Neutronic Analysis of Annular & MOX Fuel Designs for SMART Core Using DeCART2D/MASTER Codes

The SMART (System-integrated Modular Advanced ReacTor) reactor is a small, pressurized water reactor that utilizes integral pressurized water coolant, which offers many advantages over traditional designs. In this paper, a neutronic analysis of the SMART modular reactor fuel using the DeCART2D/MASTER computer codes, considering annular and mixed oxide (MOX) fuel designs. The study modeled and analyzed the behavior of the SMART reactor fuel at hot full power for the 1st cycle, including the use of annular fuel design and MOX fuel. DeCART2D code is a two-dimensional neutron transport code that uses the method of characteristics to solve the neutron transport equation, to simulate the neutronic behavior of these fuel types. MASTER is a neutron diffusion nodal code for PWR core design with equipping various calculation capabilities. The study explores the use of annular fuel design for the SMART reactor with respect to several key parameters, which are multiplication factor, maximum fuel temperature, fuel burnup, and power peaking factors. Overall, the neutronic analysis of the SMART modular reactor fuel using DeCART2D/MASTER computer codes provides valuable insights into the behavior of the reactor fuel and can inform the design and operation of the SMART reactor. The findings can also contribute to the development of advanced fuel designs for small modular reactors, with potential applications in both existing and future nuclear power plants.