Regional overpower protection analysis for CANDU 6 reactors using ROVER-F code

The regional overpower protection (ROP) systems (also known as neutron overpower protection (NOP)) for the CANDU® 600 MW (CANDU 6) reactors are analyzed using the ROVER-F computer program, developed by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL). The objective of all such analyses is to ensure that the ROP systems protect the reactor from local overpowers in the fuel, which would reduce the safety margin to fuel dryout. For CANDU 6, the methodology utilized in the ROVER-F code has been used for redesigning the ROP systems and is currently used to perform periodic updates of the ROP trip setpoints of the operating CANDU 6 stations. This paper provides an overview of the methodology used in the ROVER-F code and highlights recent developments in the code.