Triga Core Management Model

A core management program has been effected for TRIGA reactors (TRICOM) which utilizes three basic types of information: (a) keff as a function of burnup, (b) relative changes in power fractions of fuel elements as a function of core burnup, and (c) reactivity worth curves for fissile isotopes and neutron absorbers. TRICOM has been programmed for an IBM system/360 using the FORTRAN IV language.Experimental measurements have been made with 8.5 wt% uranium and a mixture of 8.5 and 12 wt% uranium-fueled cores, and the results have been compared with those calculated by TRICOM. The analytical and experimental results compare favorably in all cases, particularly when some of the experimentally measured parameters are substituted for those derived theoretically.A significant result of this study program has been the development of an improved refueling scheme for The Pennsylvania State University’s Breazeale Nuclear Reactor which replaces depleted 8.5 wt% fuel with 12 wt% uranium fuel.