Development of Er-SHB fuel: Critical Experiments and Analyses of Homogeneously Erbia-Loaded Cores in KUCA

摘要

Critical experiments with full-core Erbia loading are carried out in KUCA. Some preliminary analyses are also carried out and the results suggest that the present analysis code (continuous energy Monte Carlo code) may properly predict the reactivity worth of Erbia. However, due to the statistical error, analysis by a deterministic code is desirable. The critical experiments will be continuously carried out by changing the average ~(235)U enrichment, content of Erbia and moderation ratio. These systematic experiments will allow checking the validity of neutronics codes. This project is financially supported by the Innovative and Viable Nuclear Energy Technology (IVNET) development framework of Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), in Japan.