Review of modeling experience during operation and decommissioning of RBMK-1500 reactors. I. Safety improvement studies during operation

This review article presents the research done on the modeling of the RBMK-1500 reactor and its practical applications during reactor's operation. Studies of the modeling for reactor safety improvement and research on Ignalina NPP during the normal and accidental conditions are reviewed: reactor neutronics, depletion of nuclear fuel, thermal-hydraulics, nuclear fuel thermo-mechanical behavior, fission product release and contamination of reactor circuit, nuclear fuel composition for design and increased enrichment with burnable poison, burn-up credit and benchmark calculations. Important findings and key modeling techniques are highlighted and the need of scientific input is discussed. The survey of the research done on modeling for decommissioning of the RBMK-1500 reactor is presented in the part II of the review Remeikis et al. (to be published).