Benchmark Analysis of Criticality Experiments in the TRIGA Mark II Using a Continuous Energy Monte Carlo Code MCNP

The criticality analysis of the TRIGA-II benchmark experiment at the Musashi Institute of Technology Research Reactor (MuITR, 100kW) was performed by the three-dimensional continuous-energy Monte Carlo code (MCNP4A). To minimize errors due to an inexact geometry model, all fresh fuels and control rods as well as vicinity of the core were precisely modeled. Effective multiplication factors (k_eff) in the initial core critical experiment and in the excess reactivity adjustment for the several fuel-loading patterns as well as the fuel element reactivity worth distributions were used in the validation process of the physical model and neutron cross section data from the ENDF/B-V evaluation. The calculated k_eff overestimated the experimental data by about 1.0Δk/k for both the initial core and the several fuel-loading arrangements (fuels or graphite elements were added only to the outer-ring), but the discrepancy increased to 1.8Δk/k for the some fuel-loading patterns (graphite elements were inserted into the inner-ring). The comparison result of the fuel element worth distribution showed above tendency. All in all, the agreement between the MCNP predictions and the experimentally determined values is good, which indicates that the Monte Carlo model is enough to simulate criticality of the TRIGA-II reactor.     

DF-VI快中子临界装置2号堆芯临界实验

DF-VI快中子临界装置在改造完成、堆芯发生了变化以后,进行了重新启动和一系列的实验测量。测量内容有：根据29次临界实验的数据对2号堆芯平均临界元件数和临界质量进行了计算;应用周期法和棒补偿法对控制棒价值进行了刻度;用逆动态反应性计对安全棒和安全块的价值进行了测量;对单根边缘元件价值和径向元件价值分布进行子测量。通过以上实验测量,确定了DF-VI快中子临界装置2号堆芯的主要安全运行参数。     

启明星Ⅱ号安全控制部件的实验验证

启明星Ⅱ号零功率装置（启明星Ⅱ号）所设计的安全控制部件有安全棒和调节棒,这些控制部件是反应堆安全运行的关键。本文采用逆动态反应性计测量的方法对所选定的控制部件的反应性价值进行了实验测量,并与理论计算结果进行了比较。结果表明,安全控制部件的反应性价值的实验测量结果与理论计算结果的相对偏差为4.46%,二者吻合较好。安全棒系统经力学分析评定,结果表明不会出现卡棒现象,能实现快速停闭反应堆的目的。安全棒系统、调节棒系统的机械性能经堆上反复实验验证,各系统性能稳定可靠,重复性好。     

固定棒位法测量控制棒总价值

控制棒价值测量的准确度与效率对核电厂的安全性与经济性具有重要影响。在动态刻棒等反应性测量工作中,本底与中子源对探测器有显著影响,致使根据实测电流计算得到的反应性显著偏离真实值。基于点堆逆动态方程,通过对本底与中子源影响的分析,利用固定棒位状态下的测量数据计算反应性并得到控制棒总价值,给出了一种不受本底与中子源影响的简便的控制棒总价值测量计算方法,并在零功率实验装置上进行验证。结果表明,该方法可有效避免本底和中子源组件对反应性探测的影响,并简化了离线理论计算,其与周期法计算结果的相对偏差在1%以内。     

Preliminary scoping study of some neutronic aspects of new shim safety rods for a typical 5 MW research reactor by Monte Carlo simulation

A Monte Carlo simulation of a typical 5 MW research reactor (TRR) was carried out using MCNP4C code. The geometry of the reactor core was modeled including the details of all fuel elements, control rods, all irradiation channels, graphite reflectors, reactor pool and thermal column. The model predicted neutron flux distributions within the core, control rod (CR) worth, core reactivity (ρ), shutdown margin, and some kinetic parameters when the control rod insert or withdraw. This study was carried out to reduce blockage probability of shim safety rod (SSR)s of the TRR. Two introduced more blackness SSRs were chosen and made thinner in a way adequate blackness, in comparison to the present rods, achieved.     

基于Dragon与Donjon程序的液态熔盐实验堆临界计算与分析

基于组件输运程序Dragon与堆芯节块法程序Donjon,对包含有上下熔盐腔室、控制棒、实验孔道与中子源孔道的液态熔盐实验堆堆芯进行了计算与分析,给出了液态熔盐实验堆不同组件的等效均匀化模型。根据液态熔盐实验堆特性将中子能群划分为5种少群能群结构,基于所划分的每一种少群能群结构,对单根控制棒与不同控制棒组插入堆芯后的有效增殖因数和控制棒价值进行了计算分析。结果表明,7群能群结构具有更好的计算结果。基于7群能群结构开展了堆芯径向与纵向功率分布,以及控制棒拔出后堆芯的温度反应性系数计算分析,其计算结果与MCNP5计算结果相近,证明了模型等效的合理性以及Dragon和Donjon程序对液态熔盐实验堆的适用性。     

HFETR控制棒价值刻度实验

介绍了用数字反应性仪落棒法测量高量工程试验堆第４９－１炉额定装载下的控制棒价值、停堆深度,并给出了相应的测量结果及手动棒和自动俸的相对价值曲线。     

中国实验快堆安全棒和补偿棒价值理论分析和试验研究

利用蒙特卡罗程序对净堆临界和运行转载冷态下的安全棒和补偿棒的单棒价值以及棒组价值进行理论计算,同时通过落棒法和周期法对安全棒和补偿棒价值进行试验测量。经比较可看出,试验值与理论值吻合很好,两者的误差在5%以内。计算结果表明,蒙特卡罗程序具有较高的计算精度,可为在后续大型快堆中的应用提供参考。     

启明星Ⅱ号零功率装置铅堆堆芯首次物理启动

启明星Ⅱ号铅堆堆芯的首次物理启动旨在完成国内首座铅冷快堆零功率装置的装料与达临界,掌握堆芯安全特性。考虑铅堆堆芯使用两种燃料元件,临界元件数量较大,不同区域的中子能谱与燃料元件价值差异大的特点,首次物理启动对启动中子源与中子计数探测器进行了选取与验证,评价了模拟元件对中子的散射与吸收的影响,制定了分区外推的装料方案。按照装料方案,铅堆堆芯完成了装料,安全实现了首次临界,测量了模拟元件、燃料元件、安全棒和调节棒反应性。本文工作为后续实验运行提供了重要的实验参数与临界装载方案。     

CFR600核设计中控制棒价值非均匀效应的群常数修正方法研究

CFR600堆芯反应性控制和停堆仅使用控制棒,其价值计算的准确性对核设计至关重要。CFR600核设计计算中,组件使用直接体积均匀化,不考虑非均匀效应。但控制棒非均匀效应较强,需进行修正。本文研究控制棒非均匀效应的群常数修正方法,推导通量权重和反应性等效方法的理论计算公式;结合细网差分程序,开发完成群常数修正计算程序CREC;对CFR600安全棒和补偿棒的12群群常数进行修正计算研究,并验证了控制棒价值非均匀修正的计算结果。通量权重和反应性等效方法的计算结果与参考值吻合较好,此两种方法均可对控制棒价值非均匀效应进行有效修正。     

基于MCNP程序的海洋核动力平台堆芯核设计校核计算研究

海洋核动力平台是小型核反应堆与船舶工程技术的有机结合,具有机动性好、一次性装料运行周期长、功率密度大、运行成本低、节能环保等特点。本文采用蒙特卡罗粒子输运程序(MCNP),建立海洋核动力平台反应堆堆芯几何模型,计算该反应堆首循环初始装料冷态、常压下的堆芯反应性和控制棒价值,并与核设计计算结果进行对比。结果表明:MCNP程序适用于海洋核动力平台反应堆堆芯核设计校核计算,并可与核设计值互相验证。     

Experimental Study on Reactivity Worth for Absorber Material in High Conversion Light Water Reactor Using FCA-HCLWR Core Fueled with Enriched Uranium

Experimental study on reactivity worth for absorber material in HCLWR core has been carried out in a series of experiments using the Fast Critical Assembly (FCA) in Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI). The central reactivity worth as well as the simulated control rod worth of B₄C with different ¹⁰B content and of Hf was measured in FCA-HCLWR core fueled with enriched uranium. Both reactivity worths of B₄C increase with ¹⁰B content. These increasing trends do not saturate to 90% enriched B₄C. The Hf has the smaller reactivity worth than the 20% B₄C. The experimental values are compared with the calculated ones which obtained from JENDL-2 data and the SRAC system. The calculation predicts well the dependence of reactivity worth on ¹⁰B content and underestimates the reactivity worth ratios of the Hf to the 20% B₄C.     

Experiments and Analyses on Fuel Expansion and Bowing Reactivity Worth in Mock-up Cores of Metallic Fueled Fast Reactors at FCA

Axial fuel expansion and radial fuel bowing were simulated in mock-up cores of metallic fueled fast reactors at the Fast Critical Assembly (FCA). Reactivity worth caused by the simulation was measured and compared with calculations. Based on these experiments and calculations, the applicability of current calculation methods was discussed for both the first order perturbation theory (FOP) and the exact perturbation theory (EP).

For the axial fuel expansion reactivity worth, both FOP and EP showed 10 to 20% smaller values than the experiment. This underestimation was consistent to a C/E trend of axial distributions of plutonium sample worth. No significant difference was observed between FOP and EP, when transport correction was applied.

For the radial fuel bowing reactivity worth, the FOP showed about 10% larger values than the EP. Near the core central plane, the EP with transport correction showed good agreement with the experiment, while FOP showed overestimation by 14%. At the core axial edge, however, both FOP and EP underestimated the reactivity worth by more than 10%.     

Dependence of control rod worth on fuel burnup

One important parameter in the design and the analysis of a nuclear reactor core is the reactivity worth of the control rods, i.e. their efficiency to absorb excess reactivity. The control rod worth is affected by parameters such as the fuel burnup in the rod vicinity, the Xe concentration in the core, the operational time of the rod and its position in the core. In the present work, two different computational approaches, a deterministic and a stochastic one, were used for the determination of the rods worth dependence on the fuel burnup level and the Xe concentration level in a conceptual, symmetric reactor core, based on the MTR fuel assemblies used in the Greek Research Reactor (GRR-1). For the deterministic approach the neutronics code system composed by the SCALE modules NITAWL and XSDRN and the diffusion code CITATION was used, while for the stochastic one the Monte Carlo code TRIPOLI was applied. The study showed that when Xe is present in the core, the rods worth is significantly reduced, while the rod worth variation with increasing burnup depends on the rods position in the core grid. The rod worth obtained with the use of the Monte Carlo code is higher than the one obtained from the deterministic code.     

混合能谱超临界水冷堆反应性引入事故安全分析

本文研究了混合能谱超临界水冷堆(SCWR-M)在发生控制棒失控提升事故和弹棒事故这两类反应性引入事故后的反应堆系统响应。首先利用修改的可用于超临界条件下的系统程序RELAP5对混合能谱超临界水冷堆进行系统建模,并计算分析在功率运行工况下事故过程中功率、流量及包壳温度等重要参数的变化趋势,最后对反应性参数如控制棒价值、控制棒抽出速率和负反馈系数进行了参数效应分析。结果表明,在设计工况下混合能谱超临界水冷堆系统可有效地将衰变热导出堆芯,保证了燃料棒的完整性。另外,反应性参数对控制棒失控提升事故的安全性影响不大,但对弹棒事故的包壳峰值温度影响很大,过于保守的反应性参数估计会使安全裕量大为减小。     

快堆控制棒组件非均匀效应修正方法研究

控制棒组件是快堆控制系统和安全保护系统的重要组成部分,快堆控制棒价值的准确求解至关重要。基于PASC?5程序的快堆少群均匀化群常数计算中使用直接体积均匀化方式,这会导致控制棒价值严重高估,必须对控制棒组件的非均匀效应进行修正。基于群常数修正的思路,本论研究了体积?通量权重、反应率之比守恒和反应性守恒3种方法在快堆控制棒组件非均匀效应修正中的应用;基于二维特征线程序开发了群常数修正因子计算程序FRHP。通过中国实验快堆算例进行测试验证,修正后的控制棒价值计算结果与MCNP计算的参考结果符合较好,表明3种方法均能对控制棒组件的非均匀效应实现有效修正,其中反应性守恒方法修正效果最好。     

铀溶液核临界安全实验装置首次物理启动

介绍了用于核临界安全问题研究的铀溶液实验装置,给出了在活性区全水反射层情况下首次物理启动时的核燃料装料步骤。用外推法、内插法、功率稳定法实验测定的硝酸铀酰溶液的临界体积为20479.62mL,从而给出235U的临界质量为1579.184g。最后给出控制棒价值的实验刻度等。     

次临界反应性测量的空间修正及其应用综述

次临界下的反应性测量技术有着自身的特点,次临界下控制棒的动作、堆芯的次临界度以及外中子源的存在都会对堆芯中子通量的分布产生影响,因此通常情况下堆芯的次临界度只能"监视",无法准确测量。在堆芯模拟软件发展的基础上,国外科研人员提出了次临界下点堆模型的空间修正方法,将这种方法用于动态棒价值测量(DRWM),并在此基础上进一步发展了次临界控制棒价值测量(SRWM),这些技术有的已经被国内核电站使用,但是国内对空间修正的原理及方法鲜有介绍。本文针对这种需求,总结概括了国外商用堆次临界反应性测量的基本原理与方法,并结合反应性测量仪表技术,给出了次临界反应性仪的数据处理流程,这对于推进国内商用堆次临界反应性测量的研究和实际应用具有较为重要的意义。     

Some Studies on the Effectiveness of Control Rods

The linear extraporation distances for epi-thermal nautrons on various nautron absorbers were obtained experimentally with the use of a natural UO₂-H₂O cyrindrical exponential column. The measured flux distributions or flux-depression distributions around the control rod were compared with calculated values. It was confirmed that, except in the region immediately around the absorber, the radial flux distributions or depressions can be calculated accurately by the two-group approximation using these linear extrapolation distances obtained experimentally for epi-thermal neutrons, and those calculated by the Kushneriuk-McKay method for thermal neutrons.

The flux depressions on the surface of the control rod were measured to be almost constant, and independent of the lattice position of the control rod inserted. This fact simplifies the calculation for evaluating the reactivity worth of the control rod by the perturbation theory.

The scattaring effect of the control rod on its effectiveness was studied experimentally with the use of SHE, a 20% enriched UO₂-graphite moderated critical assembly. Sometimes a scatterer (graphite slug) inserted inside a hollow conrol rod decreases the reactivity worth by more than 10%.     

Monte Carlo simulation of a research reactor with nominal power of 7 MW to design new control safety rods

The Monte Carlo simulation has been established for a research reactor with nominal power of 7 MW. A detailed model of the reactor core was employed including standard and control fuel elements, reflectors, irradiation channels, control rods, reactor pool and thermal column. The following physical parameters of reactor core were calculated for the present LEU core: core reactivity (ρ), control rod (CR) worth, thermal and epithermal neutron flux distributions, shutdown margin and delayed neutron fraction. Reduction of unfavorable effects of blockage probability of control safety rod (CSR)s in their interiors because of not enough space in their sites, and lack of suitable capabilities to fabricate very thin plates for CSR cladding, is the main aim of the present study. Making the absorber rod thinner and CSR cladding thicker by introducing a better blackness absorbing material and a new stainless steel alloy, respectively, are two studied ways to reduce the effects of mentioned problems.