- #1
Potter
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Please I need a guide on how to do burn up calculations for spent fuel from the basics.I have being studying on it but I need a guide
I want to learn how to do burn up calculations for reactor
- Thread starter Potter
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Discussion Overview
The discussion centers around the process of performing burn up calculations for spent nuclear fuel, exploring both basic concepts and specific methodologies. Participants seek to clarify the necessary steps and considerations involved in these calculations, which are relevant to nuclear engineering and reactor physics.
Discussion Character
- Exploratory
- Technical explanation
- Homework-related
Main Points Raised
- One participant requests guidance on burn up calculations, indicating they have been studying the topic but require further assistance.
- Another participant asks for clarification on the specific goals of the calculations, including whether the requester is interested in programming, using lattice codes, or performing ORIGEN-type calculations.
- A participant highlights the different levels of resolution possible in burn up calculations, ranging from core average burnup to detailed grain-level analysis, and notes that the level of detail required depends on the intended application, such as radiation shield design or licensing requirements.
- There is a mention of a basic formula for calculating burnup, which involves thermal power, time, and mass of fuel, along with the common units used in various countries for expressing burnup.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants express varying levels of understanding and detail regarding burn up calculations, and multiple approaches and methodologies are discussed without reaching a consensus on a singular method or framework.
Contextual Notes
The discussion indicates that assumptions about the level of detail and the specific goals of the calculations can significantly influence the approach taken. There are also references to different units of measurement that may apply depending on the type of fuel used.
Who May Find This Useful
This discussion may be useful for individuals studying nuclear engineering, particularly those interested in reactor physics, spent fuel management, and burn up calculations.
- #2
berkeman
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Welcome to the PF. 
Also, your Profile page says you have a Master's degree -- is it in Nuclear Engineering?
Can you show us what you have found so far?Potter said:
Also, your Profile page says you have a Master's degree -- is it in Nuclear Engineering?
- #3
rpp
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What exactly are you trying to do?
Are you interested in programming and solving the equations yourself?
Are you running a lattice code and doing burnup calculations for fuel management? (what kind of reactor)
Or are you trying to run an ORIGEN type of calculation and looking at heat loads, doses, etc.?
Are you interested in programming and solving the equations yourself?
Are you running a lattice code and doing burnup calculations for fuel management? (what kind of reactor)
Or are you trying to run an ORIGEN type of calculation and looking at heat loads, doses, etc.?
- #4
Astronuc
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Adding to queries from berkeman and rpp, what kind of resolution does one need? For example, one can calculate burnup for the entire core (core average burnup), on a group (e.g., batch) of fuel assemblies (batch average burnup), on individual assemblies (assembly average burnup), individual fuel rods (rod average burnup), the pellet (usually peak pellet, or pellet average), and down to the grain level (one needs a radial burnup profile, which is a function of pellet average burnup)
What does one mean by basics?
The level of detail depends on the goal of calculations, e.g., radiation shield design, or licensing level, or dose consequence in an accidental release, . . . . The level of detail also dictates the computational system, which can vary from a simple equation, such as
Burnup = (Thermal Power x Time)/(Mass of fuel), where the power could be in GW or MW, the time in seconds, hours, or days, and mass in kg or metric tonnes of U, HM (heavy metal), or UO2, or whatever form the fuel happens to be. Otherwise, we can describe in terms of percent of initial metal atoms that have been fissioned (fima).
In many countries, GWd/MTU or MWd/kgU, is a common unit for commercial fuel. Some countries, particular those with MOX fuel, may refer to GWd/MTHM or MWd/kgHM, where HM refers to U, Pu, Th, or whatever actinide is being used in the fuel material.
What does one mean by basics?
The level of detail depends on the goal of calculations, e.g., radiation shield design, or licensing level, or dose consequence in an accidental release, . . . . The level of detail also dictates the computational system, which can vary from a simple equation, such as
Burnup = (Thermal Power x Time)/(Mass of fuel), where the power could be in GW or MW, the time in seconds, hours, or days, and mass in kg or metric tonnes of U, HM (heavy metal), or UO2, or whatever form the fuel happens to be. Otherwise, we can describe in terms of percent of initial metal atoms that have been fissioned (fima).
In many countries, GWd/MTU or MWd/kgU, is a common unit for commercial fuel. Some countries, particular those with MOX fuel, may refer to GWd/MTHM or MWd/kgHM, where HM refers to U, Pu, Th, or whatever actinide is being used in the fuel material.
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