Fuel burnup calculation for HEU and LEU cores of Ghana MNSR

This study presents results of fuel burnup calculations for both HEU and LEU cores. A fuel depletion analysis of the GHARR-1 core was performed, an inventory of the actinides formed as a result of burnup was provided and then an estimation of the effect of the production of plutonium isotopes with burnup on reactor operation was made. A FORTRAN 95 code was written based on the three group model approach to represent the fast, resonance and slow neutron reactions. The results obtained for the HEU were in good agreement with literature and this study is considered a reliable tool which can estimate results of a potential LEU fuel for core conversion from HEU to LEU core.

► A computer code called BURNPRO was developed to calculate fuel burnup for GHARR-1.
► BURNPRO calculates fuel burnup of both HEU and LEU cores and useful for education and training.
► An inverse relation between fuel burnup and mass of uranium loaded into the core of the reactor was established.
► Buildup of plutonium isotopes as a result of burnup is not significant.
► The amount of U-235 depleted in the HEU core of GHARR-1 is about 1%.