Initial RattleSnake Calculations of the Hot Zero Power BEAVRS
- Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
The validation of the Idaho National Laboratory's next generation of reactor physics analysis codes is an essential and ongoing task. The validation process requires a large undertaking and includes detailed, realistic models that can accurately predict the behavior of an operational nuclear reactor. Over the past few years the INL has developed the RattleSnake application and supporting tools on the MOOSE framework to perform these reactor physics calculations. RattleSnake solves the linearized Boltzmann transport equation with a variety of solution meth ods. Various traditional reactor physics benchmarks have already been performed, but a more realistic light water reactor comparison was needed to solidify the status of the code and deter mine its fidelity. The INL team decided to use the Benchmark for Evaluation and Validation of Reactor Simulations, which was made available in early 2013. This benchmark is a one of-a-kind document assembled by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which includes two cycles of detailed, measured PWR operational data. The results from this initial study of the hot zero power conditions show the current INL analysis procedure with DRAGON4 cross section preparation and using the low order diffusion solver in RattleSnake for the whole core calculations yield very encouraging results for PWR analysis. The radial assembly power distributions, radial detector measurements and control rod worths were computed with good accuracy. The computation of the isothermal temperature coefficients of reactivity require further study.
- Research Organization:
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC07-05ID14517
- OSTI ID:
- 1126731
- Report Number(s):
- INL/EXT-13-30903
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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