INVESTIGATION OF THE USE OF CALCIUM CARBONATE AS NANOPARTICLES IN NUCLEAR REACTORS

Abstract

In this study, calcium carbonate (CaCO3) was considered as nanoparticle. In the first part of the study, half-value layer (HVL) and mean free path (MFP) values, which are radiation shielding parameters, were investigated in determined energy ranges by Phy-X open access software. At increasing energy levels, the HVL value reached approximately 10 cm, while the MFP value reached approximately 17 cm. In the second part of the study, the reactor core geometry was modeled with the MCNP code and then the relative power distribution values were determined. COBRA code input was prepared with the determined relative power distribution values and thermal analyzes were made. These analyzes were performed for three different nanoparticle ratios. As a result of the analysis, the temperature value at the end of the channel was 613 K when only water was used as a coolant, while the temperature value at the end of the channel was 611.19 K when 0.03% nanoparticles were used. Although the coolant temperature increased with the nanoparticle ratio, it was observed that the temperature decreased when only water was used.