Validation of new depletion capabilities and ENDF/B-VII data libraries in SCALE

Abstract

New isotopic depletion capabilities and ENDF/B-VII data libraries have been implemented in the recent release 6.1 of SCALE, a comprehensive modeling and simulation suite for nuclear safety analysis and design developed and maintained by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. An assessment of the effect of the new developments on the code performance is the subject of this paper. The analysis is focused on evaluating the code performance in predicting isotopic compositions in spent nuclear fuel by using an extensive, measured isotopic assay database. The analysis results obtained using the latest ENDF/B-VII cross-section data and different resonance processing methods in SCALE are compared to the results of previous validation studies that used ENDF/B-V data. The performance of SCALE depletion capabilities with respect to other computational systems is assessed based on recent published results that were obtained using ENDF/B-VII libraries.