Modelling of CANDU® Fuelling Operations With AECL Code Refuel

Abstract

REFUEL is an AECL code that can simulate successive one-full-power-day RFSP-IST snapshots of a 380-, 480-, 292- and 520-channel CANDU core using online refuelling. The code can maintain zone fill and zone controller insertion levels near the desired nominal position for any number of zones and zone controller units. REFUEL has been used to model many fuelling schemes, including two-, four- and eight-bundle-shift push-through schemes with 12 or 13 fuel bundles per channel. Other non-conventional fuelling schemes are also possible, such as multiple fuel types per channel and non-push-through fuelling schemes. This paper focuses on new developments in the code design since the publication of a previous paper.