The Feasibility Study Of Cobalt-60Production In Pressurized Water Reactor

Nuclear reactor can produce not only huge thermal energy, but also produce a large number of neutron source. Make full use of in pile high neutron flux density of reactor for production of radioactive source has become the object of study in a number of countries. At present, the CANDU heavy water reactor in the production of cobalt-60source technology is already very mature, recently the United States also completed the boiling water reactor to produce of cobalt-60, however in the world without commercial pressurized water reactor in the production of cobalt-60cases. Consider using light water reactor production of cobalt-60source, without affecting the fuel efficiency, ensure the safety of the reactor core premise, not only conducive to improving the efficiency of the neutron, but also good for nuclear power technology combined with the power of nuclear technology, which bring good economic efficiency.In this paper, based on the experience of the heavy water reactor preparation of radioactive source, use cobalt-59element rods instead of parts of fuel rods, burnable poison rods, resistance rods, to study the feasibility on the production of cobalt-60in pressurized water reactor, which provide a certain theoretical guidance of use of pressurized water reactor to commercial production of cobalt-60in the future. Specific content is:using MCNP constructing the fuel assemblies and pressurized water reactor model, the research of cobalt-59rods are different in the component and the core arrangement scheme, and compare to join cobalt-59element rod before and after the Keff of reactivity coefficient, reactor neutron flux density, the impact of power distribution, etc, and after a cycle of cobalt-60preparation efficiency, analysis the feasibility of different alternative.The results show that using the59Co rods to replace fuel and resistance rods in different position which bring little influence for reactivity coefficient and productivity of60Co. Under the same burn-up, compared with replacing resistance rods, replace the fuel rods have higher productivity of6Co but reactivity coefficien average deviation is larger. Replacing the burnable poison rods, fuel rods,resistance rods with59Co rods, the60Co preparation efficiency reached10to14%, the60Co the specific activity can be to140～170Ci/g when the burnup reaches40000～50000MWd/tHM,which meet existing industry standard radiation source requirements, indicating that using of pressurized water reactors produce cobalt-60has certain feasibility.In addition through research, the best alternative is:replace burnable poison rods with59Co rods in poison assembly, and the assembly which contain59Co rods should be as far as close to the core.