Reactivity effect of borated stainless steel plates in light-water-moderated UO[sub 2] cores

To store spent fuels effectively in a pond, high-density storage systems using neutron-absorbing materials are considered for light water reactor sites. Few criticality experiments are reported on neutron absorption of Boral plates, borated stainless steel plates, and cadmium plates. The reactivity properties of fixed neutron absorbers depend on the neutron spectrum of the volumetric ratio of water to fuel in the spent-fuel assembly and the width of the water gap between assemblies. Systematic critical experiments are carried out to study the reactivity effect of borated stainless steel neutron absorbers in low-enriched UO[sub 2] fuel rod clusters.