基于蒙特卡罗方法的燃耗计算误差研究

基于蒙特卡罗方法进行燃耗计算时,随着燃耗加深,燃耗的计算误差逐渐增大。本文针对蒙特卡罗方法的燃耗计算误差进行研究,并采取修正措施改善燃耗计算的精度。结果表明：采用无偏差最小方差(UMV)修正可改善统计误差的传递效应,采用密度修正可保证蒙特卡罗输运计算的准确性,在此基础上局部优化燃耗截面库,进一步改善了燃耗计算的精度,为其工程应用奠定了基础。     

燃耗数据库基准检验方法研究

燃耗数据库基准检验方法对于研制高准确度的燃耗数据库至关重要。本文以TAKAHAMA 3压水堆辐照后检验实验中SF95样品的建模为例，研究了建模要素对燃耗计算的影响，确定了燃耗实验建模的方法，开展了燃耗信用制研究感兴趣的锕系和裂变产物核素积存量计算值与实验值的比对。比对结果显示，主锕系核素计算偏差小于2%，大部分次锕系核素偏差小于10%，大部分重要裂变产物核素偏差小于5%。本文还对125Sb积存量随燃耗深度变化规律进行了理论分析，确认了破坏性放化实验测量结果存在缺陷，并进一步获得了125Sb积存量的修正值，使计算偏差从接近170%下降到20%以内。本次研究表明，燃耗数据库基准检验研究不仅需发展适当的燃耗实验建模方法，还需对实验数据进行适当的评价。     

Application of candle burnup strategy for future nuclear energy utilization

The CANDLE burnup strategy is a new reactor burnup concept, where the distributions of fuel nuclide densities, neutron flux, and power density move with the same constant speed along the core axis from bottom to top (or from top to bottom) of the core and without any change in their shapes. Therefore, any burnup control mechanisms are not required, and reactor characteristics do not change along burnup. The reactor is simple and safe. If this burnup scheme is applied to some neutron rich fast reactors, either natural or depleted uranium can be utilized as fresh fuel after second core and the burnup of discharged fuel is about 40%. It means about 40% of natural or depleted uranium can be utilized without either enrichment or reprocessing.

In the ideal nuclear energy utilization system, the radioactive toxicity in the environment should remain or decrease after the utilization. This requirement is very severe and difficult to be satisfied. It may take too much time for its realization. The CANDLE burnup may substitute this period. Though it is a once-through fuel cycle, the discharged fuel burnup is about ten times of the present value for light water reactors. The space necessary for final disposal can be drastically reduced. However, in order to realize such a high burnup of discharged fuels some innovative technologies should be developed. Either new material standing still for such a high burnup or intermediate recladding will be required. Especially new fuel development will take a lot of time. For the time being a small reactor with CANDLE burnup may be a good option for nuclear power generation. Even this kind of reactor requires some innovative technologies and a long period for their developments. For the first stage of CANDLE burnup the prismatic fuel high-temperature gas cooled reactor is preferable. Since the design of this reactor fits to the CANDLE burnup very well, only a little time is required for its research and development.     

基于CASMO5的燃耗历史对乏燃料反应性的影响计算

基于乏燃料贮存领域常用的锕系加裂变产物(APU-2)级燃耗信任制,应用二维组件燃耗计算程序CASMO5,计算了燃耗过程中功率密度和运行历史对乏燃料k∞的影响。结果表明:燃耗计算中,选择堆芯额定功率对应的平均功率密度,同时k∞附加0.002 3的包络裕度,运行历史选择循环内及循环间无停堆额定功率运行,同时k∞附加0.004 5的包络裕度,可满足燃耗信任制中包络性原则。     

球床高温气冷堆卸料燃耗阈值对平均卸料燃耗的影响

基于蒙特卡罗方法开发了球床高温气冷堆燃料球运行历史模拟程序,分析不同卸料燃耗阈值对平均卸料燃耗、卸料燃耗分布的影响,并分析了不同球流速度模型下的差别。结果表明,卸料燃耗阈值对于平均卸料燃耗、卸料燃耗分布很大程度上受到各流道燃料增量的特性的影响。     

Effect of Partially Bowed Heated Rod on DNB in Coldwall Thimble Cell Geometry

Cell calculations of a Th-fueled PWR are carried out to discuss the burnup characteristics, coolant void reactivity coefficients, and the effectiveness of the mechanical spectral shift control method by fertile rod insertion. It is shown that the Th fuel can achieve a high discharge burnup with less increase of the fissile concentration than in the U fuel. It is also shown, particularly in the Th-fueled cores, that the fertile rods are effective for the spectral shift control and for improving the conversion ratio.     

Calibration of Burnup Monitor Installed in Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant

Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant uses burnup credit for criticality control at the Spent Fuel Storage Facility (SFSF) and the Dissolution Facility. A burnup monitor measures nondestructively burnup value of a spent fuel assembly and guarantees the credit for burnup. For practical reasons, a standard radiation source is not used in calibration of the burnup monitor, but the burnup values of many spent fuel assemblies are measured based on operator-declared burnup values. This paper describes the concept of burnup credit, the burnup monitor, and the calibration method. It is concluded, from the results of calibration tests, that the calibration method is valid.     

Application of CANDLE burnup to block-type high temperature gas cooled reactor

The CANDLE burnup strategy, where the distributions of fuel nuclide densities, neutron flux, and power density move with the same constant speed and without any change in their shapes, is applied to the block-type high temperature gas cooled reactor. If it is successful, a burnup control rod can be eliminated, and several merits are expected. This burnup may be realized by enriched uranium and burnable poison with large neutron absorption cross-section. With the fuel enrichment of 15%, gadolinium concentration of 3.0%, and fuel cell pitch of 6.6 cm, the CANDLE burnup is realized with the burning region moving speed of 29 cm/year and the axial half-width of power density distribution of 1.5 m. When the concentration of natural gadolinium is higher, the burning region moving speed becomes slower and the burnup becomes higher, though the effective neutron multiplication factor becomes smaller. When U-235 enrichment is higher, the effective neutron multiplication factor becomes larger, the speed becomes slower, and the burnup becomes higher. When the pitch is wider, the effective neutron multiplication factor becomes larger, the speed becomes faster, and the burnup becomes higher.     

Taking Account of the Spectral History of Fuel Burnup during the Preparation of the Neutron-Physical Constants for VVÉR-1000 Fuel Assemblies

The results of an analysis of the influence of the fuel burnup conditions on the two-group neutron physical constants of VVÉR-1000 fuel assemblies are described. The spectral index proposed by Spanish physicists and taking account of the characteristics of the fuel burnup regime is analyzed theoretically and experimentally. A modified version of the spectral index is developed and analyzed. Calculations are performed using the GETERA code. The modified spectral index is used in the HARD-NUT program system to analyze the fuel loads of the No. 2 unit of the Kalinin nuclear power plant. The results of changing the computational duration of a run after adopting a spectral index are presented. 4 figures, 1 table, 3 references.     

Calculation of radial burnup and nuclides atom density distributions in a VVER-1000 fuel rod using Monte Carlo method

A fundamental knowledge of fuel behavior in different situations is required for safe and economic nuclear power generation. Due to the importance of a fuel rod behavior modelling in high burnup, in this paper, the radial distribution of burnup, fission products, and actinides atom density and their variations by increasing burnup and other factors such as temperature, enrichment and power density are studied in a fuel pellet of a VVER-1000 reactor in an operational cycle using the MCNPX 2.7 Monte Carlo code. A benchmark including a Uranium-Gadolinium (UGD) fuel assembly is used for verification of the developed model in the MCNPX code for radial burnup calculation. A sensitivity study is carried out to investigate the effect of different parameters such as the number of particles per cycle, the number of geometrical radial nodes in the fuel pellet, the number of burnup steps and the selection of different fission-product contents (i.e. those isotopes that are used for particle transport) on the MCNPX model for speed and accuracy compromising. To calculate the radial temperature profiles and to analyze the effect of temperature on the radial burnup distribution and vice versa, the HEATING 7.2 code, which is a general-purpose conduction heat transfer program, and the MCNPX code are applied together. The results show the accuracy and capability of the proposed model in the MCNPX and HEATING codes for radial burnup calculation.     

双约束核素筛选与燃耗链压缩算法研究

在进行反应堆燃耗计算时,由于评价核数据库中各核素反应截面、寿命差异大,因此形成的燃耗矩阵规模大、刚性强。为降低燃耗矩阵规模、改善矩阵病态程度,有必要研究适用于多种堆芯设计研发需求的燃耗链压缩算法,并形成压缩燃耗链和数据库。首先建立了核素筛选标准,根据各个核素对中子吸收率和重要核素核子密度的贡献率对核素重要性进行排序筛选,研究了基于中子吸收率和重要核素产量贡献率的双约束燃耗链压缩算法,并完成相关程序模块的开发。通过对Kylin-2程序数据库压缩的计算分析,验证了该燃耗链压缩算法的可行性。采用压缩数据库可使其在保持原有计算精度的基础上大幅减少计算时间、提高计算效率;通过燃耗链压缩算法的研究与压缩数据库的实现,为从评价数据库出发制作压缩数据库提供了技术支撑。      

基于精细燃耗历史及精细燃耗链的球床高温气冷堆燃耗不确定性分析

球床高温气冷堆的燃料管理具有燃料球多次通过堆芯的特点,使得燃料元件经历的燃耗历史十分复杂。球床高温气冷堆堆芯物理设计程序VSOP可以提供燃料元件的精细燃耗历史,但仅包含少量燃耗链和核素种类。而清华大学自主开发的燃耗计算程序NUIT可实现精细燃耗计算,且包含完整燃耗链和核素信息,但不具备精细燃耗历史跟踪功能。本文基于NUIT,结合VSOP提供的球床高温气冷堆精细燃耗历史,开发了球床高温气冷堆堆芯的精细燃耗计算功能,搭建了带有精细燃耗历史模拟和精细燃耗链核素的燃耗分析流程,并实现燃耗不确定性分析功能。在此基础上研究了裂变产额不确定性对球床高温气冷堆燃耗计算不确定性的贡献,并与VSOP的计算结果进行对比。计算分析结果显示,基于NUIT的精细燃耗计算结果和VSOP的燃耗计算结果得到了相互验证,且可以得到更多的核素浓度信息,该计算结果是开展球床高温气冷堆衰变热不确定性研究的基础。     

Calculation of the ex-core neutron noise induced by individual fuel assembly vibrations in two PWR cores

Calculation of the neutron noise induced by fuel assembly vibrations in two pressurized water reactor(PWR) cores has been conducted to investigate the effect of cycle burnup on the properties of the ex-core detector noise. An extension of the method and the computational models of a previous work have been applied to two different PWR cores to examine a hypothesis that fuel assembly vibrations cause the corresponding peak in the auto power spectral density(APSD) increase during the cycle. Stochastic vibrations along a random two-dimensional trajectory of individual fuel assemblies were assumed to occur at different locations in the cores. Two models regarding the displacement amplitude of the vibrating assembly have been considered to determine the noise source. Then, the APSD of the ex-core detector noise was evaluated at three burnup steps. The results show that there is no monotonic tendency of the change in the APSD of ex-core detector; however, the increase in APSD occurs predominantly for peripheral assemblies. When assuming simultaneous vibrations of a number of fuel assemblies uniformly distributed over the core, the effect of the peripheral assemblies dominates the ex-core neutron noise.This behaviour was found similar in both cores.     

液态燃料氯盐快堆最小需求燃耗分析

为探究采用增殖燃烧模式运行的液态燃料氯盐快堆的平均卸料燃耗深度，基于中子平衡分析方法，选取5种常用氯盐，提出在线清除裂变气体和难溶裂变产物方案来维持增殖燃烧运行模式，主要研究分析了氯盐的重金属密度和在线处理方案对最小需求燃耗的影响以及无限栅元模型下维持增殖燃烧模式可接受的堆芯中子损失项。分析表明68NaCl-32UCl₃和20UCl₃-80UCl₄的最小需求燃耗分别是30.47%FIMA（FIMA是指已裂变原子数与初始的总装料金属原子数之比）和10.28%FIMA；清除裂变气体和难溶裂变产物后，60NaCl-40UCl₃可接受的中子损失项从3.49%提高到10.68%。结果表明氯盐的重金属密度对最小需求燃耗有明显影响，同时清除裂变气体和难溶裂变产物能够较大提高燃料盐系统的中子经济性，以及提高增殖燃烧模式运行可接受的堆芯中子损失项。      

加速器驱动的10 MW次临界反应堆物理方案研究

加速器驱动的次临界系统（ADS）是未来最有可能实现工业化嬗变核废料的装置。通过设计1个10 MW的ADS物理方案,研究ADS的嬗变能力。采用MCNPX和ORIGEN的耦合程序,利用基于ENDF6.8处理所得的6个温度（300、600、900、1 200、1 500、1 800 K）下连续能量核数据库,计算得到ADS随燃耗时间变化的有效增殖因数k_eff、功率峰因子和质子束流强度。同时通过计算给出了该设计方案下ADS燃料多普勒系数、冷却剂空泡系数和有效缓发中子份额,利用这些物理量研究了该ADS方案的安全特性,并通过燃耗计算研究了ADS的嬗变能力。结果表明,在1 000 d燃耗时长内,k_eff和质子流强随时间的波动较小,燃料燃耗深度较浅,系统可提升功率运行,在假想事故下系统能保持次临界状态。系统嬗变支持比约为8。     

基于最佳一致逼近多项式的燃耗计算方法研究

本文研究了一种基于最佳一致逼近多项式（MMPA）的燃耗计算方法求解燃耗方程。相比于切比雪夫有理近似方法（CRAM）和围道积分有理近似方法（QRAM）,MMPA方法只需一次矩阵求逆计算即可求解燃耗方程,且所有计算都是实数运算,具有数值稳定性好、求解效率高等优点。进一步研制了基于MMPA方法的点燃耗程序AMAC,并耦合蒙特卡罗输运程序OpenMC,采用衰变例题、固定辐照例题、OECD/NEA压水堆栅元燃耗基准题和沸水堆组件燃耗基准题进行验证,程序计算结果与实验值及各参考值吻合良好,初步验证了MMPA方法在理论和数值上的正确性和有效性。     

长期低功率运行对CNP600堆芯中子学参数的影响

随着我国能源形势的发展,核电将面临调峰运行的挑战。CNP600是我国现役的重要堆型,有必要对CNP600长期低功率运行进行评估。为了验证CNP600在长期低功率运行时中子学方面的安全性,从反应堆物理角度对CNP600长期低功率运行进行初步分析,包括长期低功率运行对堆芯径向及轴向功率分布的影响、停堆深度、焓升因子F_(△H)与功率峰因子F_Q的变化、燃耗及最大线功率的变化。计算结果显示,CNP600实行长期低功率运行对径向功率分布的改变很小,对轴向功率偏移的改变剧烈,通过控制棒的调节,可以维持轴向功率偏移的稳定;停堆深度、F_(△H)、燃耗及最大线功率密度均满足安全要求。初步的分析结果表明,CNP600在反应堆方面能满足长期低功率运行。     

基于切比雪夫有理近似方法的点燃耗程序开发

基于切比雪夫有理近似方法（CRAM）开发了点燃耗求解程序。程序采用2套燃耗数据库,精细燃耗数据库和简化燃耗数据库,并将点燃耗程序与输运系统耦合。计算了定注量率辐照问题和衰变问题,以及JAEA轻水堆基准题,计算结果与国际知名程序对比。结果表明,程序在定注量率辐照问题和衰变问题的计算上,核子密度精度与ORIGEN2相当,单栅元和组件计算结果与HELIOS1.11以及参考解吻合良好。      

Study on optimum zirconium liner thickness for barrier fuel

The superiority of barrier fuel over the non-barrier fuel is verified in this paper. Based on the strain energy density theory, a thorough study on the zirconium liner thickness of barrier fuel cladding for various burnup conditions is established. It is found that the presence of zirconium liner does substantially reduce the local strain energy density available for failure initiation and also enhance the system stability. Since an extensive increase in the zirconium liner thickness does not further improve the fracture strength as well as failure stability, an optimal thickness of the zirconium liner is then determined in the present study.     

A Pebble Bed Reactor cross section methodology

A method is presented for the evaluation of microscopic cross sections for the Pebble Bed Reactor (PBR) neutron diffusion computational models during convergence to an equilibrium (asymptotic) fuel cycle. This method considers the isotopics within a core spectral zone and the leakages from such a zone as they arise during reactor operation. The randomness of the spatial distribution of fuel grains within the fuel pebbles and that of the fuel and moderator pebbles within the core, the double heterogeneity of the fuel, and the indeterminate burnup of the spectral zones all pose a unique challenge for the computation of the local microscopic cross sections. As prior knowledge of the equilibrium composition and leakage is not available, it is necessary to repeatedly re-compute the group constants with updated zone information. A method is presented to account for local spectral zone composition and leakage effects without resorting to frequent spectrum code calls. Fine group data are pre-computed for a range of isotopic states. Microscopic cross sections and zone nuclide number densities are used to construct fine group macroscopic cross sections, which, together with fission spectra, flux modulation factors, and zone buckling, are used in the solution of the slowing down balance to generate a new or updated spectrum. The microscopic cross-sections are then re-collapsed with the new spectrum for the local spectral zone. This technique is named the Spectral History Correction (SHC) method. It is found that this method accurately recalculates local broad group microscopic cross sections. Significant improvement in the core eigenvalue, flux, and power peaking factor is observed when the local cross sections are corrected for the effects of the spectral zone composition and leakage in two-dimensional PBR test problems.