Nuclear reactor thermal-hydraulic activities at MINT TRIGA reactor

MINT TRIGA Reactor is a 1-MW swimming pool nuclear research reactor comissioned in 1982. In 1993, a project was initiated to upgrade the thermal power to 2 MW. The IAEA assistance was sought to assist the thermal-hydraulic analysis required to safely upgrade the cooling system. The IAEA has provided expert assistance to introduce the PARET code in the calculations. Later, the help of a local university for assistance in flow modeling using the FLUENT code was sought. In 1996, this writer underwent a six-month training in the use of the RELAP5 code. However, in the middle of 1997, MINT has decided to change the scope of the project to safety upgrading of the MINT Reactor. (author)