Safety analysis and optimization of the core fuel reloading for the Moroccan TRIGA Mark-II reactor

•Additional fresh fuel elements must be added to the reactor core.•TRIGA reactor could safely operate around 2 MW power with 12% fuel elements.•Thermal–hydraulic parameters were calculated and the safety margins are respected.•The 12% fuel elements will have no influence on the safety of the reactor.

The Moroccan TRIGA MARK II reactor core is loaded with 8.5% in weight of uranium standard fuel elements. Additional fresh fuel elements must periodically be added to the core in order to remedy the observed low power and to return to the initial reactivity excess at the End Of Cycle. 12%-uranium fuel elements are available to relatively improve the short fuel lifetime associated with standard TRIGA elements. These elements have the same dimensions as standards elements, but with different uranium weight. The objective in this study is to demonstrate that the Moroccan TRIGA reactor could safely operate, around 2 MW power, with new configurations containing these 12% fuel elements. For this purpose, different safety related thermal–hydraulic parameters have been calculated in order to ensure that the safety margins are largely respected. Therefore, the PARET model for this TRIGA reactor that was previously developed and combined with the MCNP transport code in order to calculate the 3-D temperature distribution in the core and all the most important parameters like the axial distribution of DNBR (Departure from Nucleate Boiling Ratio) across the hottest channel. The most important conclusion is that the 12% fuel elements utilization will have no influence on the safety of the reactor while working around 2 MW power especially for configurations based on insertions in C and D-rings.