TY  - JOUR
AU  - Leotlela, Mosebetsi J.
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/19
TI  - Correlation between the Storage Pattern of Spent Fuel Casks and the Neutron Multiplication Factor
JO  - Journal of Energy and Power Technology
SP  - 018
VL  - 07
IS  - 04
AB  - The effective neutron multiplication factor (keff) of a fissile system is a function of space and time f(x, y, z, t), where (x, y, z) are the coordinates of the reference point in space, and t is time. The evidence of the time-dependence of the neutron multiplication factor of a fissile system was published in 2017. The spatial dependence is as important as the time dependence, as interacting arrays of fissile material during storage can lead to an increase in the system (keff). Therefore, evaluation of how the storage matrix influences the keff should be an integral part of the safety analysis in the design of the spent fuel storage facility. The selection of an appropriate storage matrix must be based on and supported by safety analysis and should precede any storage of fissile material—especially fresh fuel and spent fuel in which no credit for burnup is taken into account. In addition, the selected storage configuration must be approved by the nuclear regulatory authorities, as an improper arrangement may increase the keff beyond the regulatory limit and result in criticality accidents. Since the time dependence of the neutron multiplication factor has already been performed, this research will focus on investigating how the spatial arrangement of spent fuel in spent fuel storage can influence the keff.
SN  - 2690-1692
UR  - https://doi.org/10.21926/jept.2504018
DO  - 10.21926/jept.2504018
ID  - Leotlela2025
ER  -