Results of Parametric Design Studies of MOX Lead Test Assembly

The parametric studies of MOX LTA design have been executed to choose plutonium content in assembly zones for two options of MOX LTA: 3-zones and Island. For 3-zones (100% Plutonium) MOX LTA the fissile plutonium content composition of 4.2%/3,0%/2% has been chosen. MOX LTA of the chosen compositions has been studied by using multi-assembly configuration that allows investigating of influence of MOX LTA environment: uranium assemblies of different irradiation. Plutonium Island with 54 plutonium pins in the center of MOX LTA has been considered in two modifications: uniform island; and graded island with lower plutonium content in one peripheral row of pins. It is shown that plutonium content in the uniform island cannot exceed 2.7% because of adopted power peaking limitations and therefore this design seems unreasonable for practical use. For graded island the plutonium content composition 3.8%/2.8% with uranium environment of 3.7% U-235 has been chosen. Evolution of assembly power and burnup distributions, inter-pin power and isotopic distributions while fuel irradiating have been analyzed. In addition to the base uranium environment of 3.7%, a set of calculations has been executed for 4.4%. Most of the studies have been executed by the code TVS-M that is at the final stage of licensing and it is to be used in the nearest future as a base instrument for VVER core calculations while using both uranium and MOX fuel. So the obtained results must be considered as preliminary ones and they demand additional analysis and investigations