Design, Development and Operating Experience of Thorium and MOX Bundles in PHWRs
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Abstract
In addition to natural uranium bundles, other types of bundles are also irradiated time to time based on the specific requirement/ situation in Indian PHWRs.
In the PHWR 220 MWe units, 35 zircaloy clad thorium bundles, which are of 19-element type, were used for flux flattening in the initial core, such that the reactor can be operated at rated full power. About 230 number of thorium bundles were irradiated and successfully discharged.
MOX-7 bundle design has been evolved, which is a 19-element cluster, with inner seven elements having MOX pellets and outer 12 elements having only natural uranium dioxide pellets. Initially for trial irradiation 50 number of lead MOX bundles have been fabricated and loaded in the KAPS-1 reactor in different locations in different channels. Some of the bundles have been reshuffled to see their power ramp performance. The performance is so far good.
The paper gives the design, development, and operating experience of the Thorium and MOX fuel bundles in PHWRs.
In the PHWR 220 MWe units, 35 zircaloy clad thorium bundles, which are of 19-element type, were used for flux flattening in the initial core, such that the reactor can be operated at rated full power. About 230 number of thorium bundles were irradiated and successfully discharged.
MOX-7 bundle design has been evolved, which is a 19-element cluster, with inner seven elements having MOX pellets and outer 12 elements having only natural uranium dioxide pellets. Initially for trial irradiation 50 number of lead MOX bundles have been fabricated and loaded in the KAPS-1 reactor in different locations in different channels. Some of the bundles have been reshuffled to see their power ramp performance. The performance is so far good.
The paper gives the design, development, and operating experience of the Thorium and MOX fuel bundles in PHWRs.
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