Using ORIGEN2 to Predict Nuclear Reactor Fuel Compositions.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was threefold: (1) to modify the ORIGEN2 Isotope Generation and Depletion Code to run on a Digital VAX computer using a UNIX operating system, (2) to establish a data base of nuclear reactor fuel isotopic compositions for selected reactor types and fuel cycles at various times during each fuel cycle, and (3) to determine the uniqueness of the isotopic compositions of the cases studied. The ORIGEN2 code uses a matrix exponential technique to solve the differential equations describing the buildup and decay of nuclides. The user-generated command file and the highly controllable output make ORIGEN2 quite versatile in modeling reactor operations. Modifications required to allow the code to run on a UNIX-based Digital VAX system were confined primarily to one of the integer functions used in reading the command file. Actinide and fission product compositions of irradiated fuel were produced for eight cases representative of modern commercial nuclear reactors. These results include composition by both isotope and element and are expressed in fraction of atoms of each segment (actinide or fission product). Isotopic fuel compositions were shown to be distinctly unique. Keywords: Actinide series; Fission products; Heavy metals; Nuclear reactors; Nuclides; Reactor fuels; Theses.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA194617
Entities
People
- Bruce A. Lindblom
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology