Testing and Further Development of a Predictive Radioactivity Transport Code for CANDU Reactors

Knowledge of elemental and radioactivity transport around the primary side of a Canada Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) nuclear reactor and the radiation fields arising from the distribution of deposits around the circuit can be used by radiation monitoring and protection programs to assist in the planning and execution of maintenance, inspection, and refurbishment activities. When incorporated into predictive modelling, this supports minimizing dose exposure to station workers. Intern 1 (Worapol) will use a mechanistic activity transport code to incorporate kinetic data obtained from experiments performed by Intern 2 (Vichaiyut) and add to the code by incorporating equations for the activation of zirconium and niobium materials inside the reactor core. Intern 2 will perform high-temperature flow-through loop experiments, simulating primary circuit conditions. The kinetics of magnetite precipitation on primary-side alloys will be studied, with the focus of calculating the temperature dependence of the precipitation constant. Intern 2 will plan experiments, receive training on operating the test loop, characterize the oxide grown on the piping surfaces, and calculate the growth rate, allowing for determination of the precipitation constant, at various temperatures.

Faculty Supervisor:

Olga Palazhchenko

Student:

Partner:

King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Education

University:

University of New Brunswick

Program: