Analysis of the APR1400 Benchmark Using High-Fidelity Pin-Wise Core Calculation Codes

Abstract

The KEPCO Nuclear Fuel Company (KNF) has undertaken considerable efforts to improve the KARMA/ASTRA nuclear design code system to meet the increasing demand for high-fidelity core analyses. Through years of effort, the KARMA lattice transport code based on the method of characteristics (MOC) has evolved into KARMA2, a direct whole core calculation code using a 3D calculation method based on planar (2D) MOC principles. Simultaneously, ASTRA2, designed as the successor to the ASTRA nodal diffusion code, has been developed. ASTRA2 exhibits enhanced capabilities in multigroup pin-by-pin core calculations, achieved by decoupling the 3D whole core problem into a series of planar and axial problems. The domain size of each axial problem can be adjusted, ranging from pin-cell to assembly scale, thereby optimizing efficiency. The verification and validation process of the KARMA2/ASTRA2 code system involves various benchmark problems and measured data from operational PWRs. In this study, the APR1400 benchmark analysis was performed to verify the neutronics calculation capabilities of both codes. The results underscore the reliability and accuracy of the KARMA2 solutions across various core conditions, exhibiting close agreement with the McCARD reference solutions. Similarly, the ASTRA2 results agree with the corresponding KARMA2 results. These successful results demonstrate the high-fidelity core calculation capabilities of KNF’s next-generation code system.