| Summary: | Global energy problems range from the increasing cost of fuel to the unequal
distribution of energy resources and the potential climate change resulting
from the burning of fossil fuels. A sustainable nuclear energy would augment
the current world energy supply and serve as a reliable future energy source.
This research focuses on Monte Carlo simulations of pressurized water reactor
systems. Three different fuel grades - mixed oxide fuel (MOX), uranium oxide
fuel (UOX), and commercially enriched uranium or uranium metal (CEU) - are
used in this simulation and their impact on the effective multiplication
factor (Keff) and, hence, criticality and total radioactivity of the reactor
core after fuel burnup analyzed. The effect of different clad materials on
Keff is also studied. Burnup calculation results indicate a buildup of
plutonium isotopes in UOX and CEU, as opposed to a decline in plutonium
radioisotopes for MOX fuel burnup time. For MOX fuel, a decrease of 31.9% of
the fissile plutonium isotope is observed, while for UOX and CEU, fissile
plutonium isotopes increased by 82.3% and 83.8%, respectively. Keff results
show zircaloy as a much more effective clad material in comparison to
zirconium and stainless steel.
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