Validating Analysis Methodologies Used in Burnup Credit Criticality Calculations

Conference · Wed Jan 15 00:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:5735636

Brady, M. C. ^[1]; Napolitano, D. G. ^[2]

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1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
2. Yankee Atomic Electric Company, Boston, MA (United States)

The concept of allowing reactivity credit for the depleted (or burned) state of pressurized water reactor fuel in the licensing of spent fuel facilities introduces a new challenge to members of the nuclear criticality community. The primary difference in this analysis approach is the technical ability to calculate spent fuel compositions (or inventories) and to predict their effect on the system multiplication factor. Isotopic prediction codes are used routinely for in-core physics calculations and the prediction of radiation source terms for both thermal and shielding analyses but represent an innovation for criticality specialists. This paper discusses two methodologies currently being developed to specifically evaluate isotopic composition and reactivity for the burnup credit concept. A comprehensive approach to benchmarking and validating the methods is also presented. This approach involves the analysis of commercial reactor critical data, fuel storage critical experiments, chemical assay isotopic data, and numerical benchmark calculations.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Yankee Atomic Electric Company, Boston, MA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 5735636
• Report Number(s): SAND-92-7026C; CONF-920164-5; ON: DE92006849
• Resource Relation: Conference: Institute of Nuclear Material Management (INMM) Winter Meeting, Washington, DC (United States), 15-17 Jan 1992
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
SPENT FUELS
SPENT FUEL STORAGE
CRITICALITY
REACTIVITY
ACTINIDES
BURNUP
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
COMPUTER CODES
RADIOISOTOPES
STANDARDS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
FUELS
ISOTOPES
MATERIALS
METALS
NUCLEAR FUELS
POWER REACTORS
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTORS
STORAGE
THERMAL REACTORS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
Reactivity Credit
Pressurized Water Reactor Fuel
Methodologies
Isotopic Composition Evaluation
Benchmarks
Validation
Analysis of Commercial Reactor Critical Data
Fuel Storage Critical Experiments
Chemical Assay Isotopic Data
Numerical Benchmark Calculations
050900* - Nuclear Fuels- Transport
Handling
& Storage
054000 - Nuclear Fuels- Health & Safety
210200 - Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Nonboiling Water Cooled