• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제53권9호
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• pp.2830-2838
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• 2021

This work deals with the assessment of the burnup capabilities of the Serpent Monte Carlo code to predict spent nuclear fuel (SNF) isotopic concentrations for low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel at different burnup levels up to 47 MWd/kgU. The irradiation of six UO₂ experimental samples in three different VVER-1000 reactor units has been simulated and the predicted concentrations of actinides up to ²⁴⁴Cm have been compared with the corresponding measured values. The results show a global good agreement between calculated and experimental concentrations, in several cases within the margins of the nuclear data uncertainties and in a few cases even within the reported experimental uncertainties. The differences in the performances of the JEFF3.1.1, ENDF/B-VII.1 and ENDF/B-VIII.0 nuclear data libraries (NDLs) have also been assessed and the use of the newly released ENDF/B-VIII.0 library has shown an increased accuracy in the prediction of the C/E's for some of the actinides considered, particularly for the plutonium isotopes. This work represents a step forward towards the validation of advanced simulation tools against post irradiation experimental data and the obtained results provide an evidence of the capabilities of the Serpent Monte-Carlo code with the associated modern NDLs to accurately compute SNF nuclide inventory concentrations for VVER-1000 type reactors.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제51권4호
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• pp.949-953
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• 2019

The burnup equation of nuclides is one of the most equations in nuclear reactor physics, which is generally coupled with transport calculations. The burnup equation describes the variation of the nuclides with time. Because of its very stiffness and the need for large time step, this equation is solved by special methods, for example transmutation trajectory analysis (TTA) or the matrix exponential methods where the matrix exponential is approximated by CRAM. However, TTA or CRAM functions well when the flux is constant. In this work, a new method is proposed when the flux changes. It's an improved method compared to TTA or CRAM. Furtherly, this new method is based on TTA or CRAM, and it is more accurate than them. The accuracy and efficiency of this method are investigated. Several cases are used and the results show the accuracy and efficiency of this method are great.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제50권7호
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• pp.1043-1050
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• 2018

For an efficient Monte Carlo (MC) burnup analysis, an accurate high-order depletion scheme to consider the nonlinear flux variation in a coarse burnup-step interval is crucial accompanied with an accurate depletion equation solver. In a Seoul National University MC code, McCARD, the high-order depletion schemes of the quadratic depletion method (QDM) and the linear extrapolation/quadratic interpolation (LEQI) method and a depletion equation solver by the Chebyshev rational approximation method (CRAM) have been newly implemented in addition to the existing constant extrapolation/backward extrapolation (CEBE) method using the matrix exponential method (MEM) solver with substeps. In this paper, the quadratic extrapolation/quadratic interpolation (QEQI) method is proposed as a new high-order depletion scheme. In order to examine the effectiveness of the newly-implemented depletion modules in McCARD, four problems in the VERA depletion benchmarks are solved by CEBE/MEM, CEBE/CRAM, LEQI/MEM, QEQI/MEM, and QDM for gadolinium isotopes. From the comparisons, it is shown that the QEQI/MEM predicts ${k_{inf}}^{\prime}s$ most accurately among the test cases. In addition, statistical uncertainty propagation analyses for a VERA pin cell problem are conducted by the sensitivity and uncertainty and the stochastic sampling methods.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제54권3호
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• pp.803-810
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• 2022

The small modular liquid-metal fast reactor (SMFR) is an important component of advanced nuclear systems. SMFRs exhibit relatively low breeding capability and constraint space for control rod installation. Consequently, control rods are deeply inserted at beginning and are withdrawn gradually to compensate for large burnup reactivity loss in a long lifetime. This paper is committed to investigating the impact of control rod compensation operation on core neutronics characteristics. This paper presents a whole core fine depletion model of long lifetime SMFR using OpenMC and the influence of depletion chains is verified. Three control rod position schemes to simulate the compensation process are compared. The results show that the fine simulation of the control rod compensation process impacts significantly the fuel burnup distribution and absorber consumption. A control rod equivalent position scheme proposed in this work is an optimal option in the trade-off between computation time and accuracy. The control position is crucial for accurate power distribution and void feedback coefficients in SMFRs. The results in this paper also show that the pin level power distribution is important due to the heterogeneous distribution in SMFRs. The fuel burnup distribution at the end of core life impacts the worth of control rods.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제54권4호
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• pp.1526-1533
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• 2022

Small modular reactors have garnered considerable attention in the recent years. Plate fuel elements exhibit a good application prospect in small modular pressurized water reactors for marine applications. Further, improved economic benefits can be achieved by extending the core lifetime of small modular reactors. However, it is necessary to realize a large initial residual reactivity for achieving a relatively long burnup depth finally. Thus, the selection of a suitable burnable poison (BP) is a crucial factor that should be considered in the design of small modular reactors. In this study, some candidate BPs are selected to realize the effective control of reactivity. The results show that ²³¹Pa₂O₃, ²⁴⁰Pu₂O₃, ¹⁶⁷Er₂O₃, PACS-J, and PACS-L are ideal candidates of BP, and since the characteristics of BP can increase the final burnup depth of assembly, the economic benefits are gained. Additionally, an optimal combination scheme of BPs is established. Specifically, it is proved that through a reasonable combination of BPs, a low reactivity fluctuation during the lifetime can be achieved, leading to a large final burnup depth.

• 방사성폐기물학회지
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.501-510
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• 2022

The nuclear criticality analyses considering burnup credit were performed for a spent nuclear fuel (SNF) disposal cell consisting of bentonite buffer and two different types of SNF disposal canister: the KBS-3 canister and small standardized transportation, aging and disposal (STAD) canister. Firstly, the KBS-3 & STAD canister containing four SNFs of the initial enrichment of 4.0wt% ²³⁵U and discharge burnup of 45,000 MWD/MTU were modelled. The k_eff values for the cooling times of 40, 50, and 60 years of SNFs were calculated to be 0.79108, 0.78803, and 0.78484 & 0.76149, 0.75683, and 0.75444, respectively. Secondly, the KBS-3 & STAD canister with four SNFs of 4.5wt% and 55,000 MWD/MTU were modelled. The k_eff values for the cooling times of 40, 50, and 60 years were 0.78067, 0.77581, and 0.77335 & 0.75024, 0.74647, and 0.74420, respectively. Therefore, all cases met the performance criterion with respect to the k_eff value, 0.95. The STAD canister had the lower k_eff values than KBS-3. The neutron absorber plates in the STAD canister significantly affected the reduction in k_eff values although the distance among the SNFs in the STAD canister was considerably shorter than that in the KBS-3 canister.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권9호
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• pp.3464-3471
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• 2023

The Uranium/Molybdenum metallic fuel has been proposed as promising advanced fuel concept especially in the dispersed fuel geometry. The fuel is manufactured in the form of small fuel droplets (particles) placed in a fuel pin covered by a matrix. In addition to fuel particles, the pin contains voids necessary to compensate material swelling and release of fission gases from the fuel particles. When investigating this advanced fuel design, two important questions were raised. Can the dispersed fuel performance be analyzed using homogenization without significant inaccuracy and what size of fuel drops should be used for the fuel design to achieve optimal utilization? To answer, 2D burnup calculations of fuel assemblies with different fuel particle sizes were performed. The analysis was supported by an additional 3D fuel pin calculation with the dispersed fuel particle size variations. The results show a significant difference in the multiplication factor between the homogenized calculation and the detailed calculation with precise fuel particle geometry. The recommended fuel particle size depends on the final burnup to be achieved. As shown in the results, for lower burnup levels, larger fuel drops offer better multiplication factor. However, when higher burnup levels are required, then smaller fuel drops perform better.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제54권12호
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• pp.4499-4513
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• 2022

Spent fuel behavior of dry storage was simulated in a continuous state from steady-state operation by modifying FRAPCON-4.0 to incorporate spent fuel-specific fuel behavior models. Spent fuel behavior of a typical PWR was compared with that of NuScale Power Module (NPM^TM). Current PWR discharge burnup (60 MWd/kgU) gives a sufficient margin to the hoop stress limit of 90 MPa. Most hydrogen precipitation occurs in the first 50 years of dry storage, thereby no extra phenomenological safety factor is identified for extended dry storage up to 100 years. Regulation for spent fuel management can be significantly alleviated for LWR-based SMRs. Hydride embrittlement safety criterion is irrelevant to NuScale spent fuels; they have sufficiently lower plenum pressure and hydrogen contents compared to those of PWRs. Cladding creep out during dry storage reduces the subchannel area with burnup. The most deformed cladding outer diameter after 100 years of dry storage is found to be 9.64 mm for discharge burnup of 70 MWd/kgU. It may deteriorate heat transfer of dry storage by increasing flow resistance and decreasing the view factor of radiative heat transfer. Self-regulated by decreasing rod internal pressure with opening gap, cladding creep out closely reaches the saturated point after ~50 years of dry storage.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제39권5호
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• pp.673-682
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• 2007

The contents of transuranic elements in high-burnup spent fuel samples were determined. The activity amounts of $^{238}Pu,\;^{239}Pu,\;^{240}Pu,\;^{241}Am,\;^{244}Cm\;and\;^{242}Cm$ were measured by alpha spectrometry using $^{242}Pu\;and\;^{243}Am$ as tracers, respectively. A spike addition method for $^{237}Np$ was established by an alpha and gamma spectrometry using $^{239}Np$ as a spike after the optimum conditions for the measurements of $^{237}Np\;and\;^{239}Np$, respectively, were obtained. A separation system using anion exchange chromatography and diethylhexylphosphoric acid extraction chromatography was applied for the separation of these elements. This method was applied to high-burnup spent nuclear fuel samples $(40{\sim}60GWD/MTU)$. The contents of the transuranic elements were compared with those by ORIGEN-2 code. Measurements and the calculations of the contents of the plutonium isotopes $^{238}Pu,\;^{239}Pu\;and\;^{240}Pu$ agreed to within 10% on average. The contents of $^{237}Np$ agreed to within approximately 5% except for one instance of a calculation, while those of $^{241}Am,\;^{244}Cm\;and\;^{242}Cm$ showed higher values by approximately 19%, 35% and 14% on average, respectively, compared to the calculations according to the burnup.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제42권1호
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• pp.79-88
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• 2010

Spent $UO_2$ nuclear fuel discharged from a nuclear power plant (NPP) contains fission products, U, Pu, and other actinides. Due to neutron capture by $^{238}U$ in the rim region and a temperature gradient between the center and the rim of a fuel pellet, a considerable increase in the concentration of fission products, Pu, and other actinides are expected in the pellet periphery of high burnup fuel. The characterization of the radial profiles of the various isotopic concentrations is our main concern. For an analysis, spent nuclear fuels originating from the Yeonggwang-2 pressurized water reactor (PWR) were chosen as the test specimens. In this work, the distributions of some actinide isotopes were measured from center to rim of the spent fuel specimens by a radiation shielded laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS) system. Sampling was performed along the diameter of the specimen by reducing the sampling intervals from 500 ${\mu}m$ in the center to 100 ${\mu}m$ in the pellet periphery region. It was observed that the isotopic concentration ratios for minor actinides in the center of the specimen remain almost constant and increase near the pellet periphery due to the rim effect apart from the $^{236}U$ to $^{235}U$ ratio, which remains approximately constant. In addition, the distributions of local burnup were derived from the measured isotope ratios by applying the relationship between burnup and isotopic ratio for plutonium and minor actinides calculated by the ORIGEN2 code.