TITLE:
Studies on Capacity Expansion of Fuel Plants for Nuclear Research Reactors
AUTHORS:
Miguel Luiz Miotto Negro, Michelangelo Durazzo, Marco Aurélio de Mesquita, Elita Fontenele Urano de Carvalho, Roberto Navarro de Mesquita, Delvonei Alves de Andrade
KEYWORDS:
Fabrication of Uranium Silicide Fuel, Plate-Type Fuel Elements, Nuclear Research Reactors, Production Capacity Expansion
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology,
Vol.8 No.2,
April
9,
2018
ABSTRACT: The demand for nuclear fuel for research reactors is rising worldwide. Thus, the production facilities of this kind of fuel need reliable guidance on how to augment their production in order to meet the increasing demand efficiently and safely. We proposed a specific procedure for increasing production capacity. That procedure was tested with data from a real plant, which produces plate-type fuel elements loaded with LEU U3Si2-Al fuel. The test was made by means of discrete event simulation, and the results indicated the proposed procedure is efficient in raising production capacity.