The Study of Floating Nuclear Power Plant Reactor Core Neutronic Parameters Using Scale 6.1 Code

Abstract

KLT-40S nuclear reactor is a small modular floating nuclear power plant made by Russia as a conventional light water reactor (LWR) problem solution nowadays, such as high overnight cost, long commissioning period, and lack of flexibility in supplying a small load of electricity and supplying electricity to isolated areas. With those characteristics, the KLT-40S is suitable to be applied to isolated areas with a small electrical load like archipelagic states such as Indonesia. Based on that reason, Indonesia needs to assess the KLT-40S floating nuclear power plant feasibility study through explorative research. One of those is assessing the reactor core neutronic parameter. In this research, the reactor core modelling is done by using the KENO VI-A and T-6DEPL module in SCALE 6.1 code package. Several variations of reactor operating parameters such as fuel composition and configuration, fuel temperature, moderator temperature, and moderator void fraction had been done in this research. The aim was to get several neutronic parameters to confirm the core feasibility from operational and inherent safety perspectives. Those neutronic parameters are fuel cycle length and reactivity feedback coefficient of fuel temperature, moderator temperature, and moderator void fraction. Based on this research result, the fuel configuration that produces 28 months of cycle length is the fuel base of dispersed UO₂ in the silumin matrix with 18,6 % ²³⁵U enrichment. Both of the two fuel bases used in this research have inherent safety characteristics, which are shown by the negative value of the reactivity feedback coefficient of fuel temperature, moderator temperature, and moderator void fraction.  Dispersed UO₂ in the silumin matrix fuel base has better inherent safety characteristics than the UO₂ ceramic metal fuel base.