Westinghouse Electric Company LLC

Jeffrey L Bradfute

David L Stucker

Robert J Fetterman

An advanced initial core fuel configuration is for improving the fuel management efficiency and thus economics for a nuclear reactor. The advanced initial core fuel configuration includes a plurality of fuel assemblies having different average enrichments of uranium 235 and arranging the fuel assemblies in an initial core configuration structured to emulate a known equilibrium reload cycle core at least in terms of spatial reactivity distribution. The resulting average enrichment within the initial core ranges from below about 1.0 percent weight of uranium 235 to about 5.0 percent weight of uranium 235. An advanced lattice design is also disclosed.

Advanced first core fuel assembly configuration

An advanced initial core fuel configuration is for improving the fuel management efficiency and thus economics for a nuclear reactor. A method of implementing such an initial core involves providing a plurality of fuel assemblies having different average enrichments of uranium 235 and arranging the fuel assemblies in an initial core configuration structured to emulate a known equilibrium reload cycle core at least in terms of spatial reactivity distribution. The resulting average enrichment within the initial core ranges from below about 1.0 percent weight of uranium 235 to about 5.0 percent weight of uranium 235. An advanced lattice design is also disclosed.

Growing community of inventors

Irmo, SC, United States of America

Jeffrey L Bradfute