Influence of fuel bundle loading errors on the subcritically during refueling campaigns for the present BWR cores of KRB-II

On the basis of real fuel assembly inventories as they are presently available in KRB-II, the influence of fuel bundle loading errors on the subcriticality during refueling campaigns was investigated with the calculational methods of the incore fuel management. To this, control rod cells which show the least shut-down reactivity were considered and less reactive fuel assemblies were successively exchanged with fuel assemblies of highest possible reactivity from distant core regions. The results show that the total shut-down reactivity is only reduced by a comparatively small amount. The stuck rod shut-down reactivity, on the other hand, is strongly diminished with increasing number of locally concentrated mislocated fuel assemblies of highest possible reactivity. Thus, unintentional criticality cannot be reached during refueling campaigns with all control rods inserted. In conjunction with the deliberate withdrawal of one control rod, two or three mislocated fuel assemblies can cause criticality, depending on the absolute value of the realized stuck rod shut-down reactivity.