Methodology of Fuel Burn Up Fitting in VVER-1000 Reactor Core by Using New Ex-Vessel Neutron Dosimetry and In-Core Measurements and its Application for Routine Reactor Pressure Vessel Fluence Calculations

Abstract

Paper describes the new approach of fitting axial fuel burn-up patterns in peripheral fuel assemblies of VVER-1000 type reactors, on the base of ex-core neutron leakage measurements, neutron-physical calculations and in-core SPND measured data. The developed approach uses results of new ex-vessel measurements on different power units through different reactor cycles and their uncertainties to clear the influence of a fitted fuel burn-up profile to the RPV neutron fluence calculations. The new methodology may be recommended to be included in the routine fluence calculations used in RPV lifetime management and may be taken into account during VVER-1000 core burn-up pattern correction.