ABSTRACTS OF JAPANESE ARTICLES in NIHON-GENSHIRYOKU-GAKKAI SHI

Burn-up calculation and comparison of the results were carried out to clarify the differences among the following latest evaluated nuclear data libraries: JENDL-3.2, ENDF/B-VI and JEF-2.2. The analyses showed that the differences seen among the current evaluated nuclear data libraries are small for evaluation of the amounts of many uranium and plutonium isotopes. However, several nuclides important for evaluation of nuclear fuel cycle as ²³⁸Pu, ²⁴⁴Cm, ¹⁴⁹Sm and ¹³⁴Cs showed large differences among used libraries. The chain analyses for the isotopes were conducted and the reasons for the differences were discussed. Based on the discussion, information of important cross section to obtain better agreement with the experimental results for ²³⁸Pu, ²⁴⁴Cm, ¹⁴⁹Sm and ¹³⁴Cs was shown.     

Plutonium build-up credits for a material test research reactor and influence of cross-section differences on actinide production

Burnup calculations with SARC system were carried out to analyse the effects of plutonium build-up on criticality of MTR type research reactor PARR-1 using several WIMSD libraries based on evaluated nuclear data files ENDFB-VI.8, JEF-2.2, JEFF-3.1 and JENDL-3.2. For equilibrium core of the reactor, it was found that a net reactivity of more than 3.5 mk is induced due to build-up of plutonium isotopes during depletion. The plutonium credit amounts to 3% of the length of equilibrium cycle. From the analysis of actinide production in the core during burnup, it was observed that in most of the cases, the amounts of actinides obtained using various cross section libraries agree fairly with each other, however, significant differences were observed for ²³⁸Pu, ²⁴¹Pu, ^242mAm, ²⁴³Am, ²⁴²Cm and ²⁴⁴Cm for some libraries. The actinide chain analysis was conducted to investigate the reasons for the observed differences.     

Feedback on neutron capture cross sections of 238Pu and 241Am from analyses of measured isotopic compositions of irradiated LWR fuels and MOX core physics experiments

The atomic fractions of ²³⁸Pu and ²⁴¹Am in MOX fuels recycled in light water reactors are 1% to 2% and not significant compared with those of major Pu isotopes. On the other hand, recent evaluated nuclear data libraries, such as JENDL-4.0 and JEFF-3.2, give noticeably different thermal and epithermal neutron capture cross sections for ²³⁸Pu and ²⁴¹Am. The thermal neutron capture cross sections of ²³⁸Pu and ²⁴¹Am in JEFF-3.2 are 31% and 9% larger than those of JENDL-4.0, respectively. This paper shows the effect of the differences in the neutron cross sections on analysis results of two different integral experiments. The first is the isotopic compositions of ²³⁸Pu on UO₂ and MOX fuels irradiated in BWR and PWR, and the second is the critical experiments of the water moderated cores fully loaded with MOX fuels. The former was analyzed by using the continuous energy Monte Carlo burnup calculation code MVP-BURN and the latter by the continuous energy Monte Carlo calculation code MVP. The comparisons between the calculated and measured results indicate that the most likely thermal and epithermal neutron capture cross sections of ²³⁸Pu and ²⁴¹Am should be around at the middle between those of JEFF-3.2 and JENDL-4.0.     

Analysis of Post Irradiation Experiments in PWR Using New Nuclear Data Libraries

For the precise calculation of the burnup of minor actinide isotopes, a code system-SWAT has been developed. This system analyzes burnup problems with neutron spectrum that depends on the type of a reactor and the irradiation history, using latest evaluated nuclear data files JENDL-3 or ENDF/B-Vl. The post irradiation test in TRINO and the recent experiment in typical PWRs in Japan were analyzed with SWAT. These analyses show that the results of U and Pu for high burnup fuels almost agree with experimental results but those for middle burnup fuels do not agree with them. The results for Am and Cm isotopes still have large discrepancy. The average C/E of ²⁴³Am is –0.79, and that of ²⁴⁴Cm is –0.70 for high burnup (–33,000 MWd/tU) samples.

For middle burnup (–25,000 MWd/tU) samples, the C/E for ²⁴⁴Cm is over 2.0. The discrepancy is partially explained by considering the power peaking history of first cycle and second cycle.     

Effect of Transplutonium Doping on Approach to Long-life Core in Uranium-fueled PWR

The present paper advertises doping of transplutonium isotopes as an essential measure to improve proliferation-resistance properties and burnup characteristics of UOX fuel for PWR. Among them ²⁴¹Am might play the decisive role of burnable absorber to reduce the initial reactivity excess while the short-lived nuclides ²⁴²Cm and ²⁴⁴Cm decay into even plutonium isotopes, thus increasing the extent of denaturation for primary fissile ²³⁹Pu in the course of reactor operation. The doping composition corresponds to one discharged from a current PWR. For definiteness, the case identity is ascribed to atomic percentage of ²⁴¹ Am, and then the other transplutonium nuclide contents follow their ratio as in the PWR discharged fuel. The case of 1 at% doping to 20% enriched uranium oxide fuel shows the potential of achieving the burnup value of 100GWd/tHM with about 20% ²³⁸Pu fraction at the end of irradiation. Since so far, americium and curium do not require special proliferation resistance measures, their doping to UOX would assist in introducing nuclear technology in developing countries with simultaneous reduction of accumulated minor actinides stockpiles.     

Comparison of Calculated Values with Measured Values on the Amount of TRU and FP Nuclides Accumulated in Gadolinium Bearing PWR Spent Fuels

Destructive analyses for five spent fuel samples taken from a Gd bearing fuel assembly were done. The measured amounts of actinides of ^234-238U, ²³⁷Np, ^238-242p_u 241,242m,243Am ^242,244Cm, and fission products of ¹³⁴Cs and ¹⁵⁴Eu were used for evaluating the accuracy of calculation made by CASMO-MICBURN and ORIGEN-2 codes. The effect of Gd on the neutron spectrum was taken into account in the CASMO-MICBURN calculation.

The amounts of ²³⁵U, ²³⁹Pu and ²⁴¹Pu calculated by CASMO-MICBURN agreed well with the observed values within about 3%. On the other hand, the amounts obtained from ORIGEN-2 calculation showed lower values than those observed, especially by —12% in average in ²³⁵U for Gd₂0₃U0₂ fuel. The main cause of this large difference may be attributed to the effect of Gd on the neutron spectrum. The amounts of the other actinides by both calculation codes revealed no significant difference in nearly 10% except for ^242mAm, in which a large fluctuation among the samples was observed. About 10% difference between the measured values and the calculated values was also observed for ¹³⁴Cs, but the calculated values for ¹⁵⁴Eu showed a significant difference from measured values.     

Gamma-ray energy release in the decay of fission products

Total disintegration rate, gamma-ray energy release rate and energy spectrum of the fission products of ²³⁵U, ²³⁹Pu, ²⁴¹Pu, and ²³³U by thermal neutrons, and ²³⁵U, ²³⁸U, ²³⁹Pu and ²³²Th by fission spectrum neutrons have been reevaluated as a function of reactor operating times from 10² to 10⁸ sec after shutdown. Decay scheme data were taken mainly from the Table of Isotopes [1] and fission yields from Meek and Rider's 1972 recommendations [2]. Gamma energy releases do not depend strongly on the incident neutron energy, and those for ²³⁹Pu and ²⁴¹Pu are much different from that for ²³⁵U. Soon after fission, the present values for burst fission are lower than those of Perkins [3], but agree after 10⁴ sec and agree better with the experimental results of Sugarman et al. [4] and Borst [5]. The calculated data are tabulated in detail to facilitate interpolation.     

Integral testing of Np cross-sections in GCFR spectra

Integral measurements of ²³⁷Np capture and fission rates have been carried out relative to the ²³⁹Pu fission rate in two GCFR lattices with different neutron spectra. The results have been compared with calculated values based, respectively, on ENDF/B-IV and FGL5 cross-sections. Both data sets predicted the measured fission ratios correctly within the experimental errors of ±2% but, in the case of the ratio of ²³⁷Np capture to ²³⁹Pu fission, the calculated ratios differed from the measured values by about 10% for both sets.     

Actinide-Only Burnup Credit for Spent Fuel Transport

Abstract

A conservative methodology is described that would allow taking credit for burnup in the criticality safety analysis of spent nuclear fuel packages. Requirements for its implementation include isotopic and criticality validation, generation of package loading criteria using limiting parameters, and assembly burnup verification by measurement. The method allows credit for the changes in the ²³⁴U, ²³⁵U, ²³⁶U, ²³⁸U, ²³⁸Pu,²³⁹Pu,²⁴⁰Pu,²⁴¹Pu,²⁴²Pu,and ²⁴¹Am concentrations with burnup. No credit for fission product neutron absorbers is taken. Analyses are included regarding the methodology's financial benefits and conservative margin. It is estimated that the proposed actinide-only burnup credit methodology would save 20% of the transport costs. Nevertheless, the methodology includes a substantial margin. Conservatism due to the isotopic correction factors, limiting modelling parameters, limiting axial profiles and exclusion of the fission products ranges from 10 to 25% k.     

Fission-product yields from neutron-induced fission

Exsting experimental thermal, fast, and 14-MeV neutron-induced fission-product cumulative and independent yieds have been compiled, corrected to common reference values, and listed in tabular form for the following fissile nuclides:Thermal-neutron fission: cumulative yields for ²²⁷Th, ²²⁹Th, ²³³U, ²³⁵U, ²³⁹Pu, ²⁴¹Pu, ²⁴¹Am, ²⁴²Am, ²⁴⁵Cm, ²⁴⁹Cf, ²⁵¹Cf, ²⁵⁴Es, and ²⁵⁵Fm; independent yieds for ²³³U, ²³⁵U, ²³⁷Np, ²³⁸U, and ²³⁹Pu.Fast-neutron fission: cumulativ yields for ²²⁷Ac, ²³¹Pa, ²³²Th, ²³³U, ²³⁵U, ²³⁷Np, ²³⁸U, and ²³⁹Pu; independent yields for ²³⁵U and ²³⁸U.14-MeV-neutron fission: cumulative yields for ²³¹Pa, ²³²Th, ²³³U, ²³⁵U, ²³⁷Np, ²³⁸U, and ²³⁹Pu; independent yields for ²³²Th, ²³³U, ²³⁵U, ²³⁸U, and ²³⁹Pu.11-MeV-neutron fission: cumulative yields for ²³²Th.3-MeV-neutron fission: cumulative yields for ²³¹Pa, ²³²Th, and ²³⁸U.1.1-MeV-neutron fission: cumulative yields for ²³⁷Np.From these experimental values the unknown independent yields are deduced empirically for thermal-neutron fission of ²³³U, ²³⁵U, ²³⁹Pu, and ²⁴¹Pu; the fast fission of ²³²Th, ²³³U, ²³⁵U, ²³⁸U, ²³⁹Pu, ²⁴⁰Pu, and ²⁴¹Pu (the chain yields for ²⁴⁰Pu and ²⁴¹Pu used at this energy being predictions); and the 14-MeV-neutron fission of ²³²Th, ²³³U, ²³⁵U, and ²³⁸U.Finally, by the fitting of the preceding information to condition equations derived from the conservation laws, adjusted sets of chain and independent yields are calculated for thermal fission of ²³³U, ²³⁵U, ²³⁹Pu, and ²⁴¹Pu; fast fission of ²³²Th, ²³³U, ²³⁵U, ²³⁸U, ²³⁹Pu, and ²⁴¹Pu; and 14-MeV fission of ²³²Th, ²³³U, ²³⁵U, and ²³⁸U. The literature search is probably complete to the end of 1975; some 1976 results are included.This paper replaces and makes obsolete the following UKAEA reports: AERE-R7209, AERE-R7394, AERE-R7680, and AERE-R8152.     

Fission Product Model for BWR Lattice Calculation Code

A benchmark calculation of full fission product was performed for thermal reactor application using an isotope transmutation code DCHAIN based on 185 nuclides with revised nuclear data library. The fission product model for BWR lattice calculation was studied and tested with the benchmark results, and a model containing 45 explicit nuclides and one pseudo nuclide was selected as a reasonably best model to predict the burn up reactivity with high precision for practically all types of fuel and reactor operating conditions. The evaluated thermal cross section and resonance integral for the pseudo nuclide are σ_2,200 = 2.6b and.RI = 10.6b, combined with the pseudo fission yield values of 1.3898, 1.3233, 1.3675 and 1.2773 for fissions from ²³⁵U, ²³⁸U, ²³⁹Pu and ²⁴¹Pu, respectively. The present results are believed as equally applicable to PWR lattice calculation.     

Neutron cross section sensitivity analysis of UO2 and MOX core physics experiments on light water reactors

The perturbation theory based on the transport calculation has been applied to study sensitivity of neutron multiplication factors (k_eff's) to neutron cross sections used for the reactivity analysis of UO₂ and MOX core physics experiments on light water reactors. The studied cross sections were neutron capture, fission and elastic scattering cross sections, and a number of fission neutrons, ν. The obtained sensitivities were multiplied to relative differences in the cross sections between JENDL-4.0 and JENDL-3.3 in order to estimate the reactivity effects. The results show that the increase in k_eff, 0.3%Δk/kk′, from JENDL-3.3 to JENDL-4.0 for the UO₂ core is mainly attributed to the decreases in the capture cross sections of ²³⁸U. On the other hand, there are various contributions from the differences in the cross sections of U, Pu, and Am isotopes for the MOX cores. The major contributions to increase in k_eff are decreases in the capture cross sections of ²³⁸U,²³⁸Pu, ²³⁹Pu, and those to decrease in k_eff are decreases in ν of ²³⁹Pu and increases in the capture cross sections of²⁴¹Am. They compensate each other, and the difference in k_eff between JENDL-3.3 and JENDL-4.0 is less than 0.1%Δk/kk′ and relatively small.     

Irradiation analysis of U, Am samples irradiated in experimental fast reactor “Joyo” for protected plutonium production in fast breeder reactor blanket

Americium is a key element to design the FBR based nuclear fuel cycle, because of its long-term high radiological toxicity as well as a resource of even-mass-number plutonium by its transmutation in reactors, which contributes the enhancement of proliferation resistance. The present paper summarizes analysis of the individual Am and U samples irradiation in Joyo to re-evaluate the results of Pu isotopes in the measure of proliferation resistance, and to combine the results for the prediction of DU-Am irradiation especially in the production of Pu isotopes. By the prediction of DU-Am oxide fuel in fast reactor environment with detail fuel irradiation analysis, it was confirmed that neutron moderation and fuel size affects the produced Pu isotope and its vector due to the very high sensitivity of ²³⁸U resonance capture reaction, the larger diameter fuel is more preferable in the case of moderated neutron spectrum environment for denaturing Pu in fast reactor blanket. Finally proliferation resistance of all the Pu produced in U, Am sample irradiation and DU-Am fuel irradiation prediction were evaluated based on decay heat and spontaneous fission neutron rate, and it was confirmed ²⁴¹Am produces un-attractive Pu to abuse from the beginning to the end of irradiation, and more than 2% of ²⁴¹Am doping is required to enhance the proliferation resistance of Pu to MOX grade and Kessler’s proposal in moderated neutron spectrum environment in fast reactor.     

Radioactivity of fission product and heavy nuclides deposited on soil in Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

Based on periodically performed radioactivity measurements on soil samples in the site of Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Station, activity ratios to ¹³⁷Cs of fission product and heavy nuclides were obtained for Sr, Nb, Mo, Tc, Ru, Ag, Te, I, Ba, La, Pu, Am, and Cm isotopes. By exponentially fitting or averaging, the activity ratios at the core shutdown were estimated. Using correlations of activity ratios of ¹³⁴Cs to ¹³⁷Cs, and ²³⁸Pu to the sum of ²³⁹Pu and ²⁴⁰Pu against fuel burnup, burnup of the fuel sourcing the deposited activity of the soil was estimated. The activity ratios to ¹³⁷Cs of each nuclide on the deposited activity were divided by those calculated on the fuel at the shutdown to obtain the deposited activity fraction of each nuclide as a relative value to ¹³⁷Cs, which also corresponds to the deposited fraction of each element as a relative value to Cs. The obtained deposited fractions relative to Cs are the orders of 10^?4 to 10^?2 for Sr, 10^?5 to 10^?3 for Nb, 10^?2 to 10^?1 for Mo, 1 to 10 for I, 10^?3 to 10^?2 for Ba, 10^?2 for La, 10^?6 to 10^?3 for Pu, 10^?6 to 10^?4 for Am, and 10^?7 to 10^?5 for Cm. The deposited fractions for Tc, Ag, and Te were not estimated due to the lack of the calculated inventories in the fuel for the relevant measured radioactive nuclides.     

Approximate Calculation Method for Second Order Sensitivity Coefficient

A simple method has been developed for calculating the second order sensitivity coefficient of static and burnup-dependent core performance parameters. The method is applied to a small and a large fast breeder reactors. Changes in core performance parameters due to 10% cross section changes are compared with that predicted by the first and the second order sensitivity analyses. Numerical results reveal that the changes in breeding ratio, reaction rate ratio of the ²³⁸U capture to the ²³⁹Pu fission rate and burnup reactivity loss due to the 10% change in the ²³⁹Pu fission cross section and/or the ²³⁹Pu v-value show nonlinear behavior, and the second order sensitivity can predict the changes accurately.     

Area analysis of underdetermined neutron resonance data

A weighted maximum likelihood method is developed for estimating the parameters of the statistical distribution of capture widths (average and number of degrees of freedom) taking into account experimental errors. Results are obtained for ²²⁴Cm, ²³⁸U and ²³⁵U.A formalism is developed for the area analysis of capture and fission neutron cross sections using maximum likelihood methods for deducing the most likely values for the capture widths. This formalism is applied to the analysis of ²⁴⁴Cm resonance data.     

Validation of MVP-II with JENDL-4.0, ENDF/B-VII.1, and JEFF-3.2 through HTC critical experiments

In order to validate MVP-II, Haut Taux de Combustion (HTC) experiments were analyzed using a code with relatively new nuclear data libraries, JENDL-4.0, ENDF/B-VII.1, and JEFF-3.2. The effective neutron multiplication factor k_eff values were obtained through analyses of all phases of the HTC experiments. Consequently, the k_eff biases evaluated for each nuclear data library were within 300 pcm. Additionally, microscopic production and capture reaction rates of major actinide isotopes were analyzed to substantiate differences among the libraries for a representative case of Phase 1 of the HTC experiments. The analysis showed that microscopic cross sections of ²³⁸Pu and ²⁴¹Am in JEFF-3.2 were somewhat large compared to those of ENDF/B-VII.1 and JENDL-4.0 for the representative case of Phase 1.     

Conditions of Transmutation of Plutonium, Americium, and Curium in Nuclear Facilities

The transmutation of plutonium, americium, and curium isotopes in reactors with thermal and fast neutron spectra is analyzed. The radiotoxicity of a nuclide mixture is calculated. For transmutation of plutonium the radiotoxicity is maximum at the initial stage of irradiation as a result of the production of ²⁴¹Pu and, after further irradiation, the production of ²⁴⁴Cm. For transmutation of americium and curium the maximum radiotoxicity is 2–2.5 times greater than the initial value; it is due to the formation of ²³⁸Pu. It is established that the neutron flux density affects the rate of decrease of radiotoxicity. 5 tables, 5 references.     

Energy Dependence of Plutonium Fission-Product Yields

A method is developed for interpolating between and/or extrapolating from two pre-neutron-emission first-chance mass-asymmetric fission-product yield curves. Measured ²⁴⁰Pu spontaneous fission and thermal-neutron-induced fission of ²³⁹Pu fission-product yields (FPY) are extrapolated to give predictions for the energy dependence of the n + ²³⁹Pu FPY for incident neutron energies from 0 to 16 MeV. After the inclusion of corrections associated with mass-symmetric fission, prompt-neutron emission, and multi-chance fission, model calculated FPY are compared to data and the ENDF/B-VII.1 evaluation. The ability of the model to reproduce the energy dependence of the ENDF/B-VII.1 evaluation suggests that plutonium fission mass distributions are not locked in near the fission barrier region, but are instead determined by the temperature and nuclear potential-energy surface at larger deformation.