Design and Performance of South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant Mixed Cores

In 2010, 42 Westinghouse fuel assemblies (WFAs) were loaded into the core of South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant (SUNPP) Unit 3 after four successful cycles with 6 Westinghouse Lead Test Assemblies. The scope of safety substantiating documents required for the regulatory approval of this mixed core was extended considerably, particularly with development and implementation of new methodologies and 3-D kinetic codes. Additional verification for all employed codes was also performed. Despite the inherent hydraulic non-uniformity of a mixed core, it was possible to demonstrate that all design and operating restrictions for three different types of fuel (TVS-M, TVSA and WFA) loaded in the core were conservatively met. This paper provides the main results from the first year of operation of the core loaded with 42 WFAs, the predicted parameters for the transition and equilibrium cycles with WFAs, comparisons of predicted versus measured core parameters, as well as the acceptable margin evaluation results for reactivity accidents using the 3-D kinetic codes. To date WFA design parameters have been confirmed by operation experience.