Sains Malaysiana 50(2)(2021): 525-536

http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2021-5002-23

Effects of %FIMA on Storage-Safety Parameters of Spent Fuel from Experimental Pebble-Bed Reactor

(Kesan %FIMA terhadap Parameter Keselamatan Penyimpanan Bahan Api Terpakai daripada Uji Kaji Reaktor Pengalas Kerikil)

AISYAH AISYAH¹, MIRAWATY MIRAWATY¹, DWI LUHUR IBNU SAPUTRA¹, RISDIYANA SETIAWAN¹, PUNGKY AYU ARTIAN¹, RATIKO RATIKO¹* & NASRUDDIN NASRUDDIN²

¹Center for Radioactive Waste Technology (PTLR), National Nuclear Energy Agency of Indonesia, (BATAN), Indonesia

²Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia

Received: 17 February 2020/Accepted: 22 July 2020

ABSTRACT

The back end of the utilization of nuclear technology is safety and management of spent fuel, which is a key element contributing to the success of the nuclear power plant program. Indonesia’s National Nuclear Energy Agency resolved to establish an experimental power reactor, called RDE, as a nuclear power plant demo. The fuel of this reactor is similar to that of German’s experimental pebble-bed reactor (PBR), Arbeitsgemeinschaft Versuchs Reactor (AVR). In this study, the spent fuel of AVR was studied to obtain the safety parameter data for storage of RDE spent fuel by varying the fission in the initial metallic atoms (%FIMA). These parameters that must be studied include the radioactivity, decay heat, proliferation threats of both ²³⁹Pu and ²³⁵U, and the presence of ¹³⁷Cs, a dangerous fission product that can escape from damaged spent fuels. The calculation was conducted by ORIGEN 2.1. The result of the study demonstrates a higher %FIMA indicates a higher safety level that is required since the activity and decay heat of the spent fuel will increase and, as will be the total amounts of ²³⁹Pu and ¹³⁷Cs. However, the ²³⁵U amount will decrease. For a 100 years storage of spent fuel, the optimum %FIMA is 8.2 with a canister capacity of 1,900 pebbles. Further, the activity and decay heat of the spent nuclear fuel are 2.013 × 10¹³ Bq and 6.065 W, respectively. The activities of ²³⁹Pu, ¹³⁷Cs, and ²³⁵U are 5.187 × 10¹¹, 7.100 × 10¹², and 7.339 × 10⁷ Bq, respectively.

Keywords: %FIMA; pebble-bed reactor; spent fuel; spent-fuel storage safety

ABSTRAK

Kesan jangka panjang manfaat daripada teknologi nuklear adalah keselamatan dan pengurusan bahan bakar terpakai yang merupakan unsur utama kepada kejayaan program loji tenaga nuklear. Agensi Tenaga Nuklear Nasional Indonesia memutuskan untuk membangun reaktor tenaga uji kaji yang disebut sebagai RDE sebagai demo loji tenaga nuklear. Bahan bakar reaktor ini mirip dengan reaktor pengalas kerikil uji kaji Jerman (PBR), Arbeitsgemeinschaft Versuchs Reaktor (AVR). Dalam kajian ini, bahan bakar terpakai AVR dikaji untuk mendapatkan data parameter keselamatan untuk penyimpanan bahan bakar terpakai RDE dengan mengubah pembelahan pada atom logam awal (% FIMA). Parameter ini yang mesti dikaji meliputi radioaktif, panas pereputan, ancaman percambahan kedua-dua ²³⁹Pu dan ²³⁵U dengan kehadiran ¹³⁷C, produk pembelahan berbahaya yang dapat melepaskan diri daripada bahan bakar terpakai yang rosak. Pengiraan dilakukan dengan menggunakan ORIGEN 2.1. Hasil kajian menunjukkan % FIMA yang lebih tinggi menyumbang kepada tahap keselamatan yang lebih tinggi yang diperlukan kerana aktiviti dan haba pereputan bahan bakar habis akan meningkat seperti jumlah keseluruhan ²³⁹Pu dan ¹³⁷C. Walau bagaimanapun, jumlah ²³⁵U akan menurun. Untuk penyimpanan bahan bakar terpakai selama 100 tahun, %FIMA optimum ialah 8.2 dengan kapasiti kanister 1,900 kerikil. Selanjutnya, aktiviti dan haba pereputan bahan bakar terpakai nuklear masing-masing adalah 2.013 × 10¹³ Bq dan 6.065 W. Aktiviti ²³⁹Pu, ¹³⁷Cs dan ²³⁵U masing-masing adalah 5.187 × 10¹¹, 7.100 × 10¹² dan 7.339 × 10⁷ Bq.

Kata kunci: %FIMA; bahan bakar terpakai; keselamatan penyimpanan bahan bakar terpakai; reaktor pengalas kerikil

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*Corresponding author; email: ratiko_ratiko@yahoo.com