Measurement of power reactivity coefficients using In-hour equation in Tehran Research Reactor

Abstract

This paper uses a new technique to measure the power and temperature reactivity coefficients. In this method, the core reactivity changes due to the modifications in the power or temperature directly. The values of these coefficients are independent of the worth and positions of the control rods. This method is completely new and no report or article has been reported in this field. Increasing the core power causes negative reactivity due to the temperature feedback, and cooling the core makes positive reactivity. In this method, TRR is critical at constant power in natural cooling mode. After getting a relative equilibrium in inlet and outlet coolant temperature, the fly valve of the reactor is opened, so that the cooling mode of TRR changes from natural to the forced mode. Obviously, by establishing a cooling flow in a short time, all produced heat in the natural mode is removed by forced, then a positive reactivity is inserted. As a result, the positive reactivity increases the reactor power. By measuring the doubling time of the power growing, the value of the inserted reactivity is obtained using inhour equation in each initial power. The mean value of the power reactivity coefficient in TRR is about 1.02 pcm / kW that agrees with both results of the previous and recent simulations.

Keywords

• research reactors
• power reactivity coefficient
• temperature reactivity coefficients
• natural cooling
• mtr_pc code