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Analysis of Reactor Physics Experiment for the Irradiated LWR MOX Fuels

Conference ·
OSTI ID:21016408
; ; ;  [1]
  1. Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization, Tokyu Reit Toranomon Bldg. 7F, 3-17-1, Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0001 (Japan)
As an important part to validate the LWR core neutronics analysis methods, Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization (JNES) has been participating in the REBUS international program and performing analyses and evaluations of the reactor physics experiment data including the irradiated fuels. In REBUS program, physics experiments were performed at the VENUS critical test facility in SCK/CEN, Belgium, in which the five core configurations were tested. In each core configuration, the central part of the 3.3%- and 4%-enriched UO{sub 2} fuel core was replaced by the test bundle of (1)fresh MOX fuel, (2)medium-burnup MOX fuel, (3)high-burnup MOX fuel, (4)fresh UO{sub 2} fuel, and (5)irradiated UO{sub 2} fuel. Measured parameters are critical water level, water level reactivity, fission rate distributions, and neutron flux distributions. In this paper, the results of the fresh MOX and medium-burnup MOX core critical experiments and analysis are presented. The medium-burnup MOX fuel used in this test is 6.9% in initial fissile enrichment and the burnup averaged over the fuel rods is 20 GWd/t. In the core critical analysis, a continuous energy Monte Carlo code MVP was used with the JENDL-3.2 nuclear data library as well as a deterministic analysis code SRAC. The calculated results are compared with the experimental ones. (authors)
Research Organization:
American Nuclear Society, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, IL 60526 (United States)
OSTI ID:
21016408
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English