Summary of Experimental and Calculational Results from the Joint USDOE/PNC (United States Department of Energy/Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation) Criticality Data Development Program.

摘要

A joint exchange program on the subject of criticality data development was completed in August 1988. The program was between the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC) of Japan. The primary purpose of the program was to perform critical experiments to allow validation of computer codes and cross-section libraries used for safety analyses for facilities that recycle nuclear fuel. The experiments spanned the range of neutron spectra from the very under-moderated condition (H/Pu ratio=22) to the very over-moderated condition (H/Pu ratio=2220). Based on computations performed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the average calculated k-effective for these experiments is 1.004. Calculated k-effectives ranged from 0.991 to 1.021, and the standard deviation of these results is 0.006. PNC staff have obtained similar calculational results in their validation studies. The good agreement between experiment and calculation gives confidence that the calculational methods can be applied to similar plant conditions. 18 refs., 5 figs., 6 tabs.