Instabilities of Monte-Carlo burnup calculations for nuclear reactors Demonstration and dependence from time step model

摘要

In this paper we use the Continuous Energy Monte-Carlo tool to expose the problem of burnup instabilities occurring in 1D and 2D systems based on PWR geometry. The intensity of power profile oscillations is studied as a function of geometry properties and time step length. We compare two step models for depletion procedure: classic staircase step model and stochastic implicit Euler method, that belongs to the family of predictor corrector schemes. What is more, we consider the usage of better neutron source intensity value than beginning-of-step approximation. Required methodology was implemented into MCB5 simulation code. The practical conclusions about depletion calculations were formulated and the efficiency of advanced step model was confirmed. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.