Seventh Semi-Annual Report for the Period 1st July, 1963 to 31st December, 1963. Dragon Project Report

As the proposal for the first core loading evaluated during early 1963 was finally adopted, .a detailed sequence for the substitution of dummy fuel elements with live ones has been worked out to guarantee a safe and convenient approach to critical. A considered review of the measured and calculated criticality parameters demonstrated that care must be exercised when comparing experimental and theoretical results. Most of the efforts spent on fuel cycle and power reactor assessment studies were devoted to the development of methods and computer programmes, which are now complete. The Project has now at its disposal a series of fast computer programmes, capable of calculating burn-up and fuel cost for a wide variety of fuel cycles ranging from batch loadings to ideal continuous charge/discharge procedures. Physical methods of fuel analysis suitable for post-irradiation analysis were developed further. Promising results were obtained, which will make burn-up and fission product diffusion analysis quicker and cheaper.