Analysis of the Effect of Random Bowing of the Fuel Pin on the Power Distribution in the Fuel Assembly

Abstract

One of the main approaches to ensuring nuclear safety in neutronic calculations is the consideration of engineering factors. These factors define the margin of the individual parameters of the power distribution in the reactor core up to their safety limit, which must be assumed in the design of the fuel loading and which is controlled during the operation of the nuclear reactor. The resulting engineering factor consists of many components, and one component of this set is the subject of investigation in this paper, namely the evaluation of the fuel pin bow on the power distribution. This study provides a fundamental investigation of the effect of the fuel pin bow on the power distribution in the fuel assembly without knowing the maximum bow specified by the fuel supplier or determined by measurement. The methodological approach is based on randomly generated fuel pin deflections that simulate the fuel pin deflection/bow using a specially developed program, including a few conservative assumptions.