Optimized 18-month low-leakage core loadings for uprated VVER-1000
28th Symposium of AER on VVER Reactor Physics and Reactor Safety (2018, Olomouc, Czechia)
Fuel management issues
Abstract
The VVER-1000 life extension and power uprating are the important areas of research and development activities of JSC “Rosenergoatom”. Recent researches have shown that the reactor baffle is the main limiting factor of the life extension of Balakovo NPP units 3 and 4. The fuel cycle optimization is necessary for decrease of reactor baffle radiation dose and NPP life extension at uprated power.
The paper contains the results of the optimization of 18-month low-leakage core loadings at 104 % and 107 % of rated power for Balakovo NPP units 3 and 4, the results of calculation of the radiation dose distribution on the reactor vessel and the baffle are presented. It is shown that the optimization of core loadings reduces maximum and also flattens peaks of the radiation dose on the baffle and allows extending the NPP lifetime up to 60 years at uprated power.