This thesis presents the development of a generalised computer program to calculate harmonic currents and voltages in six and twelve-pulse thyristor controlled reactors under non-ideal conditions. Thyristor controlled reactors are a relatively new source of harmonic distortion in power systems. The steady state characteristic harmonics are well known. Other non-characteristic harmonics can, however, be generated. A detailed representation is therefore necessary. Apart from the most common non-ideal conditions, such as voltage, impedance and firing pulse unbalances, this work allows voltage harmonic distortions, two firing pulse control methods, the effect of the feedback control in the equally spaced firing pulse control and the effect of the step-down transformer saturation. The effect of the a.c. system impedance, filters and capacitor banks is also included. Four different models of filters were implemented. With non-infinite a.c. systems, the harmonic currents generated are not totally absorbed by the filters. The remaining distortion may affect the main busbar voltages. Therefore, an iterative method was adopted in which the distorted voltages calculated at the end of one iteration are used to calculate the new currents and voltages. The process is repeated until convergence is reached. Several cases were then studied using this program which was then joined to an existing steady-state converter harmonic program. For instance, the need for a more complete representation of controlled reactors, converters and a.c. system network is illustrated. This study begins considering an hvdc station under ideal conditions which are then gradually moved towards more real conditions. The influence of the a.c. system representation in harmonic studies is also discussed. This analysis also compares the performance of two filter designs, namely the tuned and the damped filters. A study of harmonic magnification in the presence of a.c. and d.c. resonances is also included. The harmonic calculations program presented in this thesis is able to study so many conditions of operation of converters and/or thyristor controlled reactors that it is impractical to show all the possible cases. For instance, filters and capacitor banks can be installed at the converter busbar or at any controlled reactor busbar. Furthermore, the three-phase calculation approach allows studies in which some abnormal operation, such as the absence of a filter branch or capacitor bank at one phase, can be observed.

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A neutronic and thermal hydraulic analysis of the 1-MW TRIGA research reactor at the Texas A&M University Nuclear Science Center using a new low enriched uranium fuel (named 30/20 fuel) was completed. This analysis provides safety assessment for the change out of the existing high enriched uranium fuel to this high-burnup, low enriched uranium fuel design. The codes MCNP and Monteburns were utilized for the neutronic analysis while the code PARET was used to determine fuel and cladding temperatures. All of these simulations used improved zirconium hydride cross sections that were provided by Dr. Ayman Hawari at North Carolina State University. The neutronic and thermal analysis showed that the reactor will operate with approximately the same fuel lifetime as the current high enriched uranium fuel and stay within the thermal and safety limits for the facility. It was also determined that the control rod worths and the temperature coefficient of reactivity would provide sufficient negative reactivity to control the reactor during the fuel’s complete lifetime. An assessment of the fuel’s viability for use with the Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative’s Reactor Accelerator Coupling Experiments program was also performed. The objective of this study was to confirm the continued viability of these experiments with the reactor operating using this new fuel. For these experiments, the accelerator driven system must produce fission heating in excess of 1 kW when driven by a 20 kW accelerator system. This criterion was met using the new fuel. Therefore the change out of the fuel will not affect the viability of these experiments.

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