Comparative study on burnup characteristics of a 1500 MWe metal fuel sodium-cooled fast reactor

1500MWe金属燃料高速炉の燃焼特性の比較研究

大釜 和也   ; Aliberti, G.*; Stauff, N. E.*; 大木 繁夫 ; Kim, T. K.*

Ohgama, Kazuya; Aliberti, G.*; Stauff, N. E.*; Oki, Shigeo; Kim, T. K.*

Under the cooperative effort of the Civil Nuclear Energy R&D Working Group within the framework of the U.S.-Japan bilateral, Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) have been performing benchmark study using the Japan Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (JSFR) design with metal fuel. In this benchmark study, the atomic number densities and core characteristics at the end of cycle were evaluated by the best estimate deterministic methodologies of ANL and JAEA. The atomic number densities of plutonium isotopes calculated by both institutions showed a good agreement with less than 0.5% of discrepancy, except for the atomic number density of Pu-241. The atomic number densities of americium and curium isotopes showed less than 6% of discrepancy. The results of core characteristics at the end of cycle obtained by both institutions showed a reasonably good agreement with less than 400 pcm of discrepancy on the neutron multiplication factor, and less than 3% of discrepancy on the sodium void reactivity, Doppler reactivity, and control rod worth. A burnup sensitivity analysis was employed to identify the major factors of the difference in the calculated atomic number densities at the end of cycle.