Experience with converting HWR fueled with NU to LEU?

[vifteovn]

Are there any experience converting HWR initially fueled with NU to LEU, besides the National Reserch Reactor in Canada which went from NU to HEU to LEU?

 

[Astronuc]

Are there any experience converting HWR initially fueled with NU to LEU, besides the National Reserch Reactor in Canada which went from NU to HEU to LEU?

I'm aware that AECL developed a CANFLEX fuel design which uses slightly enriched U. I believe enrichment was increased up to 1.6%, but I've seen comments regarding 1.8%.

KAERI (Korea) and INR, Pitesti (Romania) research institutes have studied SEU fuel.

Enrichment Effects on Spent CANDU Fuel Characteristic Parameters
Cristina Alice Margeanu, Petre Ilie and Gheorghe Olteanu
Institute for Nuclear Research, Pitesti
http://www.touchbriefings.com/pdf/2771/ACF1928.pdf

 

[raining Pete]

Yes, there have been several other cases of converting high-enriched uranium (HWR) reactors to low-enriched uranium (LEU). One example is the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the United States, which completed the conversion in 2006. Another is the Petten High Flux Reactor in the Netherlands, which converted in 2006 as well. In addition, the BR2 research reactor in Belgium and the SAFARI-1 research reactor in South Africa have also successfully converted from HWR to LEU fuel. These conversions are part of a global effort to reduce the use of highly enriched uranium in research reactors for safety and security reasons.