Recommendations for MYRRHA relevant cross section data to the JEFF project

Within the framework of Work Package 10 of the EC FP7 CHANDA project, nuclear data of importance for the operation of MYRRHA, a lead-bismuth cooled accelerator driven reactor under development at SCK•CEN (BE), were studied. Based on data in the main nuclear data libraries, i.e. JEFF, JENDL, ENDF/B and BROND, and in the TENDL and CIELO libraries and on experimental data reported in the literature, recommendations to the JEFF project were made for several nuclides of interest to the MYRRHA reactor.JRC.G.2-Standards for Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguard

Assessment of evaluations for MYRRHA

Nuclear data of importance to the operation of MYRRHA, a research infrastructure supporting the development of Generation-IV reactors, were identified by sensitivity analysis. The data recommended in the main nuclear data libraries (i.e. JEFF, JENDL, ENDF/B, and TENDL) were compared and validated against the available experimental data reported in the literature and results of recent measurements. Recommendations for new experiments to solve inconsistencies between recommended and experimental data were specified. In addition, an assessment was made of the discrepancies and the means of improvement of nuclear data libraries for design, safety assessment and operation of new nuclear reactor systems such as MYRRHA.JRC.G.2-Standards for Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguar

Computation of sensitivity coefficients in fixed source simulations with SERPENT2

Within the scope of the implementation of a nuclear data pipeline aiming at producing the best possible evaluated nuclear data files, a major point is the production of relevant sensitivity coefficients when including integral benchmark information. Thanks to recent code modifications in the Monte Carlo code Serpent2, it is now possible to produce these coefficients in fixed source simulations. The manuscript describes the verification of this implementation against the deterministic transport code susd3d. The study is completed by an analysis of the computational cost (running time and memory allocation) associated with such calculations with Serpent2. The relative difference between the sensitivity coefficients produced by Serpent2 and susd3d is of the order of the percent at most, except for the low energy range where the lack of neutrons prevents from reducing the Monte Carlo uncertainties. The computational cost of such calculation is similar to the one of criticality calculation mode, although the OpenMP scalability should be further improved

Fission Spectrum Related Uncertainties

The paper presents a preliminary uncertainty analysis related to potential uncertainties on the fission spectrum data. Consistent results are shown for a reference fast reactor design configuration and for experimental thermal configurations. However the results obtained indicate the need for further analysis, in particular in terms of fission spectrum uncertainty data assessment

Copper benchmark experiment for the testing of JEFF-3.2 nuclear data for fusion applications

A neutronics benchmark experiment on a pure Copper block (dimensions 60 × 70 × 70 cm3) aimed at testing and validating the recent nuclear data libraries for fusion applications was performed in the frame of the European Fusion Program at the 14 MeV ENEA Frascati Neutron Generator (FNG). Reaction rates, neutron flux spectra and doses were measured using different experimental techniques (e.g. activation foils techniques, NE213 scintillator and thermoluminescent detectors). This paper first summarizes the analyses of the experiment carried-out using the MCNP5 Monte Carlo code and the European JEFF-3.2 library. Large discrepancies between calculation (C) and experiment (E) were found for the reaction rates both in the high and low neutron energy range. The analysis was complemented by sensitivity/uncertainty analyses (S/U) using the deterministic and Monte Carlo SUSD3D and MCSEN codes, respectively. The S/U analyses enabled to identify the cross sections and energy ranges which are mostly affecting the calculated responses. The largest discrepancy among the C/E values was observed for the thermal (capture) reactions indicating severe deficiencies in the 63,65Cu capture and elastic cross sections at lower rather than at high energy. Deterministic and MC codes produced similar results. The 14 MeV copper experiment and its analysis thus calls for a revision of the JEFF-3.2 copper cross section and covariance data evaluation. A new analysis of the experiment was performed with the MCNP5 code using the revised JEFF-3.3-T2 library released by NEA and a new, not yet distributed, revised JEFF-3.2 Cu evaluation produced by KIT. A noticeable improvement of the C/E results was obtained with both new libraries

Modelling of the effect of ELMs on fuel retention at the bulk W divertor of JET

Effect of ELMs on fuel retention at the bulk W target of JET ITER-Like Wall was studied with multi-scale calculations. Plasma input parameters were taken from ELMy H-mode plasma experiment. The energetic intra-ELM fuel particles get implanted and create near-surface defects up to depths of few tens of nm, which act as the main fuel trapping sites during ELMs. Clustering of implantation-induced vacancies were found to take place. The incoming flux of inter-ELM plasma particles increases the different filling levels of trapped fuel in defects. The temperature increase of the W target during the pulse increases the fuel detrapping rate. The inter-ELM fuel particle flux refills the partially emptied trapping sites and fills new sites. This leads to a competing effect on the retention and release rates of the implanted particles. At high temperatures the main retention appeared in larger vacancy clusters due to increased clustering rate

Benchmarking comparison and validation of MCNP photon interaction data

The objective of the research was to test available photoatomic data libraries for fusion relevant applications, comparing against experimental and computational neutronics benchmarks. Photon flux and heating was compared using the photon interaction data libraries (mcplib 04p, 05t, 84p and 12p). Suitable benchmark experiments (iron and water) were selected from the SINBAD database and analysed to compare experimental values with MCNP calculations using mcplib 04p, 84p and 12p. In both the computational and experimental comparisons, the majority of results with the 04p, 84p and 12p photon data libraries were within 1σ of the mean MCNP statistical uncertainty. Larger differences were observed when comparing computational results with the 05t test photon library. The Doppler broadening sampling bug in MCNP-5 is shown to be corrected for fusion relevant problems through use of the 84p photon data library. The recommended libraries for fusion neutronics are 84p (or 04p) with MCNP6 and 84p if using MCNP-5