[en] Short communication

[en] Short communication

[en] Short communication

[en] The VR-1 training reactor has been serving students of the Faculty of Nuclear Science and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, for more than 12 years now. The operation history of the reactor is highlighted. The major changes made at the VR-1 reactor are outlined and the main experimentally verified core configurations are shown. Some components of the new equipment installed on the VR-1 reactor are described in detail. The fields of application are shown: the reactor serves not only the training of university students within whole Czech Republic but also the training of specialists, research activities, and information programmes in the nuclear power domain. (P.A.)

[en] The VR-1 reactor is the key facility in the field of nuclear educational and training in the Czech Republic. The reactor is equipped with several specific educational and training experimental devices and four training laboratories belonging to the reactor - laboratory for neutron interactions studies, laboratory for neutron activation analysis, radiation protection and environmental studies laboratory, and I&C laboratory. Educational and training activities at the reactor were step-by-step extended from domestic activities through the national and international levels up to regional multilateral activities. Future reactor operators and reactor physicists of Czech nuclear power plants have been trained at the reactor since 1992, also reactor physicists from nuclear power plants in Slovakia have been trained since 2002, and trainees from various nuclear developing countries have been also trained at the reactor since 2006. An effective procedure for implementing new experiments and new experimental devices has been developed during more than 25 years of the VR-1 reactor operation. Over 25 experiments can be carried out at the reactor at three levels: demonstration, standard, and advanced. (author)

[en] Short communication

[en] Full text: The VR-1 reactor is the key facility in the field of nuclear educational and training in the Czech Republic. The reactor is equipped with several specific educational and training experimental devices and four training laboratories belonging to the reactor laboratory for neutron interactions studies, laboratory for neutron activation analysis, radiation protection and environmental studies laboratory, and I&C laboratory. Educational and training activities at the reactor were step-by-step extended from domestic activities through the national and international levels up to regional multilateral activities. Future reactor operators and reactor physicists of Czech nuclear power plants have been trained at the reactor since 1992, also reactor physicists from nuclear power plants in Slovakia have been trained since 2002, and trainees from various nuclear developing countries have been also trained at the reactor since 2006. An effective procedure for implementing new experiments and new experimental devices has been developed during more than 25 years of the VR-1 reactor operation. Over 25 experiments can be carried out at the reactor at three levels: demonstration, standard, and advanced. (author

[en] Overall problem in Czech Republic is the strong dependence on lignite which is used for electricity production (approximately 51 % in 2017) as well as for district heating purposes. According to the actual energy policy, Czech Republic is going towards sustainable electricity production based mainly on nuclear technology. This is given by the fact that the potential of other green sources is either almost fully used (water) or their implementation in greater scale to replace traditional sources would create dependency on energy import. Together with phasing out the coal energy production, the adequate replacement for heat sources in coal fired heating plants is sought. One of the ideas, revived in last years is utilizing the nuclear heating plants fitting into the well-developed district heating grid. However, the scarce experience of licensing process of these kind of nuclear devices create one of the barriers given by nuclear current policy. Czech Republic initiated the IAEA regional project named 'Facilitating Capacity Building for Small Modular Reactors: Technology Developments, Safety Assessment, Licensing and Utilization' which aims at providing a forum for information exchange in all aspects connected with SMRs for designers, experts on safety and world of finance. (author).

[en] VR-1 is a light water zero power pool type reactor. The core is assembled on a grid of 8 x 8 positions (each position possessing 71.5 mm x 71.5 mm) and is composed of 3 various tubular fuel assembly types: four-, six- and eight-tube fuel assemblies of IRT-4M type. This fuel consists of UO₂ dispersed in Al with an enrichment on U-235 of 19.7 %. This paper deals with the design of a new instrumentation for the measurement of thermal effect. As at the nominal power of ca. 1 kW the reactor operates at an ambient temperature and there is almost no heat generated, the instrumentation has to be designed as a closed loop possessing some external system for water heating. There are two types of nuclear fuels under consideration to be potentially used in the instrumentation that are: IRT-4M fuel assemblies which are used for standard operation of the reactor and and EK-10 pins. EK-10 pins use Mg-UO₂ enriched on 10 % of U-235 as a fuel meat. With both fuel types, an optimization of the instrumentation was carried out. From the results, several modules covering 1 to 4 positions of reactor grid were proposed and the corresponding achievable changes of reactivity for typical core of the reactor containing these module variations were calculated. Finally, the results were inter-compared and the optimal design was found and discussed. The calculation analysis was carried out with MCNP5 code and with the utilization of detailed MCNP model of the VR-1 reactor

[en] The article describes a new human-machine interface that was installed at the VR-1 training reactor. The human-machine interface upgrade was completed in the summer 2001. The interface was designed with respect to functional, ergonomic and aesthetic requirements. The interface is based on a personal computer equipped with two displays. One display enables alphanumeric communication between the reactor operator and the nuclear reactor I and C. The second display is a graphical one. It presents the status of the reactor, principal parameters (as power, period), control rods positions, course of the reactor power. Furthermore, it is possible to set parameters, to show the active core configuration, to perform reactivity calculations, etc. The software for the new human-machine interface was produced with the InTouch developing tool of the Wonder-Ware Company. It is possible to switch the language of the interface between Czech and English because of many foreign students and visitors to the reactor. Microcomputer based communication units with proper software were developed to connect the new human-machine interface with the present reactor I and C. The new human-machine interface at the VR-1 training reactor improves the comfort and safety of the reactor utilisation, facilitates experiments and training, and provides better support for foreign visitors. (orig.)