Investigation of safety aspects during steady state operation of Tehran research reactor fuel test loop

Highlights: • An introductory to the systems and safety features of the TRR fuel test loop are presented. • Neutronic and thermal-hydraulic safety parameters of TRR core during FTL operation were investigated. • Steady state safety analysis of TRR fuel test loop was performed. In order to enhance making use of potential capabilities of Tehran research reactor (TRR) as a material test reactor (MTR), a 10-bar fuel test loop is designed to provide required infrastructure to perform irradiation tests on domestic fuels in Tehran research reactor. Tehran research reactor with appropriate neutron flux in irradiation positions in the core can provide required neutron fluence for irradiation tests on nuclear fuels. TRR fuel test loop with a wide range of adjustable coolant flow rate, pressure and temperature, within the range applicable in research reactors, has capability to simulate thermal-hydraulic conditions of various research reactors to perform irradiation tests on research reactors' fuels under the same condition as the reactor core of concern. This paper presents an introductory to the systems and safety features of the TRR fuel test loop as well as the results of analyses performed to investigate neutronic and thermal-hydraulic safety parameters of TRR core during fuel test loop operation and the results of steady state analysis of the loop.