Nuclear Data Needs for Application in Nuclear Criticality Safety Programs

Conference · Sun Sep 17 00:00:00 EDT 1995

OSTI ID:102261

Leal, L. C. ^[1]; Westfall, R. M. ^[1]; Jordan, W. C. ^[1]; Wright, R. Q. ^[1]

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1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Computational Physics and Engineering Division

In nuclear criticality safety applications, a number of important uncertainties have to be addressed to establish the required criticality safety margin of a nuclear system. One source of these uncertainties is the basic nuclear data used to calculate the effective multiplication factor of the system. Before criticality safety calculations are performed, the bias and uncertainties of the codes and cross sections that are used must be determined. Cross-section data are measured, evaluated, and tested prior to their inclusion in nuclear data libraries. Traditionally, nuclear data evaluations are performed to support the analysis and design of thermal and fast reactors. The neutron spectra characteristic of the thermal and fast systems used for data testing are predominantly in the low- and high-energy ranges, with a relatively minor influence from the intermediate-energy range. In the area of nuclear criticality safety, nuclear systems involving spent fuel elements from reactors can lead to situations very different from those most commonly found in reactor analysis and design. These systems are not limited to thermal or fast neutron spectra and may have their most significant influence from the intermediate energy range. This requires extending the range of applicability of the nuclear data evaluation beyond thermal and fast systems. The aim here is to focus on the evaluated nuclear data pertaining to applications in nuclear criticality safety.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Computational Physics and Engineering Division
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP); USDOE Office of Nuclear Safety Policy
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 102261
• Report Number(s): CONF-9509100-15; ON: DE95017455; TRN: 95:020521
• Resource Relation: Conference: ICNC '95: 5. International Conference on Nuclear Criticality Safety, Albuquerque, NM (United States), 17-22 Sep 1995; Other Information: PBD: [1995]
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING
NUCLEAR DATA COLLECTIONS
INFORMATION NEEDS
MSRE REACTOR
REACTOR FUELING
CRITICALITY
SAFETY ANALYSIS
FUEL CYCLE CENTERS
URANYL NITRATES
URANIUM 233
CONTAINERS
EVALUATION
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
Neutron Spectra
Thermal Reactor
Fast Reactor
Evaluated Nuclear Data File (ENDF)
SCALE System
Reich-Moore Resonance Parameters
Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport (MCNP)