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Title: Integral Full Core Multi-Physics PWR Benchmark with Measured Data

Abstract

In recent years, the importance of modeling and simulation has been highlighted extensively in the DOE research portfolio with concrete examples in nuclear engineering with the CASL and NEAMS programs. These research efforts and similar efforts worldwide aim at the development of high-fidelity multi-physics analysis tools for the simulation of current and next-generation nuclear power reactors. Like all analysis tools, verification and validation is essential to guarantee proper functioning of the software and methods employed. The current approach relies mainly on the validation of single physic phenomena (e.g. critical experiment, flow loops, etc.) and there is a lack of relevant multiphysics benchmark measurements that are necessary to validate high-fidelity methods being developed today. This work introduces a new multi-cycle full-core Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) depletion benchmark based on two operational cycles of a commercial nuclear power plant that provides a detailed description of fuel assemblies, burnable absorbers, in-core fission detectors, core loading and re-loading patterns. This benchmark enables analysts to develop extremely detailed reactor core models that can be used for testing and validation of coupled neutron transport, thermal-hydraulics, and fuel isotopic depletion. The benchmark also provides measured reactor data for Hot Zero Power (HZP) physics tests, boron letdown curves,more » and three-dimensional in-core flux maps from 58 instrumented assemblies. The benchmark description is now available online and has been used by many groups. However, much work remains to be done on the quantification of uncertainties and modeling sensitivities. This work aims to address these deficiencies and make this benchmark a true non-proprietary international benchmark for the validation of high-fidelity tools. This report details the BEAVRS uncertainty quantification for the first two cycle of operations and serves as the final report of the project.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1]
  1. Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
OSTI Identifier:
1432668
Report Number(s):
DOE-MIT-8270
NEUP 14-6742; TRN: US1900013
DOE Contract Number:  
NE0008270
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Resource Relation:
Related Information: BEAVRS Benchmark description can be found at http://crpg.mit.edu/research/beavrs
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS; PWR TYPE REACTORS; NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS; BENCHMARKS; NUCLEAR POWER; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING; BEAVRS benchmark, validation of reactor simulations, uncertainty quantification of nuclear power plant measurements

Citation Formats

Forget, Benoit, Smith, Kord, Kumar, Shikhar, Rathbun, Miriam, and Liang, Jingang. Integral Full Core Multi-Physics PWR Benchmark with Measured Data. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.2172/1432668.
Forget, Benoit, Smith, Kord, Kumar, Shikhar, Rathbun, Miriam, & Liang, Jingang. Integral Full Core Multi-Physics PWR Benchmark with Measured Data. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1432668
Forget, Benoit, Smith, Kord, Kumar, Shikhar, Rathbun, Miriam, and Liang, Jingang. 2018. "Integral Full Core Multi-Physics PWR Benchmark with Measured Data". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1432668. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1432668.
@article{osti_1432668,
title = {Integral Full Core Multi-Physics PWR Benchmark with Measured Data},
author = {Forget, Benoit and Smith, Kord and Kumar, Shikhar and Rathbun, Miriam and Liang, Jingang},
abstractNote = {In recent years, the importance of modeling and simulation has been highlighted extensively in the DOE research portfolio with concrete examples in nuclear engineering with the CASL and NEAMS programs. These research efforts and similar efforts worldwide aim at the development of high-fidelity multi-physics analysis tools for the simulation of current and next-generation nuclear power reactors. Like all analysis tools, verification and validation is essential to guarantee proper functioning of the software and methods employed. The current approach relies mainly on the validation of single physic phenomena (e.g. critical experiment, flow loops, etc.) and there is a lack of relevant multiphysics benchmark measurements that are necessary to validate high-fidelity methods being developed today. This work introduces a new multi-cycle full-core Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) depletion benchmark based on two operational cycles of a commercial nuclear power plant that provides a detailed description of fuel assemblies, burnable absorbers, in-core fission detectors, core loading and re-loading patterns. This benchmark enables analysts to develop extremely detailed reactor core models that can be used for testing and validation of coupled neutron transport, thermal-hydraulics, and fuel isotopic depletion. The benchmark also provides measured reactor data for Hot Zero Power (HZP) physics tests, boron letdown curves, and three-dimensional in-core flux maps from 58 instrumented assemblies. The benchmark description is now available online and has been used by many groups. However, much work remains to be done on the quantification of uncertainties and modeling sensitivities. This work aims to address these deficiencies and make this benchmark a true non-proprietary international benchmark for the validation of high-fidelity tools. This report details the BEAVRS uncertainty quantification for the first two cycle of operations and serves as the final report of the project.},
doi = {10.2172/1432668},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1432668}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Apr 11 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Wed Apr 11 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}