Nuclear reactor calculations

Okumura, Keisuke ; Oka, Yoshiaki*; Ishiwatari, Yuki*

As necessary knowledge for nuclear reactor design, fundamental methods of nuclear reactor calculations are described. First, we explain, in an easy-to-understand manner, what kinds of numerical methods and procedures are employed in the codes which treat nuclear data processing, lattice calculation, lattice burnup calculation, core calculation, nuclear and thermal-hydraulic coupled calculation, core burnup calculation and space-dependent core calculation. Next we show the calculated examples of the optimizations for a fuel loading pattern and control rod insertion pattern in the thermal-hydraulic coupled core burnup calculation. Furthermore, we describe the methods of the plant dynamics analyses using a simple node junction model for the heat transfer calculation. The plant dynamics cover the analyses of control and startup properties, reactor stability, and safety analysis.