SAFETY ASPECTS OF RESEARCH REACTOR CORE FUEL CONVERSION FROM HIGHLY ENRICHED URANIUM TO LOW ENRICHED URANIUM

A number of safety issues are associated with research reactor core fuel conversion from highly enriched uranium (HEU) to lpw enriched uranium (LEU). These issues include aspects of LEU fuel qualification, reactor core neutronic and thermal-hydraulic analysis for steady state and transient conditions, and safety analysis. This paper discusses these issues on the basis of the IAEA safety requirements for research reactors. Other issues such as the commissioning programme for the; converted core and preparation or update of licensing documents, in particular the Safety) Analysis Report (SAR) and the Operational Limits and Conditions (OLCs), are also presented and discussed.