Fuel Management Simulations for a Part-Core Loading of 81 Slightly Enriched Uranium in a CANDU-600

Abstract

A part-core loading of 1.2% slightly enriched uranium (SEU) in the peripheral channels of a CANDU-600 reactor offers several benefits over a natural uranium (NU) fuelled CANDU. Annual total fuel cycle costs are reduced by about 5 Million. There is a potential for total reactor power uprating, through increased flattening of the radial channel power distribution, of between 5-7%. These benefits can be achieved while using a simple fuel management scheme throughout the core. The transition from the NU core to the mixed SEU/Nv core can be achieved in a straight-forward manner.