Nuclear Reactor operating method with extended life cycle

摘要

Fuel cycle costs of a nuclear reactor are improved by lowering neutron leakage and providing higher power sharing and lower burnup of the highest reactivity fuel in a nuclear core. Power suppression rods are used to achieve the improved fuel cycle costs. The power suppression rods (21) are placed in inboard fresh fuel (10) in a multi-region core at the beginning of life of the core. After a predetermined period of operation, the power suppression rods are withdrawn from the core and reactor operation is continued until end of life of the core.