Validation of PWR Neutronics Code Package TORCH V2.0 With Nuclear Power Plant Measurements

Bin Zhang,Xingjie Peng,Chen Zhao,Qing Li,Wenbo Zhao

doi:10.3389/fenrg.2021.779243

Abstract

This article presents the verification and validation (V and V) of PWR neutronics code package TORCH V2.0 with nuclear power plant (NPP) measurements. The advanced nuclear power engineering design software, TORCH V2.0, was developed by the Nuclear Power Institute of China (NPIC), China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). Based on the two-step calculation scheme, TORCH V2.0 mainly contains lattice physics code for assembly homogenization, link calculation code for few-group constant parameterization, and core simulation code for few-group core calculation. The calculation modules of each code were already verified against various benchmark problems, whereas this article focuses on the V and V of linked code system. The measured values of the reactor startup physics test and NPP operation from six PWR NPPs (Daya Bay NPP, Ling Ao NPP, Fangjiashan NPP, Qinshan NPP, Hainan Changjiang NPP, and Fuqing NPP) were utilized to perform the comparison and analysis of V and V. Compared parameters of the reactor startup physics test include critical boron concentration, control rod integral value, boron differential value, and isothermal temperature coefficient. Compared parameters of the NPP operation contain critical boron concentration, assembly-wise power distribution, hot spot factor, and nuclear enthalpy rise factor. The results show that the software TORCH V2.0 has reliable calculation ability and can be applied in the PWR nuclear power engineering design which is based on square fuel assembly.

Highlights

A conventional two-step approach of a transport calculation and a nodal diffusion calculation, such as CASMO/SIMULATE, PARAGON/ANC, and APOLLO/SMART (Liu and Meliksetian, 1986; Studsvik of American, 1994; Studsvik of American, 1995; Westinghouse Electric Company, 2005; Adrien, 2014; Vidal et al, 2014; Zhang et al, 2018), has been used in the light water reactor core design for decades. These conventional code systems have been in use for commercial PWR core designs for a long time, and they have been upgraded continuously based on numerous core calculations
A PWR core design software package named TORCH V2.0 has been developed by the Nuclear Power Institute of China (NPIC), China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC)
The results show that the software TORCH V2.0 has reliable calculation ability and can be applied in the PWR nuclear power engineering design which is based on square fuel assembly

Summary

INTRODUCTION

A conventional two-step approach of a transport calculation and a nodal diffusion calculation, such as CASMO/SIMULATE, PARAGON (or PHOENIX)/ANC, and APOLLO/SMART (Liu and Meliksetian, 1986; Studsvik of American, 1994; Studsvik of American, 1995; Westinghouse Electric Company, 2005; Adrien, 2014; Vidal et al, 2014; Zhang et al, 2018), has been used in the light water reactor core design for decades. KYLIN V2.0 has powerful geometric processing ability, which can perform one-step two-dimensional neutron transport calculation and analysis on various fuel assemblies with complex structures in advanced nuclear reactors, and is mainly used to provide the few-group assemblyhomogenized parameters for the three-dimensional core computing software CORCA-3D. The flow chart of the lattice physics code KYLIN V2.0 is shown in Figure 1; the program is mainly used for neutron simulation calculation and analysis of two-dimensional problems and provides assembly-homogenized parameters for three-dimensional core simulation software. 1) According to the current core information and historical information of the component (including burnup depth, boron concentration, effective fuel temperature, moderator density, xenon concentration, and control rod status), the few-group cross-section parameters of each segment in the core can be calculated from the multiparameter cross-section library provided by the linking code PACFAC.

CONCLUSION

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT