Article Sidebar

PDF
Published: 2019-06-15
Abstract Views: 89
Views PDF: 27
DOI: https://doi.org/10.53747/jnst.v9i2.46
Issue
Vol. 9 No. 2 (2019)
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Vrban, B., Čerba, Štefan, Lüley, J., Osuský, F., Vorobeľ, M., & Nečas, V. (2019). On Burnup Modelling Issues Associated with VVER–440 Fuels. Nuclear Science and Technology, 9(2), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.53747/jnst.v9i2.46

On Burnup Modelling Issues Associated with VVER–440 Fuels

Branislav Vrban1,2, Štefan Čerba1, Jakub Lüley1, Filip Osuský1, Mikuláš Vorobeľ1, Vladimír Nečas1
1 Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Institute of Nuclear and Physical Engineering, Ilkovičova 3, 812 19 Bratislava, Slovakia
2 B&J NUCLEAR Ltd., Alžbetin Dvor 145, 900 42 Miloslavov, Slovakia

Main Article Content

Abstract

The paper investigates various computational modelling issues associated with VVER-440 fuel depletion, relevant to burnup credit. The SCALE system and the TRITON sequence are used for the calculations. The effects of variations in depletion parameters and used calculation methods on the isotopic vectors are investigated. The burnup behaviour of Gadolinium is quite important in actual core analysis, but its behaviour is somewhat complicated, requiring special treatment in numerical modelling and calculations. Therefore, a special part of the paper is devoted to the treatment of Gadolinium-bearing fuels. Moreover, some discussions on power normalization are also included. To assess the acquired modelling experience used to predict the VVER-440 spent fuel nuclide composition, the measured compositions of Novovoronezh NPP irradiated fuel assembly are compared to data calculated by TRITON sequence. The samples of fuel assembly with 3.6 wt. % U-235 enrichment underwent 4-cycle campaign of totally 1109 effective full power days in the core and cooling period of 1-13 years. Calculated concentrations are compared to measured values burdened with their experimental uncertainties for totally 47 nuclides. The calculated results show overall a good agreement for all nuclides, differences from measured are pointed out and discussed in the paper.

Article Details

Keywords

burnup, VVER 440, modelling, SCALE

References

[1]. ORNL, SCALE, “A Comprehensive Modelling and Simulation Suite for Nuclear Safety Analysis and Design”, Version 6.1, ORNL/TM-2005/39, 2011.
[2]. M.D. DeHart, ″Sensitivity and Parametric Evaluations of Significant Aspects of Burnup Credit for PWR Spent Fuel Packages″, ORNL/TM-12973, Lockheed Martin Energy Res. Corp., Oak Ridge Nat. Laboratory, 1996.
[3]. M.D. DeHart, ″Parametric Analysis of PWR Spent Fuel Depletion Parameters for Long Term Disposal Criticality Safety″, ORNL/TM-1999/99, Lockheed Martin Energy Res. Corp., Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1999.
[4]. L. Markova, F. Havluj, “Simplified Benchmark Specification based on #2670 ISTC VVER PIE”, Proc. The 12th Meeting of AER Working Group E, Modra, Slovakia, April 16-18, 2007.
[5]. M. D. DeHart, “High-Fidelity Lattice Physics Capabilities of the SCALE Code System Using TRITON”, The American Nuclear Society and the European Nuclear Society 2007 Int. Conf. on Making the Renaissance Real, Washington, D.C., Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc. 97, 598-600, 2007.
[6]. B. J. Ade, “A primer for Light Water Reactor Lattice Physics Calculations”, ORNL, U.S.NRC, NUREG/CR-7041, 2012.
[7]. M.B. Chadwick, et al., ″ENDF/B-VII.0: Next Generation Evaluated Nuclear Data Library for Nuclear Science and Technology″, Nuclear Data Sheets, vol. 107, pp. 2931-3060, 2006.
[8]. M. B. Chadwick, M. Herman, P. Obložinský et al, “ENDF/B-VII.1 Nuclear Data for Science and Technology: Cross Sections, Covariances, Fission Product Yields and Decay Data”, Nuclear Data Sheets, vol. 112, no. 12, pp. 2887-2996, 2011.
[9]. B. Vrban, et. al., “The VVER-440 Burnup Credit Computational Benchmark Used for the SCALE System Qualification”, In APCOM 2018: 24th International conference on applied physics of condensed matter, Slovak Republic. AIP Publishing, 2018.
[10]. L. J. Jardine, “Radiochemical Assays of Irradiated VVER-440 Fuel for Use in Spent Fuel Burnup Credit Activities”, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, UCRL-TR212202, April 2005.