Determining the performance of the compensating-rod system in the BN-600 reactor

In the BN-600 reactor reactivity effects associated with burnup and reactor temperature and power fluctuations are compensated for by means of 19 KP-TK absorbing rods in which the absorber is europium oxide. In this paper the authors describe methods for measuring the performance of these rods during reactor fueling and startup conditions based on the insertion and extraction of the individual rods. Calculations were performed in a two-group approximation using reactor kinetics equations and calibration considerations on the DNESTR program.