Affiliation:
1. University of Technical Education Ho Chi Minh City , 01 Vo Van Ngan Street, Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City , Vietnam. E-mail:
2. Centre for Research and Development of Radiation Technology , 202A Street 11, Linh Xuan Ward, Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City , Vietnam. E-mail:
Abstract
Abstract
In this paper, an investigation on the dependence of the effective multiplication factor, keff, on moderator temperature for various thicknesses of the upper beryllium reflector in reactor conditions with different fuel burnups for the Miniature Neutron Source Reactor is carried out. Based on the linear dependence of keff on moderator temperature, an approach to calculate the moderator temperature coefficient of reactivity, αT, at different temperatures and its average value, α, in a range of temperatures directly through the moderator temperature is developed. Calculations are performed to evaluate the effect of change in the upper reflector thickness on the moderator temperature coefficient of reactivity for the fresh core and reactor conditions with different fuel burnups. Calculated results indicate that α
T increases with the increased beryllium thickness, but decreases with the increasing fuel burnup. Analysis of calculated results provides an additional insight into the relation of the upper reflector thickness, the neutron energy spectrum in the reactor core, and the moderator temperature coefficient of reactivity.
Subject
Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality,General Materials Science,Nuclear Energy and Engineering,Nuclear and High Energy Physics,Radiation