Reloading Pattern Design for Batch Refuelled Nuclear Reactors

摘要

An interesting difference between nuclear power plants and power plants workingwith fossile fuels is that for nuclear power plants, the 'fuel' cannot be burned completely (typically only about 60% of it). This is because in a nuclear reactor, the energy production requires at least a critical mass for maintaining the chain reaction of neutrons. In this work, it is studied how a maximum fraction of the nuclear fuel can be converted into energy. This study is related to Light Water Reactors (LWRS). In this work we tried to solve the optimization problem globally with simplified methods. For that, a simplified mathematical formulation of the problem is developed by using relatively simple models for calculating the fuel burnup and the power distribution in an LWR core.