Noise-based core monitoring and diagnostics: overview of the cortex project

This paper gives an overview of the CORTEX project, which is a Research and Innovation Action funded by the European Union in the Euratom 2016-2017 work program, under the Horizon 2020 framework. CORTEX, which stands for CORe monitoring Techniques and EXperimental validation and demonstration, aims at developing an innovative core monitoring technique that allows detecting anomalies in nuclear reactors, such as excessive vibrations of core internals, flow blockage, coolant inlet perturbations, etc. The technique is based on primarily using the inherent fluctuations in neutron flux recorded by in-core and ex-core instrumentation (often referred to as neutron noise), from which the anomalies will be differentiated depending on their type, location and characteristics. In addition to be non-intrusive and not requiring any external perturbation of the system, the method allows the detection of operational problems at a very early stage. Proper actions could thus be taken by utilities before such problems have any adverse effect on plant safety and reliability

The joint evaluated fission and fusion nuclear data library, JEFF-3.3

The joint evaluated fission and fusion nuclear data library 3.3 is described. New evaluations for neutron-induced interactions with the major actinides $^{235}$U, $^{238}$U and $^{239}$Pu, on $^{241}$Am and $^{23}$Na, $^{59}$Ni, Cr, Cu, Zr, Cd, Hf, W, Au, Pb and Bi are presented. It includes new fission yields, prompt fission neutron spectra and average number of neutrons per fission. In addition, new data for radioactive decay, thermal neutron scattering, gamma-ray emission, neutron activation, delayed neutrons and displacement damage are presented. JEFF-3.3 was complemented by files from the TENDL project. The libraries for photon, proton, deuteron, triton, helion and alpha-particle induced reactions are from TENDL-2017. The demands for uncertainty quantification in modeling led to many new covariance data for the evaluations. A comparison between results from model calculations using the JEFF-3.3 library and those from benchmark experiments for criticality, delayed neutron yields, shielding and decay heat, reveals that JEFF-3.3 performes very well for a wide range of nuclear technology applications, in particular nuclear energy

On data assimilation with Monte-Carlo-calculated and statistically uncertain sensitivity coefficients

International audienceSensitivity coefficients from Monte Carlo neutron transport codes have uncertainties that can affect nuclear data adjustments with integral experiments. This paper presents an extended version of Generalized Linear Least Squares (GLLS), called xGLLS, that accounts for these uncertainties. With very large sensitivity uncertainties, xGLLS constrains the nuclear data adjustments so that the posterior biases and uncertainties are larger than with GLLS. However, for the range of sensitivity uncertainties realistically encountered, xGLLS does not produce adjustments different from GLLS. This indicates that sensitivity uncertainties are not important compared to experimental, modeling, methodological, and nuclear data uncertainties. To balance a simulation’s accuracy with its computational cost, we recommend stopping a simulation once the uncertainty of a calculated integral parameter, caused by modeling and methodologies and by the sensitivities, is an order of magnitude smaller than that caused by nuclear data

Methods and Models for the Coupled Neutronics and Thermal-Hydraulics Analysis of the CROCUS Reactor at EFPL

In order to analyze the steady state and transient behavior of the CROCUS reactor, several methods and models need to be developed in the areas of reactor physics, thermal-hydraulics, and multiphysics coupling. The long-term objectives of this project are to work towards the development of a modern method for the safety analysis of research reactors and to update the Final Safety Analysis Report of the CROCUS reactor. A first part of the paper deals with generation of a core simulator nuclear data library for the CROCUS reactor using the Serpent 2 Monte Carlo code and also with reactor core modeling using the PARCS code. PARCS eigenvalue, radial power distribution, and control rod reactivity worth results were benchmarked against Serpent 2 full-core model results. Using the Serpent 2 model as reference, PARCS eigenvalue predictions were within 240 pcm, radial power was within 3% in the central region of the core, and control rod reactivity worth was within 2%. A second part reviews the current methodology used for the safety analysis of the CROCUS reactor and presents the envisioned approach for the multiphysics modeling of the reactor

Stochastic vs. sensitivity-based integral parameter and nuclear data adjustments

Developments in data assimilation theory allow to adjust integral parameters and cross sections with stochastic sampling. This work investigates how two stochastic methods, MOCABA and BMC, perform relative to a sensitivity-based methodology called GLLS. Stochastic data assimilation can treat integral parameters that behave non-linearly with respect to nuclear data perturbations, which would be an advantage over GLLS. Additionally, BMC is compatible with integral parameters and nuclear data that have non-Gaussian distributions. In this work, MOCABA and BMC are compared to GLLS for a simple test case: JEZEBEL-Pu239 simulated with Serpent2. The three methods show good agreement between the mean values and uncertainties of their posterior calculated values and nuclear data. The observed discrepancies are not statistically significant with a sample size of 10000. BMC posterior calculated values and nuclear data have larger uncertainties than MOCABA's at equivalent sample sizes

Nuclear data uncertainties for Swiss BWR spent nuclear fuel characteristics

The effect of nuclear data (fission yields, cross sections and emitted spectra) is quantified for spent nuclear fuel assemblies from a realistic boiling water reactor operated over 25 cycles. Nominal calculations are performed with the CASMO5, SIMULATE-3 and SNF codes and the ENDF/B-VII.0 nuclear data library. The uncertainties are calculated with the same codes, using a Monte Carlo propagation method, and the ENDF/B-VII.1 covariance matrices. The conclusions are that (1) the nuclear data have a non-negligible impact for spent fuel quantities (e.g., decay heat, neutron emission or isotopic contents); (2) the importance of varying all data together is demonstrated, showing an under- or overestimation of uncertainties if fission yields are sampled separately from the other nuclear data; and finally (3) the importance of considering the full irradiation history (multi-cycle assembly life) is also demonstrated, showing also an under- or overestimation of uncertainties when performing the nuclear data sampling for a single reactor cycle

Study of Nuclear Decay Data Contribution to Uncertainties in Heat Load Estimations for Spent Fuel Pools

At the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), a methodology for nuclear data uncertainty propagation in CASMO-5M (C5M) assembly calculations is under development. This paper presents a preliminary application of this methodology to C5M decay heat calculations. Applying a stochastic sampling method, nuclear decay data uncertainties are first propagated for the cooling phase only. Thereafter, the uncertainty propagation is enlarged to gradually account for cross-section as well as fission yield uncertainties during the depletion phase. On that basis, assembly heat load uncertainties as well as total uncertainty for the entire pool are quantified for cooling times up to one year. The relative contributions from the various types of nuclear data uncertainties are in this context also estimated