The objective of this study was to develop a unique
methodology and a practical tool for designing
loading pattern (LP) and burnable poison (BP)
pattern for a given Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR)
core. Because of the large number of possible
combinations for the fuel assembly (FA) loading in
the core, the design of the core configuration is a
complex optimization problem. It requires finding an
optimal FA arrangement and BP placement in order to
achieve maximum cycle length while satisfying the
safety constraints. To solve this optimization
problem, a LP optimization package, GARCO...