Nuclear data uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of the VHTRC benchmark using SCALE

Bostelmann, Friederike; Strydom, Gerhard

doi:10.1016/j.anucene.2017.06.052

Nuclear data uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of the VHTRC benchmark using SCALE

Journal Article · Tue Jul 04 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · Annals of Nuclear Energy (Oxford)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2017.06.052· OSTI ID:1474117

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Gesellschaft fur Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) gGmbH, Garching (Germany)
Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

The Very High Temperature Critical Assembly (VHTRC) experiment represents one of the few data sets available for the validation of HTGR lattice physics. Within the framework of the IAEA Coordinated Research Project on HTGR Uncertainty Analysis in Modeling, uncertainty and sensitivity analyses of this graphite-moderated facility are performed as the validation reference to the prismatic MHTGR-350 fuel block calculations. Nominal multi-group and continuous-energy criticality calculations with the KENO-VI Monte Carlo code of the SCALE code package are compared with the continuous-energy Monte Carlo Code Serpent. Good agreement with a maximum difference of 250 pcm is obtained. The experimental data set, however, differs by several hundred pcm with the results of both codes when using the ENDF-VII.0 library. When using ENDF/B-VII.1 data, this difference is reduced to a few hundred pcm and the calculations lie within the experimental error bars. Uncertainties of the VHTRC multiplication factors due to uncertainties in nuclear data are determined with SAMPLER/KENO-VI of SCALE 6.2 and with continuous-energy TSUNAMI of SCALE 6.2. For all experimental configurations, the obtained uncertainty is found to be 0.58% when using ENDF/B-VII.0 data. The top contributor to this uncertainty is the average number of neutrons per fission event of U-235. With ENDF/B-VII.1 data, uncertainties of about 0.66% are obtained in particular due to an increased uncertainty of U-235 nu-bar in the latest ENDF release. In conclusion, when considering these nuclear data uncertainties, the obtained 1s uncertainty intervals are overlapping with the experimental error bars.

Research Organization:: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC07-05ID14517

OSTI ID:: 1474117

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 22695744
OSTI ID: 1495526

Report Number(s):: INL/JOU-17-42606-Rev000

Journal Information:: Annals of Nuclear Energy (Oxford), Journal Name: Annals of Nuclear Energy (Oxford) Journal Issue: C Vol. 110; ISSN 0306-4549

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (7)

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