft University of Technology, Delft, THE NETHERLANDS; N. Cerullo, G. Lomonaco, Universita di Pisa, Pisa, ITALY; A. Negrini, Ansaldo Energia S.p.A., Genova, ITALY; J. Magill, European Commision, JRC-ITU, Karlsruhe, GERMANY; R. Seiler, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, SWITZERLANDAbstract
The High-Temperature gas-cooled Reactor (HTR) is a promising concept for the next generation of nuclear power plants, and it is essential that validated analytical tools are available in the European nuclear community to perform conceptual design studies, industrial calculations (reload calculations and the associated core follow), safety analyses for licensing, etc., for new fuel cycles aiming at plutonium and minor actinide (MA) incineration/transmutation without multi-reprocessing of the discharged fuel. The “HTR-N” project of the European Union Fifth Framework Program includes activities concerning the validation of computational tools and the qualification of models. These activities are centred around the two HTR systems currently in operation, viz. the HTR-10 and the HTTR. The re-calculation of the HTTR first criticality with a Monte Carlo neutron transport code now yields acceptable correspondence with experimental data. Also calculations by 3-D diffusion theory codes yield acceptable results. Special attention, however, has to be given to the modelling of neutron streaming effects. For the HTR-10 the analyses focused on first criticality, temperature coefficients and control rod worth. Also in these studies a good correspondence between calculation and experiment is observed for the 3-D diffusion theory codes. In the “HTR-N” project also analyses have been performed on a number of conceptual HTR designs, derived from reference pebble bed and hexagonal block type HTR types. It is shown that several HTR concepts are quite promising as systems for the incineration of plutonium and possibly minor actinides. For the European Union Sixth Framework Program a new project “V/HTR-IP” (Very High Temperature Reactor - Integrated Project) has been proposed. The sub-project "Reactor Physics and Core Thermal-Hydraulics" is aiming at further validation of HTR core physics codes. This includes an extended temperature range, an extended burn-up range and the analysis of core transients.
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key words: HTR; EU Fifth Framework Program; HTTR; HTR-10; HTR-PROTEUS; Plutonium incineration; Power size
- Reference:
- Proceedings of the Conference on High Temperature Reactors, Beijing, China, September, 22-24, 2004
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria)
- HTR-2004, pp:1-42
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria)