Nuclear Engineering and Technology

Korean Nuclear Society (한국원자력학회)
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Sensitivity and uncertainty quantification of neutronic integral data in the TRIGA Mark II research reactor

  • Makhloul, M. (Radiations and Nuclear Systems Laboratory, University Abdelmalek Essaadi, Faculty of Sciences of Tetouan) ;
  • Boukhal, H. (Radiations and Nuclear Systems Laboratory, University Abdelmalek Essaadi, Faculty of Sciences of Tetouan) ;
  • Chakir, E. (SIMO Lab, Faculty of Sciences of Kenitra) ;
  • El Bardouni, T. (Radiations and Nuclear Systems Laboratory, University Abdelmalek Essaadi, Faculty of Sciences of Tetouan) ;
  • Lahdour, M. (Radiations and Nuclear Systems Laboratory, University Abdelmalek Essaadi, Faculty of Sciences of Tetouan) ;
  • Kaddour, M. (Radiations and Nuclear Systems Laboratory, University Abdelmalek Essaadi, Faculty of Sciences of Tetouan) ;
  • Ahmed, Abdulaziz (Radiations and Nuclear Systems Laboratory, University Abdelmalek Essaadi, Faculty of Sciences of Tetouan) ;
  • Arectout, A. (Radiations and Nuclear Systems Laboratory, University Abdelmalek Essaadi, Faculty of Sciences of Tetouan) ;
  • El Yaakoubi, H. (Radiations and Nuclear Systems Laboratory, University Abdelmalek Essaadi, Faculty of Sciences of Tetouan)
  • Received : 2021.01.27
  • Accepted : 2021.08.03
  • Published : 2022.02.25
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Abstract

In order to study the sensitivity and the uncertainty of the Moroccan research reactor TRIGA Mark II, a model of this reactor has been developed in our ERSN laboratory for use with the N-Particle MCNP Monte Carlo transport codes (version 6). In this article, the sensitivities of the effective multiplication factor of this reactor are evaluated using the ENDF/B-VII.0, ENDF/B-VII.1 and JENDL-4.0 libraries and in 44 energy groups, for the cross sections of the fuel (U-235 and U-238) and the moderator (H-1 and O-16). However, the quantification of the uncertainty of the nuclear data is performed using the nuclear code NJOY99 for the generation and processing of covariance matrices. On the one hand, the highest uncertainty deviations, calculated using the ENDFB-VII.1 and JENDL4.0 evaluations, are 2275, 386 and 330 pcm respectively for the reactions U235(n, f), $ U_{235}(n\bar{\nu})$ and H1(n, γ). On the other hand, these differences are very small for the neutron reactions of O-16 and U-238. Regarding the neutron spectra, in CT-mid plane, they are very close for the three evaluations (ENDF/B-VII.0, ENDF/B-VII.1 and JENDL-4.0). These spectra present two peaks (thermal and fission) around the energies 0.05 eV and 1 MeV.

Keywords

References

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