VVER-1000 FUEL CYCLES: CURRENT SITUATION AND PERSPECTIVE
24th Symposium of AER on VVER Reactor Physics and Reactor Safety (2014, Sochi, Russia)
Fuel management issues
Abstract
VVER-1000 FUEL CYCLES: CURRENT SITUATION AND PERSPECTIVE
Volkov E.S., Kosourov E.K., Pavlov V.I., Pavlovichev A.M., Spirkin E.I, Shcherenko Anastasia I.
NRC “Kurchatov Institute”, Moscow, Russia
Over the last years works were underway on increasing of FA uranium capacity and the thermal power for operating VVER-1000 reactor units and on development of new projects with use of VVER-1000 technologies. In the report current state of the fuel cycle (core configurations, general neutronics characteristics and other) is described, examples of fuel cycles that are used and planned to use on operating reactor units and NPPs which are under construction are given. Problems of fuel cycles choice for maintenance the possibility of units to work in maneuverable mode are considered.
Implementation features (in terms of neutronics characteristics) of the 18-month fuel cycle under reactor operation on 104 % of the nominal power level are given. The results of optimization of burnable poison distribution within the FA are discussed in respect to this operating mode.
In the conclusion the prospect of used and proposed engineering solutions for improvement of the VVER-1000 fuel cycle is assessed.