Nuclear Design Study for Reduced Boron Concentration Operation

In PWR, Boron Dilution Accident (BDA) which is an inadvertent reduction of the soluble boron concentration in the primary coolant, can lead to a positive reactivity insertion and a power increase. In this study, an optimal Low Boron Concentration (LBC) core design will be developed by reducing an excess reactivity so as to possess passive inherently safety features as well as one of attentively preventive measures of BDA scenarios. The scope of the research project concerning the change of operational procedure in chemical shim system, will involve three main parts namely, nuclear design for LBC core, feasibility check on the proposed core in safety and costs, and PSA approach on design change benefits. In addition, successful system analysis of the reactivity effects due to boron dilution transients, require a full coupling between core thermal hydraulic, reactor dynamics, and the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes