Initial Core Management and Startup Testing

The next few years bring the exciting prospect of new reactor designs achieving commercial operation with a diversity of technology and quantity that has not been seen for decades. With this new opportunity comes an old challenge - initial core design. These designs tend to be distinct from standard reloads in their fuel composition, which can lead to cycle-specific safety analysis and core management constraints. The fuel in initial cores must also support a range of new reactor commissioning and startup testing that can add requirements for flexibility and robustness through the first cycle of operation. At the same time, these startup tests provide a unique opportunity for validation of core management code systems through comparisons of model predictions against measured results. This panel will provide an opportunity to learn from recent experience in developing and implementing initial core designs and startup testing campaigns through a series of short presentations followed by a question and answer session.

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