連続エネルギーモンテカルロコードMVPとJENDL-4.0による低出力水減速試験研究炉の燃料棒で構成される非均質格子体系の最小臨界量評価

Evaluation of the minimum critical amount for heterogeneous lattice systems composed of fuel rods utilized in low-power water-moderated research and test reactors by using continuous-energy Monte Carlo code MVP with JENDL-4.0

柳澤 宏司 

Yanagisawa, Hiroshi

燃焼による燃料の損耗が少ない低出力の試験研究炉の燃料棒と水減速材で構成される非均質格子体系の臨界特性の解析を、連続エネルギーモンテカルロコードMVP Version2と評価済み核データライブラリJENDL-4.0によって行った。解析では、定常臨界実験装置STACY及び軽水臨界実験装置TCAの二酸化ウラン燃料棒、並びに原子炉安全性研究炉NSRRのウラン水素化ジルコニウム燃料棒の非均質体系についての中性子増倍率の計算結果から最小臨界燃料棒本数を評価した。さらに中性子増倍率の成分である六種類の反応率比をあわせて計算し、単位燃料棒セルの水減速材と燃料の体積比に対する中性子増倍率の変化について説明した。これらの解析結果は、臨界安全ハンドブックでは十分に示されていない試験研究炉実機の燃料棒からなる水減速非均質格子体系の臨界特性を示すデータとして、臨界安全対策の合理性、妥当性の確認に利用できるものと考えられる。

Computational analyses on nuclear criticality characteristics were carried out for heterogeneous lattice systems composed of water moderator and fuel rods utilized in low-power research and test reactors, in which the depletion of fuel due to burnup is relatively small, by using the continuous-energy Monte Carlo code MVP Version 2 with the evaluated nuclear data library JENDL-4.0. In the analyses, the minimum critical number of fuel rods was evaluated using calculated neutron multiplication factors for the heterogeneous systems of the uranium dioxide fuel rod in the Static Experiments Critical Facility (STACY) and the Tank-type Critical Assembly (TCA), and the uranium-zirconium hydride fuel rod in the Nuclear Safety Research Reactor (NSRR). In addition, six sorts of the ratio of reaction rates, which are components of neutron multiplication factors, were calculated in the analyses to explain the variation of neutron multiplication factors with the ratio of water moderator to fuel volume in a unit fuel rod cell. Those results of analyses are considered to be useful for the confirmation of reasonableness and validity of criticality safety measures as data showing criticality characteristics for water-moderated heterogeneous lattice systems composed of the existing fuel rods in research and test reactors, of which criticality data are not sufficiently provided by the Criticality Safety Handbook.