Single cycle and equilibrium fuel loading method and system to reduce cycle outage in a boiling water nuclear reactor

A method for developing an equilibrium core loading strategy for a nuclear reactor, where the core includes an array of fuel bundle locations, the method comprising:

• generating a fuel loading map for an even fuel loading cycle based on an even cycle fresh fuel bundle loading template, an even cycle fuel bundle shift template identifying fuel locations from which bundles are to be shifted, and a discharge map identifying fuel locations from which twice used fuel bundles are to be removed during the even fuel loading cycle;
• generating a fuel loading map for an odd fuel loading cycle based on an odd cycle fresh fuel bundle loading template, an odd cycle fuel bundle shift template, and the discharge map identifying fuel location, wherein the odd fuel loading cycle alternates with the even fuel loading cycle;
• generating an even cycle fuel bundle exposure map based on the generated even cycle fuel loading map and data regarding exposure levels for each fuel bundle identified in the even cycle fuel bundle loading map;
• generating an odd cycle fuel bundle exposure map based on the generated odd cycle fuel loading map and data regarding exposure levels for each fuel bundle identified in the odd cycle fuel bundle loading map;
• repeating the steps of generating fuel loading maps and fuel bundle exposure maps for at least two successive loops of even and odd fuel loading cycles;
• comparing the even cycle fuel bundle exposure maps for two successive even cycles, and determining if the compared exposure maps converge to within a predetermined level of similarity;
• if the successive even cycle fuel bundle exposure maps do not converge, repeating the steps of generating fuel loading maps and fuel bundle exposure maps for at least two successive loops of even and odd fuel loading cycles and comparing successive even cycle fuel bundle exposure maps, and
• if the compared successive even cycle fue1 bundle exposure maps converge, reporting an equilibrium fuel loading strategy for the core.

A group of core maps for a nuclear reactor, each core map identifying locations in the core for nuclear fuel bundles the maps comprising:

• an even cycle fresh fuel bundle map identifying core locations to receive a fresh fuel bundle;
• an odd cycle fresh fuel bundle map identifying core locations to receive a fresh fuel bundle, wherein the odd cycle and even cycle are alternative core refueling cycles;
• an even cycle fuel bundle shift map identifying fuel bundles to be shifted to another core location;
• an odd cycle fuel bundle shift map identifying fuel bundles to be shifted to another core location;
• a discharge map identifying the another core locations to receive the bundles from the core locations identified in the even and odd cycle fuel bundle shift maps.