Brazil's Benchmark Results against Experimental Data from IEA-R1

The IEA-R1 reactor is a pool type, light water cooled and moderated research reactor that uses material testing reactor (MTR) fuel elements. The reactor, located at IPEN in São Paulo city, Brazil, was designed and built by Babcock & Wilcox Co. in accordance with the Brazilian Nuclear Energy Commission and financed by the U.S. "Atoms for Peace" Programme. The IEA-R1 research reactor thermal power is 5 MW, but since its first criticality, in September 1957, it has been operated at 2 MW power level being operational for almost 55 years. The IEA-R1 uses plate type fuel elements designed and analyzed by the Center of Nuclear Engineering at IPEN and manufactured by the Center of the Nuclear Fuel, also at IPEN. These fuel elements are constructed with eighteen fuel plates assembled in two lateral plates, originating seventeen closed channels. Light water circulates as coolant and moderator through these channels. The thermal-hydraulic analysis of these fuel elements is simple in principle, because the flow remains constant from the inlet to the outlet of these channels.