Debris-simulated core analysis under fuel procurement constraints in new STACY experiments

Araki, Shohei   ; Gunji, Satoshi  ; Arakaki, Yu; Yoshikawa, Tomoki ; Murakami, Takahiko; Kobayashi, Fuyumi ; Izawa, Kazuhiko ; Suyama, Kenya

New experiments simulating fuel debris in the new criticality assembly, STACY, are designed to contribute to the validation of criticality calculations for criticality control of the fuel debris in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. In the new STACY experiment, a two-region core consisting of a driver region and a test region was investigated in order to configure a debris-simulated core with under-moderation condition (lattice pitch 1.27-cm) having the constraint of available fuel rod number. The test region with a 1.27-cm lattice pitch is surrounded by the driver region, in which fuel rods are arranged in a checkerboard pattern on a 1.27-cm lattice plate, with a 1.80-cm lattice pitch. Neutron spectra and sensitivity were calculated by using MCNP6 and ENDF/B-VII. The core which has a 1717 test region with 373 fuel rods is the largest two-region core under the constraint. It was found that the core which has a 1717 test region can simulate the neutron spectra of under-moderation condition in a 1313 region inside the test region with the root-mean square percentage error of less than 5%. It was also confirmed that the sensitivity of Si and Ca (n,) reactions when the concrete simulant, was loaded could be simulated.