Fuel management at the ENEA TRIGA RC-1 reactor

TRIGA Mark II reactor of ENEA’s Casaccia Research Centre (in Italy named RC-1) reached first criticality in 1960. The reactor core was realized with 61 standard TRIGA fuel elements, aluminium cladded. In this condition, the reactor was operated until August 1965 at a steady state power level of 100 kW. In the summer of 1965, a program to increase the reactor power to 1 MW was established. The new criticality was reached in July 1967, after significant plant modifications, in order both to adapt the reactor to the new operative circumstances (including safety requirements) and to extend reactor flexibility in the widest research areas. The first configuration at 1 MW was obtained with 76 standard TRIGA fuel elements stainless steel cladded. The RC-1 Reactor is still operating and during these years, many fuel elements were used. In this paper we describe the facility, the infrastructures available for fresh and spent fuel storage and the operative experience accumulated during these years in the management of RC-1 nuclear fuel. In particular will be described also the last core configuration management, the control rod calibration, burn-up evaluation and spent fuel management and shipment. Also the actual situation of fresh fuel needs and availability will be focused