Innovation at Paks Nuclear Power Plant

Abstract

In the summer of 2014 at the Maintenance Division of Paks Nuclear Power Plant Ltd. in Hungary there was an opportunity to take part in the preparatory work a new and innovative project for introduction. This is a charge-planner software support using the tests related the new fuel. The necessary calculations were completed and after obtaining the results the conclusion is that the actual 12 month operating period – the so-called campaign length – can be increased to 15 months, by using and shuffling the new fuel with higher enrichment, and by loading six fuel assemblies with gadolinium oxide into the unit. Conclusion is the new Gd-2_4.7 fuel initial expectations were met and managed to find a favorable average enrichment not only considering nuclear physics, but also economic, risk management, material structure and security points of view as well. Testing can be started in the summer of 2015, and the fuel can be loaded into Unit 3 for a test period of 365 days.