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Title: Development and Validation of Scale Nuclear Analysis Methods for High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors

Abstract

In support of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, ORNL is updating the nuclear analysis methods and data in the SCALE code system to support modeling of HTGRs. Development activities include methods used for reactor physics, criticality safety, and radiation shielding. This paper focuses on the nuclear methods in support of reactor physics, which primarily include lattice physics for cross-section processing of both prismatic and pebble-bed designs, Monte Carlo depletion methods and efficiency improvements for double heterogeneous fuels, and validation against relevant experiments. These methods enhancements are being validated using available experimental data from the HTTR and HTR-10 startup and initial criticality experiments. Results obtained with three-dimensional Monte Carlo models of the HTTR initial core critical configurations with SCALE6/KENO show excellent agreement between the continuous energy and multigroup methods and the results are consistent with results obtained by others. A three-dimensional multigroup Monte Carlo model for the initial critical core of the HTR-10 has been developed with SCALE6/KENO based on the benchmark specifications included in the IRPhE Handbook. The core eigenvalue obtained with this model is in very good agreement with the corresponding value obtained with a consistent continuous energy MCNP5 core model.

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [2];  [2];  [2]; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo [2];  [2]
  1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  2. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP); US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC)
OSTI Identifier:
991688
DOE Contract Number:  
AC05-00OR22725
Resource Type:
Conference
Journal Name:
Proceedings of HTR 2010
Additional Journal Information:
Conference: 5. International Conference on High Temperature Reactor Technology HTR 2010, Prague (Czech Republic), 18-20 Oct 2010; Related Information: https://www.ans.org/meetings/view-113/
Publisher:
American Nuclear Society
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING; 21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS; BENCHMARKS; CRITICALITY; EFFICIENCY; EIGENVALUES; ORNL; PHYSICS; PROCESSING; RADIATIONS; REACTOR PHYSICS; REACTOR TECHNOLOGY; SAFETY; SHIELDING; SIMULATION; SPECIFICATIONS; VALIDATION; Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP); SCALE Code System; High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR); Monte Carlo Depletion Methods; Light Water Reactor (LWR) Designs; Sensitivity/Uncertainty (S/U) Analysis; Lattice Physics Methods; Evaluated Nuclear Data File (ENDF); KENO; High-Temperature Test Reactor (HTTR)

Citation Formats

Gehin, Jess C., Jessee, Matthew, Williams, Mark L., Lee, Deokjung, Goluoglu, Sedat, Ilas, Germina, Ilas, Dan, and Bowman, Steve A. Development and Validation of Scale Nuclear Analysis Methods for High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors. United States: N. p., 2010. Web.
Gehin, Jess C., Jessee, Matthew, Williams, Mark L., Lee, Deokjung, Goluoglu, Sedat, Ilas, Germina, Ilas, Dan, & Bowman, Steve A. Development and Validation of Scale Nuclear Analysis Methods for High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors. United States.
Gehin, Jess C., Jessee, Matthew, Williams, Mark L., Lee, Deokjung, Goluoglu, Sedat, Ilas, Germina, Ilas, Dan, and Bowman, Steve A. 2010. "Development and Validation of Scale Nuclear Analysis Methods for High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/991688.
@article{osti_991688,
title = {Development and Validation of Scale Nuclear Analysis Methods for High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors},
author = {Gehin, Jess C. and Jessee, Matthew and Williams, Mark L. and Lee, Deokjung and Goluoglu, Sedat and Ilas, Germina and Ilas, Dan and Bowman, Steve A.},
abstractNote = {In support of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, ORNL is updating the nuclear analysis methods and data in the SCALE code system to support modeling of HTGRs. Development activities include methods used for reactor physics, criticality safety, and radiation shielding. This paper focuses on the nuclear methods in support of reactor physics, which primarily include lattice physics for cross-section processing of both prismatic and pebble-bed designs, Monte Carlo depletion methods and efficiency improvements for double heterogeneous fuels, and validation against relevant experiments. These methods enhancements are being validated using available experimental data from the HTTR and HTR-10 startup and initial criticality experiments. Results obtained with three-dimensional Monte Carlo models of the HTTR initial core critical configurations with SCALE6/KENO show excellent agreement between the continuous energy and multigroup methods and the results are consistent with results obtained by others. A three-dimensional multigroup Monte Carlo model for the initial critical core of the HTR-10 has been developed with SCALE6/KENO based on the benchmark specifications included in the IRPhE Handbook. The core eigenvalue obtained with this model is in very good agreement with the corresponding value obtained with a consistent continuous energy MCNP5 core model.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/991688}, journal = {Proceedings of HTR 2010},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Oct 18 00:00:00 EDT 2010},
month = {Mon Oct 18 00:00:00 EDT 2010}
}

Conference:
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