MOX use in reactors: Benchmarking of neutronic codes -- Analyses of selected Saxton plutonium program experiments using WIMS7a

Technical Report · Mon Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/329559· OSTI ID:329559

Cuevas Vivas, G F; Paris, T A ^[1]

---

1. Texas A and M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)

As part of the effort for the benchmarking neutronic codes for plutonium utilization, the deterministic code WIMS7a (and its associated JEF 2.2 nuclear data library) was employed to calculationally model a selected group of the Saxton experiments. The selection of the experimental configurations to be modeled was performed based on the best experimental information available, and so as to fully exploit the neutronic variety of the Saxton plutonium program experiments. The modular WIMS7a code can be run in many ways. For the analyses presented here, a solver strategy was implemented using WIMS7a`s most evolved modules. The results showed a slightly better agreement with the experimental values for the effective neutron multiplication than the earlier results (obtained in 1997) using the codes, WIMSD4m and DIF3D. However, the calculated relative rod power distributions were not improved even though several energy group structures were tried. The simulations were carried out at Texas A and M University with access to WIMS7a being obtained via a one year lease from the AEA Technology.

• Research Organization: Amarillo National Resource Center for Plutonium, TX (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: FC04-95AL85832
• OSTI ID: 329559
• Report Number(s): ANRCP--1999-12; ON: DE99002106
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
BENCHMARKS
MIXED OXIDE FUELS
POWER DISTRIBUTION
REACTOR KINETICS
SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS
THEORETICAL DATA
W CODES
WATER COOLED REACTORS