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COMPARATIVE CRITICALITY ASSESSMENT OF A HYPOTHETICAL FUEL ELEMENT WITH 316 STAINLESS STEEL-CLAD RODS DOPED WITH SiC THROUGH COMPUTATIONAL SIMULATION: AN UPDATED ANALYSIS
Ary Machado De Azevedo1; Thomaz Jacintho Lopes2; Sergio Monteiro1; Marcos Paulo Cavaliere de Medeiros1; Fernando Manuel Araújo Moreira1; André Ben-Hur Da Silva Figueiredo1
1Military Institute of Engineering, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 2Military Institute of Engineering, Duque de Caxias, Brazil

PAPER: 219/Composite/Regular (Oral) OS
SCHEDULED: 16:45/Mon. 21 Oct. 2024/Ariadni B

ABSTRACT:

This study explored the influence of incorporating silicon carbide (SiC) nanoparticles into Stainless Steel 316 on the performance of nuclear fuel using computational simulations with the MCNP5 software[1]. The findings revealed that the introduction of SiC had minimal impact on the effective multiplication factor (keff), suggesting that this modification could be a viable approach to enhancing fuel characteristics without compromising efficacy[2-3]]. Furthermore, the integration of SiC could provide added advantages such as improved thermal stability and resistance to corrosion. These results underscore the potential of SiC as a promising additive for enhancing the safety and efficiency of nuclear fuel elements in reactors, opening avenues for future advancements and research in nuclear energy[4-5]. The results for the effective multiplication factor (keff) with a rod coated and doped with 10% SiC showed keff = 1.12759 ± 0.00064. Compared to the undoped reference value of keff = 1.12086 ± 0.00064, there is a relative increase in criticality of approximately 0.6%. The computational simulation using MCNP5 with kcode provided a detailed analysis of nuclear fuel criticality. The data indicate that doping Stainless Steel 316 with SiC nanoparticles increased the effective multiplication factor (keff) by about 0.6%. This suggests that adding SiC significantly affects neutron production, which is crucial for the safety and efficiency of nuclear reactors[6]. These results point to potential improvements in nuclear fuel performance. Including SiC may offer additional benefits such as greater thermal stability, corrosion resistance, and reduced deformation, contributing to the safety and longevity of fuel elements[7-8]. Moreover, maintaining energy production without compromising neutron efficiency is promising, allowing for advancements in the materials used in nuclear reactor construction. Therefore, the neutron results obtained in this simulation highlight SiC's potential as an effective additive to enhance nuclear fuel properties, paving the way for future research and developments in nuclear energy.

REFERENCES:
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