skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Validation of updated neutronic calculation models proposed for Atucha-II PHWR. Part II: Benchmark comparisons of PUMA core parameters with MCNP5 and improvements due to a simple cell heterogeneity correction

Abstract

In 2005 the Argentine Government took the decision to complete the construction of the Atucha-II nuclear power plant, which has been progressing slowly during the last ten years. Atucha-II is a 745 MWe nuclear station moderated and cooled with heavy water, of German (Siemens) design located in Argentina. It has a pressure vessel design with 451 vertical coolant channels and the fuel assemblies (FA) are clusters of 37 natural UO{sub 2} rods with an active length of 530 cm. For the reactor physics area, a revision and update of reactor physics calculation methods and models was recently carried out covering cell, supercell (control rod) and core calculations. This paper presents benchmark comparisons of core parameters of a slightly idealized model of the Atucha-I core obtained with the PUMA reactor code with MCNP5. The Atucha-I core was selected because it is smaller, similar from a neutronic point of view, more symmetric than Atucha-II, and has some experimental data available. To validate the new models benchmark comparisons of k-effective, channel power and axial power distributions obtained with PUMA and MCNP5 have been performed. In addition, a simple cell heterogeneity correction recently introduced in PUMA is presented, which improves significantly the agreement ofmore » calculated channel powers with MCNP5. To complete the validation, the calculation of some of the critical configurations of the Atucha-I reactor measured during the experiments performed at first criticality is also presented. (authors)« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2]; ; ;  [1];  [2]
  1. Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica, Av del Libertador 8250, Buenos Aires 1429 (Argentina)
  2. Nucleoelectrica Argentina S.A., Arribenos 3619, Buenos Aires 1429 (Argentina)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
American Nuclear Society, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, IL 60526 (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
22039535
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: PHYSOR-2006: American Nuclear Society's Topical Meeting on Reactor Physics - Advances in Nuclear Analysis and Simulation, Vancouver, BC (Canada), 10-14 Sep 2006; Other Information: Country of input: France; 5 refs.
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS; 97 MATHEMATICAL METHODS AND COMPUTING; ATUCHA-1 REACTOR; ATUCHA-2 REACTOR; BENCHMARKS; COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS; CONTROL ELEMENTS; DESIGN; EXPERIMENTAL DATA; FUEL ASSEMBLIES; MONTE CARLO METHOD; MULTIPLICATION FACTORS; NATURAL URANIUM; POWER DISTRIBUTION; PRESSURE VESSELS; REACTOR CORES; REACTOR PHYSICS; URANIUM DIOXIDE; VALIDATION

Citation Formats

Grant, C, Mollerach, R, Leszczynski, F, Serra, O, Marconi, J, and Fink, J. Validation of updated neutronic calculation models proposed for Atucha-II PHWR. Part II: Benchmark comparisons of PUMA core parameters with MCNP5 and improvements due to a simple cell heterogeneity correction. United States: N. p., 2006. Web.
Grant, C, Mollerach, R, Leszczynski, F, Serra, O, Marconi, J, & Fink, J. Validation of updated neutronic calculation models proposed for Atucha-II PHWR. Part II: Benchmark comparisons of PUMA core parameters with MCNP5 and improvements due to a simple cell heterogeneity correction. United States.
Grant, C, Mollerach, R, Leszczynski, F, Serra, O, Marconi, J, and Fink, J. 2006. "Validation of updated neutronic calculation models proposed for Atucha-II PHWR. Part II: Benchmark comparisons of PUMA core parameters with MCNP5 and improvements due to a simple cell heterogeneity correction". United States.
@article{osti_22039535,
title = {Validation of updated neutronic calculation models proposed for Atucha-II PHWR. Part II: Benchmark comparisons of PUMA core parameters with MCNP5 and improvements due to a simple cell heterogeneity correction},
author = {Grant, C and Mollerach, R and Leszczynski, F and Serra, O and Marconi, J and Fink, J},
abstractNote = {In 2005 the Argentine Government took the decision to complete the construction of the Atucha-II nuclear power plant, which has been progressing slowly during the last ten years. Atucha-II is a 745 MWe nuclear station moderated and cooled with heavy water, of German (Siemens) design located in Argentina. It has a pressure vessel design with 451 vertical coolant channels and the fuel assemblies (FA) are clusters of 37 natural UO{sub 2} rods with an active length of 530 cm. For the reactor physics area, a revision and update of reactor physics calculation methods and models was recently carried out covering cell, supercell (control rod) and core calculations. This paper presents benchmark comparisons of core parameters of a slightly idealized model of the Atucha-I core obtained with the PUMA reactor code with MCNP5. The Atucha-I core was selected because it is smaller, similar from a neutronic point of view, more symmetric than Atucha-II, and has some experimental data available. To validate the new models benchmark comparisons of k-effective, channel power and axial power distributions obtained with PUMA and MCNP5 have been performed. In addition, a simple cell heterogeneity correction recently introduced in PUMA is presented, which improves significantly the agreement of calculated channel powers with MCNP5. To complete the validation, the calculation of some of the critical configurations of the Atucha-I reactor measured during the experiments performed at first criticality is also presented. (authors)},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22039535}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2006},
month = {Sat Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2006}
}

Conference:
Other availability
Please see Document Availability for additional information on obtaining the full-text document. Library patrons may search WorldCat to identify libraries that hold this conference proceeding.

Save / Share: