Summation calculations of fission-product decay heat, their uncertainties and their applications to a fast breeder reactor

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This paper presents the calculated results of the fission-product decay heat by means of the summation method. New methods are used for the prediction of unmeasured nuclear data concerning the average decay energies and the mass yields of fission products. The calculated decay heats are found to closely agree with the experimental data. The results also reveal systematic dependencies of the decay heat on the neutron energies and the fissioning nuclides. The uncertainties in the decay heat calculations due to errors in the decay energies, the decay constants and the fission yields are studied. The decay heats and their uncertainties in a fast breeder reactor are also calculated taking into account 238U, 239Pu, 240Pu, 241Pu and 242Pu, and two neutron energy groups.