Nuclear-data uncertainty propagations in burnup calculation for the PWR assembly

Abstract

In this paper, our home-developed lattice code NECP-CACTI has been implemented into our UNICORN code to perform sensitivity and uncertainty analysis for the lattice calculations. The verified multigroup cross-section perturbation model and methods of the sensitivity and uncertainty analysis are established and applied to different lattice codes in UNICORN. As DRAGON5.0 and NECP-CACTI are available for the lattice calculations in UNICORN now, the effects of different neutronics methods (including methods for the neutron-transport and resonance self-shielding calculations) on the results of sensitivity and uncertainty analysis were studied in this paper. Based on NECP-CACTI, uncertainty analysis using the statistical sampling method has been performed to the burnup calculation for the fresh-fueled TMI-1 assembly, propagating the nuclear-data uncertainties to k∞ and two-group constants of the lattice calculation with depletions. As results shown, for different neutronics methods, it can be observed that different methods of the neutron-transport calculation introduce no differences to the results of sensitivity and uncertainty analysis, while different methods of the resonance self-shielding calculation would impact the results. With depletions of the TMI-1 assembly, for k∞, the relative uncertainty varies between 0.45% and 0.60%; for two-group constants, the largest variation is between 0.35% and 2.56% for vΣf,2. Moreover, the most significant contributors to the uncertainty of k∞ and two-group constants varied with depletions are determined.