Neutronics analysis of full MOX BWR core simulation experiments – FUBILA: Part 2

Abstract

A part of the experimental program FUBILA was dedicated to the study of core physics characteristics of full MOX BWR cores by testing five experimental cores: a core inserted with a B4C control blade, a core loaded with UO2 fuel rods, the core loaded with Gd2O3-UO2 fuel rods, a core loaded with 10 × 10 MOX assemblies and a core loaded with time-elapsed MOX fuel. The present article describes analysis results of the experimental data with deterministic analysis codes and a continuous energy Monte Carlo code coupled with major nuclear data libraries. The calculated critical k eff's with the Monte Carlo calculations range from 0.999 to 1.007. Those of the transport calculations with sixteen energy groups are close to those of the Monte Carlo calculations while those of diffusion calculations with the same sixteen energy groups are systematically smaller by −0.3 to −0.5% Δk than those of the Monte Carlo calculations. The RMSs of differences between the calculated and measured core radial fission rates are 2 to 3%, 1 to 2%, and 1 to 2% for the diffusion, transport and Monte Carlo calculations, respectively. For the analysis of the Gd2O3-UO2 fuel rod loaded core, the C/Es of the radial fission rates were improved by adopting a detailed lattice calculation model and a newly measured thermal and resonance cross-sections of Gadolinium.