Sensitivity of Nuclear Fuel Cycle Cost to Uncertainties in Nuclear Data

Abstract

A sensitivity analysis system is developed for assessing the economic implications of uncertainties in nuclear data and related computational methods for light water power reactors. Results of the sensitivity analysis indicate directions for worthwhile improvements in data and methods. Benefits from improvements in data and methods are related to reduction of margins provided by designers to ensure meeting reactor and fuel objectives.The sensitivity analysis system relates costs to uncertainties in nuclear data and methods by two sequences of operations broken at the few-group data level. The first determines the sensitivity of reactor fuel cycle cost to uncertainties in few-group microscopic cross sections. Then, for important cases, further analysis relates few-energy-group cell-averaged microscopic cross sections to uncertainties in basic nuclear data and in related computational methods.Sensitivity analyses are carried out using the batch depletion code FASTCELL, the core analysis code FASTCORE, and t...