Increasing The Performance of TRIGA Reactor
Objectives:
- Maintenance of the TRIGA 14MW Reactor;
- Full conversion from HEU fuel to LEU fuel.
Research perspectives:
- Assurance of reactor operating in safe conditions. Assurance of full conversion from the utilization of HEU fuel to LEU fuel;
- Irradiation testing in specific conditions of fuel elements to examine the fuel performance in various conditions;
- Testing of alloy Zr-Nb structural materials, taken from components used in Cernavoda NPP to study mechanical proprieties and corrosion resistance of structural materials;
- Complementary use of neutrons, assuring an increase of efficiencies of the utilization of the nuclear reactor;
- Design, manufacturing and homologation of equipments and technologies for the fabrication of TRIGA fuel elements and control rods (neutron absorbent section);
- Studies regarding modernisation of structural systems and irradiation devices;
- Studies regarding possibilities to increase power of TRIGA Reactor to assure a higher neutronic flux density.
Main results of research:
- Conversion from HEU to LEU fuel of TRIGA Reactor;
- Development of fabrication technologies of TRIGA LEU fuel;
- Neutronic, mechanical design and fabrication of a new TRIGA control rod;
- Boron and gadolinite determination by prompt gamma spectrometry;
- Calibrated thermal column licensing for neutronic flux measurement;
- Neutron activation analysis;
- Neutronography;
- Neutron diffraction;
- Fuel and structural materials irradiation engineering in TRIGA –INR Reactor.
Contact:Dumitru BARBOS;
e-mail: dumitru.barbos@nuclear.ro
Last update: 22.04.2010 |
