Core dynamics analysis of control rod withdrawal test in HTTR (Contract Research)

Takada, Eiji*; Nakagawa, Shigeaki  ; Takamatsu, Kuniyoshi  ; Shimakawa, Satoshi; Nojiri, Naoki ; Fujimoto, Nozomu

The HTTR (High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor), which has thermal output of 30MW, coolant inlet temperature of 395C and coolant outlet temperature of 850C/950C, is a first high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) in Japan. The HTGR has a high inherent safety potential to accident condition. Safety demonstration tests using the HTTR are underway in order to demonstrate such excellent inherent safety features of the HTGR. The reactivity insertion test demonstrates that rapid increase of reactor power by withdrawing the control rod is restrained by only the negative reactivity feedback effect without operating the reactor power control system, and the temperature transient of the reactor is slow. The best estimated analyses have been conducted to simulate reactor transients during the reactivity insertion test. A one-point core dynamics approximation with one fuel channel model is applied to this analysis. It was found that the analytical model for core dynamics could simulate the reactor power behavior.