Kamini experiments

The Kalpakkam MINI (KAMINI) Reactor is a 233U-fueled, light water moderated, natural convection cooled, beryllium oxide reflected, research reactor and located at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research at Kalpakkam, India. Because of the highly efficient reflector material BeO, it has a very low fuel inventory (∼612 g). The reactor is designed to operate at a nominal power of 30 kW. Cooling of the reactor is by natural convection and an external heat exchanger cools the tank water to control the inlet temperature. Two absorber type plates are used for control as well as emergency shutdown of the reactor. Experimental facilities consist of three beam tubes, two irradiation sites outside the reflector (thimble locations) and one irradiation site adjacent to the core where irradiation samples can be introduced and withdrawn fast with the help of Pneumatic Fast Transit System (PFTS). At 30 kW reactor power, the fluxes at PFTS, north thimble location and at south thimble location are 2.3x1012, 3.93x1010 and 7.20x109 n/cm2.s respectively. The built-in maximum excess reactivity of the reactor is restricted to 300 pcm, and this reactivity is apportioned to take care of various effects like coolant temperature load, irradiation sample load, operating margin, xenon load and long-term burn-up losses. Also this value is less than β ensuring safe operation. The experiments conducted in this reactor during commissioning stage are: approach to criticality, moderator temperature coefficient of reactivity, void coefficient of reactivity, absolute power calibration measurement, neutron flux measurement at beam tube end, thimble locations and PFTS and SCP worth measurement. This paper discusses the details of these experiments and the results of the experiments. (author)