A Research Reactor Core Design for Advance Neutron Source

This paper presents the recent neutronics analysis results of a proposed LEU-fueled research reactor. The main goal of the research reactor is to provide advanced neutron source with a particular emphasis on high intensity cold neutron sources. A tank-in-pool type reactor with an innovative horizontally split compact core was developed in order to maximize the yield of the thermal flux trap in the reflector area. The reactor was designed with 20 MW thermal power and 30-day operating cycle. For non-proliferation purposes, the LEU fuel (U₃Si₂-Al) with 19.75 wt.% enrichment was used. The estimated maximum thermal flux of the reactor is ∼5×10¹⁴ n/cm²-s. The total peaking factor of the start-up (SU) core is ∼2.5. The calculated brightness of the cold neutron source (CNS) demonstrates the superiority of the cold neutron performance of the design.