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New reference APOLLO3® calculation scheme for light water reactors – analysis of the BEAVRS benchmark

Jean-François Vidal, Kévin Fröhlicher, P. Archier, Alain Hébert, L. Buiron, J.-M. Palau, S. Pastoris and D. Raynaud

Paper (2020)

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Abstract

In the past few years, developments in the APOLLO3® deterministic code have mainly been devoted to Fast Reactor applications. In this paper, we investigate the possibility of using some of these methods to build an accurate two-step calculation scheme for commercial Pressurized Water Reactors, with application to the BEAVRS benchmark at hot zero power conditions of cycle 1. Our objective is to assess the performances of the best “standard” calculation currently possible with APOLLO3® and to have a starting point for the development of improved transport solvers and innovative calculation schemes.

At the lattice level, we show that the subgroup method using the REL383 energy mesh, associated with a MOC flux calculation, provides accurate results on different clusters of 3x3 cells with UOX and MOX fuel, including a heterogeneity at the center (guide-tube full of water or with common absorbers Ag-In-Cd or B4C inserted, and mixed uranium-gadolinium oxide fuel). These good results have been confirmed on BEAVRS assembly, rods in and rods out.

At the core level, 20-group 3D calculations with the MINARET Sn solver have been performed at the cell level to analyze BEAVRS Hot Zero Power results (reactivity, power map, and control rods worths). Results are rather satisfactory, considering the low computing cost, but the power map prediction needs to be improved.

Uncontrolled Keywords

APOLLO3®; Sn transport; PWR; BEAVRS

Subjects: 1800 Chemical engineering > 1800 Chemical engineering
1800 Chemical engineering > 1801 Reaction fundamentals and reactor design
Department: Department of Mechanical Engineering
PolyPublie URL: https://publications.polymtl.ca/45651/
Conference Title: International Conference on Physics of Reactors: Transition to a Scalable Nuclear Future (PHYSOR 2020)
Conference Location: Cambridge, UK
Conference Date(s): 2020-03-29 - 2020-04-02
Journal Title: EPJ Web of Conferences (vol. 247)
Publisher: EDP Sciences
DOI: 10.1051/epjconf/202124706031
Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202124706031
Date Deposited: 18 Apr 2023 15:01
Last Modified: 04 Dec 2024 15:15
Cite in APA 7: Vidal, J.-F., Fröhlicher, K., Archier, P., Hébert, A., Buiron, L., Palau, J.-M., Pastoris, S., & Raynaud, D. (2020, March). New reference APOLLO3® calculation scheme for light water reactors – analysis of the BEAVRS benchmark [Paper]. International Conference on Physics of Reactors: Transition to a Scalable Nuclear Future (PHYSOR 2020), Cambridge, UK (8 pages). Published in EPJ Web of Conferences, 247. https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202124706031

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