AUTHOR=Lou Lei , Peng Xingjie , Chai Xiaoming , Yao Dong , Li Mancang , Wang Lianjie , Chen Liang TITLE=The Ring RPT Method for DH Systems Containing Dispersed Particle-Type of Fuel and Burnable Poisons JOURNAL=Frontiers in Energy Research VOLUME=9 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/energy-research/articles/10.3389/fenrg.2021.704307 DOI=10.3389/fenrg.2021.704307 ISSN=2296-598X ABSTRACT=

Because dispersed particle-type fuel and burnable poisons both have double heterogeneity (DH), using the traditional volumetric homogenization method (VHM) to treat DH systems will bring about large reactivity calculation deviation. The improved reactivity-equivalent physical transformation (IRPT) method can be applied to DH systems which have both dispersed particle-type fuel and burnable poisons because of the features of simplicity and high calculation accuracy. In this article, the calculations show that the IRPT method becomes invalid for some DH systems when the volume fraction of dispersed particle-type burnable poisons is relatively high or the absorb cross section of burnable poison particles is relatively large. Then the two-step ring reactivity-equivalent physical transformation (TRRPT) method is proposed to be applied to the DH systems with both dispersed particle-type fuel and burnable poisons. Results of reactivity at zero burnup and depletion calculations for different types of dispersed particle-type fuel and burnable poisons and the comparison with Monte Carlo results of grain models prove the validity of the TRRPT method, and it has been proven that the TRRPT method has higher accuracy in reactivity calculation and a wider scope of transformation than the IRPT method.