Abstract
This paper aims to compare three Monte Carlo (MC) burnup based codes, i.e. MCNP6, Monteburns and Serpent on a future prototype reactor, named ALLEGRO, based on Gas cooled Fast Reactor (GFR) technology. GFR reactors are one of the proposed Generation-IV fast reactors; ALLEGRO facility is scheduled to be built in Europe as a GFR demonstrator, so its deepened simulation can help in its future development. The present study follows other researches already performed and aims to exhibit the different approaches in burnup calculations applied to a gas cooled fast reactors, i.e. this paper would like to show and to compare some results concerning nuclear parameters as keff and flux spectra, as well as the mass inventories versus burnup for some nuclides evaluated with different Monte Carlo codes. From obtained results, it seems to exist some differences in evaluation of nuclear parameters, mainly in effective multiplication factor and in mass inventories. The remaining differences are mainly related to calculation time: indeed between the fastest, that is SERPENT, and the slowest, that are MCNP6 and MONTEBURNS, the differences are about one order of magnitude. As far as precision is concerned, it was considered the standard only for effective multiplication factor and it seems that all codes are in good agreement.References
Bomboni E, Cerullo N, Fridman E, Lomonaco G and Shwageraus E. Comparison among MCNP-based depletion codes applied to burnup calculations of pebble-bed HTR lattices. Nucl Eng Des 2010; 240(4): 918-924. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2009.12.006
Bomboni E, Cerullo N, Lomonaco G and Romanello V. A Critical Review of the Recent Improvements in Minimizing Nuclear Waste by Innovative Gas-Cooled Reactors. Sci Technol Nucl Ins 2008; Article ID 265430: 18 pages.
Cerullo N, Chersola D, Lomonaco G and Marotta R. The GFR in the Frame of Advanced Fuel Cycles: The Use of DA as an Improved Way to Minimize the MA Content in the SNF. J Energy Power Sources 2014; 1(5): 278-286.
Cerullo N, Chersola D, Lomonaco G and Marotta R. The use of GFR dedicated assemblies in the frame of advanced symbiotic fuel cycles: an innovative way to minimize the longterm spent fuel radiotoxicity. 12th Information Exchange Meeting on Actinide and Fission Product Partitioning and Transmutation (IEMPT12), 24÷27 September 2012, Prague (Czech Republic). Available from: http://www.oecdnea. org/pt/iempt12/.
Chersola D, Mazzini G, Koš͗tál M, Miglierini B, Hrehor M, et al. Application of Serpent 2 and MCNP6 to study different criticality configurations of a VVER-1000 mock-up. Ann Nucl Energy 2016; 94: 109-122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2016.03.001
Chersola D, Lomonaco G and Mazzini G. Cross-Section Influence on Monte Carlo-Based Burn-Up Codes Applied to a GFR-Like Configuration. J Nucl Eng Radiat Sci 2015; 1(3): Article Number UNSP 031004.
Chersola D, Lomonaco G and Marotta R. The VHTR and GFR and their use in innovative symbiotic fuel cycles. Prog Nucl Energ 2015; 83: 443-459. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2014.12.005
Chersola D, Lomonaco G, Marotta R and Mazzini G. Comparison between SERPENT and MONTEBURNS codes applied to burnup calculations of a GFR-like configuration. Nucl Eng Des 2014; 273: 542-554. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2014.03.035
Chersola D, Lomonaco G and Mazzini G. Cross sections influence on Monte Carlo based burnup codes, ICONE 22nd Conference, Prague 2014; 7-11 - ICONE22-31049.
Vezzoni B, Cerullo N, Forasassi G, Fridman E, Lomonaco G, et al. Preliminary Evaluation of a Nuclear Scenario Involving Innovative Gas Cooled Reactors. Sci Technol Nucl Ins 2009; Article ID 940286: 16 pages.
Cerullo N and Lomonaco G. Generation IV reactor designs, operation and fuel cycle. In: Crossland I, Ed. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Science and Engineering. Woodhead Publishing 2012; 333-395. https://doi.org/10.1533/9780857096388.3.333
Pelowitz DB, et al. MCNP6TM User’s manual Version 1.0, LACP- 13-00634, 2013.
X-5 Monte Carlo Team. MCNP - A General Monte Carlo NParticle Transport Code, Version 5. LA-UR-03-1987, 2003. Available from: http://mcnp.lanl.gov/.
Wilson WB, England TR and Möller P. A Manual for CINDER’90, Version 06.1 Codes and Data. Advanced Fuel Cycle Program, 2006.
Poston DI and Trellue HR. User’s Manual Version 2.0 for MONTEBURNS 1.0. LAUR-99-4999, 1999.
Croff AG. A User’s Manual for the ORIGEN2 Computer Code. ORNL/TM-7175, 1980. https://doi.org/10.2172/5285077
Leppanen J, Pusa M, Viitanen T, Valtavirta V and Kaltiaisenaho T. The Serpent Monte Carlo code: status, development and applications in 2013. Ann Nucl Energy 2015; 82: 142-150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2014.08.024
Leppänen J. SERPENT – a Continuous-energy Monte Carlo Reactor Physics Burnup Calculation Code, User’s Manual 2013. Available from: http://montecarlo.vtt.fi/.
Pusa M and Leppänen J. Computing the Matrix Exponential in Burnup Calculations. Nucl Sci Eng 2010; 164: 11 pages.
Isotalo AE and Aarnio PA. Higher order methods for burnup calculations with Bateman solutions. Ann Nucl Energy 2011; 38: 1987-1995. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2011.04.022
Leppänen J. Burnup calculation methodology in SERPENT. Notes of Reactor Physics Course, 2012.
OECD Nuclear Energy Agency for the Generation IV International Forum. Technology Roadmap Update for Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems 2014.
CEA. ALLEGRO 75 MWth CERAMIC pin core design at start of GoFastR 2008.
CEA. ALLEGRO 75 MWth MOX pin core design at start of GoFastR 2008.
CEA. Experimental GFR S/A in ALLEGRO 75 MWth MOX pin core design at start of Go FastR 2008.
Líška P and Cognet G. The ALLEGRO project - European project of fast breeder reactor. 1st International Nuclear Energy Congress, Warsaw 2011; 23-24.
Pelloni S. ALLEGRO: Mixed OXide (MOX) core specifications and neutronics characterization for Beginning of 1ife (BOL) conditions. TM -41-11-12, Paul Scherrer Institut 2011.
Pelloni S and Mikityuk K. Evaluation of uncertainties for GFR and ALLEGRO cores. GoFastR-DEL-1.5.2, 2012.
Poette C, Morin F, Brun-Magaud V and Pignatel JF. ALLEGRO 75 MW cores definition at start of GoFastR. Deliverable D1.2-1, 2010.
Poette C, Brun-Magaud V, Pelloni S, Fountain M, Szieberth M, Murgatroyd J, Hogenbirk A, Farkas I, Lomonaco G, Manni F. Final report on ALLEGRO starting and demonstration cores. FP7 GoFastR Deliverable D1.2-9; 2013.
Koning A, Forrest R, Kellett M, Mills R, Henriksson H and Rugama Y. The JEFF-3.1 Nuclear Data Library - JEFF Report 21. OECD NEA No. 6190, ISBN 92-64-02314-3, 2006.
Richard P, Conti A, Bosq JC, Morin F and Tosello A. GCFR 2400 MWth Core - Trends for a New Core Design. GCFR Meeting, Knutsford (UK) 2006.
Van Rooijen WFG, Kloosterman JL, Van Gendt GJ, Van der Stok DI, Cerullo N, et al. Actinide Transmutation in GFR. Deliverable 31, GCFR-STREP 2008.
Van Rooijen WFG. Closed fuel cycle and minor actinide multirecycling in a gas-cooled fast reactor. Sci Technol Nucl Ins 2009; Article ID 282365: 9 pages.
Bomboni E, Cerullo N and Lomonaco G. Assessment of LWR-HTR-GCFR integrated cycle. Sci Technol Nucl Ins 2009; Article ID 193594: 14 pages.
Visegrad Initiative for Nuclear Cooperation (VINCO). ALLEGRO project, 2017. Available from: http://projectvinco. eu/allegro/.
All the published articles are licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (CC BY-NC 4.0) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.