Calculation of the power distribution in the VENUS PWR mock-up benchmark using two-group diffusion theory

Technical Report · Fri Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1986

OSTI ID:5151630

Williams, M L; Landesman, M; Kam, F B.K.

Benchmark calculations of the relative power distribution in the VENUS PWR Mock-Up Experiment were performed with both discrete ordinates transport theory and few-group diffusion theory. The diffusion theory calculations use codes from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Advanced Recycle Methodology Program (ARMP), which is based on methods commonly used by US utilities and vendors. The diffusion results are compared with transport theory results as well as with the measured power distribution obtained by gamma scans of the fuel pins. The major objective of the study is to determine the accuracy of the pin-wise power calculations near the core periphery, which is the region that produces nearly all the neutrons that leak from the core and damage the reactor pressure vessel. Results show that the few-group diffusion calculation produces results which are nearly as accurate as the transport calculation. The largest error in the computed pin powers near the periphery, as compared to measured values, is approximately 7%. The average discrepancy throughout the entire core is 2%, which is comparable to the experimental uncertainty. A conservative error estimate of 5% to 10% is, therefore, recommended for the pin-wise source distribution used in determining the reactor vessel fluence for cores similar to the VENUS configuration.

• Research Organization: Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge (USA); Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 5151630
• Report Number(s): NUREG/CR-4647; ORNL/TM-10095; ON: TI86014866
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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