Benchmark calculations of sodium-void experiments with uranium fuels at the fast critical assembly FCA

Fukushima, Masahiro   ; Kitamura, Yasunori; Kugo, Teruhiko ; Yamane, Tsuyoshi; Ando, Masaki  ; Chiba, Go; Ishikawa, Makoto; Okajima, Shigeaki  

The capture cross section of U has been re-evaluated by the OECD/NEA/NSC/WPEC Subgroup 29 focusing on energy region from 100 eV to 1 MeV from the viewpoints of differential and integral data analyses since 2007. Sodium-void reactivity experiments with uranium fuels were carried out at the Fast Critical Assembly (FCA) in the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) in 2009 and new integral data were obtained to help to validate the re-evaluated capture cross section of U. The benchmark calculations for the new integral data were performed by using a continuous-energy Monte Carlo code (MVP) with use of the evaluated nuclear data libraries JENDL-3.2, -3.3, -4.0, ENDF/B-VII.0 and JEFF-3.1. The ratios of calculation to experimental (C/E) values of sodium-void reactivities with respect to JENDL-3.3, ENDF/B-VII.0 and JEFF-3.1 are less than those with respect to JENDL-3.2 and -4.0. The analysis results are similar to those of sodium-void reactivities previously obtained at the BFS facility which is another fast critical assembly in Russia. The benchmark calculations demonstrate the improvement of the reliability of the integral data such as the new integral data obtained at the FCA and the previously obtained data in the BFS and the usefulness of the new integral data for the validation of the re-evaluated cross section of U.