An application of an evolutionary algorithm in the study of a boiling water reactor fuel lattices with minor actinides
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46842/ipn.cien.v29n1a06Keywords:
Minor actinides, fuel lattice, CASMO4Abstract
In this work, a method for carrying out the neutronic design of a boiling water reactor fuel lattices is shown. Generated designs include a vector of minor actinides that were added to a pin in a typical 10x10 fuel assembly. This vector is composed of neptunium, americium and curium concentrations. The decision variables used in this design process were: average enrichment of U-235 (w/o), concentration of tri-oxide of gadolinium (w/o), neutronic multiplication factor in an infinite medium (k-infinity), and local power peaking factor of the fuel lattice. In addition to, a fixed average void fraction (%), not presence of control rod is taken into account, and temperature of the fuel among other boundary conditions. Regarding to restrictions on decision variables, these include that k-infinity must be into the interval of ±100 pcm with respect to reference value; the average enrichment of fuel lattice must be under the reference fuel enrichment but less than 1.0% with respect to the reference. A similar restriction is also assumed for the neutronic burnable poison concentration; local power peaking factor must not be greater than assumed reference. CASMO4 code was used for making the simulation of fuel lattices throughout the designing process. Obtained fuel lattices fulfilled each and every one of the restrictions imposed to them to be considered acceptable solutions.
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