Impact of nuclear data updates from JENDL-4.0 to JENDL-5 on burnup calculations of light-water reactor fuels

Watanabe, Tomoaki; Tada, Kenichi; Endo, Tomohiro*; Yamamoto, Akio*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 63(1), p.3 - 18, 2026/01

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2025.2486798

This study investigated the impact of nuclear data updates from JENDL-4.0 (J4) to JENDL-5 (J5) on the light-water reactor fuel burnup calculations. Burnup calculations were conducted with J4 and J5 for PWR pin-cell and BWR fuel assembly geometries. The calculation results revealed significant burnup-dependent differences in the neutron multiplication factor (k). Across the burnup range of 0-50 GWd/t, k values of J5 were consistently smaller than those of J4 and the difference gradually increased as burnup progressed. Direct sensitivity calculations, in which each nuclide data was replaced from J4 to J5, indicated that updates to the cross-sections of U, U, and Pu and the thermal scattering law data of H in HO notably impacted the k differences. For the BWR assembly geometry containing Gd fuels, large k differences were observed in the burnup range of 10-15 GWd/t. This difference was primarily attributed to updates in the U, Gd, and Gd cross-sections, and thermal scattering law data of H in HO. Furthermore, we investigated how the nuclear data updates affected the k differences by examining nuclide number densities, the energy-dependent sensitivities, and the neutron spectra.

Measurement of transient fission gas release from high-burnup MOX fuel under a simulated reactivity-initiated accident condition using fission gas dynamics testing technique

Taniguchi, Yoshinori; Urano, Kenta; Mihara, Takeshi; Udagawa, Yutaka; Kakiuchi, Kazuo; Katsuyama, Jinya

Proceedings of TopFuel 2025; Nuclear Reactor Fuel Performance Conference (Internet), p.1292 - 1301, 2025/10

Investigation of measurement accuracy of burnup reactivity of accelerator-driven system during normal operation

Katano, Ryota; Abe, Takumi; Cibert, H.*

JAEA-Research 2024-019, 22 Pages, 2025/05

JAEA-Research-2024-019.pdf:1.03MB

An accelerator-driven system (ADS) dedicated to transmutation of minor actinides (MAs) is driven in subcritical states. It is important for establishment of the subcriticality control of ADS to predict the burnup reactivity. To validate the prediction accuracy, the burnup reactivity, especially at the first cycle, must be measured with sufficient accuracy. In this study, we focus on Current-To-Flux (CTF) method. We have simulated the burnup reactivity monitoring during the ADS normal operation with the CTF method by performing fixed-source-burnup calculations using a continuous energy Monte Carlo code SERPENT2 with some tallies that models in-core fission chambers and have estimated its measurement uncertainty. We have clarified that the 10% biases of measure burnup reactivities appear independently of the burnup duration and their detector position dependence is particularly small in the outer region of the system.

Japan Atomic Energy Agency's studies on high burnup LWR fuel behaviour under reactivity-initiated accident conditions

Taniguchi, Yoshinori; Udagawa, Yutaka

IAEA-TECDOC-2053, p.94 - 96, 2024/05

https://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Publications/PDF/TE-2053web.pdf

Impact of nuclear data revised from JENDL-4.0 to JENDL-5 on PWR spent fuel nuclide composition

Watanabe, Tomoaki; Tada, Kenichi; Endo, Tomohiro*; Yamamoto, Akio*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 60(11), p.1386 - 1396, 2023/11

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2023.2201603

The burnup calculations for estimating the nuclide composition of the spent fuel are highly dependent on nuclear data. Many nuclides in the latest version of the Japanese Evaluated Nuclear Data Library JENDL-5 were modified from JENDL-4.0 and the modification affects the burnup calculations. This study confirmed the validity of JENDL-5 in the burnup calculations. The PIE data of Takahama-3 was used for the validation. The effect of modifications of the parameters, e.g., cross sections and fission yields, from JENDL-4.0 to JENDL-5 on the nuclide compositions was quantitatively investigated. The calculation results showed that JENDL-5 has a similar performance to JENDL-4.0. The calculation results also revealed that the modifications of the cross sections of actinide nuclides, fission yields, and thermal scattering low data of hydrogen in HO affected the nuclide compositions of PWR spent fuels.

Investigation of the core neutronics analysis conditions for evaluation of burn-up nuclear characteristics of the next-generation fast reactors

Takino, Kazuo; Oki, Shigeo

JAEA-Data/Code 2023-003, 26 Pages, 2023/05

JAEA-Data-Code-2023-003.pdf:1.66MB

Since next-generation fast reactors aim to achieve a higher core discharge burn-up than conventional reactors do, core neutronics design methods must be refined. Therefore, a suitable analysis condition is required for the analysis of burn-up nuclear characteristics to accomplish sufficient estimation accuracy while maintaining a low computational cost. We investigated the effect of the analysis conditions on the accuracy of estimation of the burn-up nuclear characteristics of next-generation fast reactors in terms of neutron energy groups, neutron transport theory, and spatial mesh. This study treated the following burn-up nuclear characteristics: criticality, burn-up reactivity, control rod worth, breeding ratio, assembly-wise power distribution, maximum linear heat rate, sodium void reactivity, and Doppler coefficient for the equilibrium operation cycle. As a result, it was found that the following conditions were the most suitable: 18-energy-group structure, 6 spatial meshes per assembly with diffusion approximation. Additionally, these conditions should apply to correction factors for energy group structure, spatial mesh and transport effects.

Study on the effect of long-term high temperature irradiation on TRISO fuel

Shaimerdenov, A.*; Gizatulin, S.*; Dyussambayev, D.*; Askerbekov, S.*; Ueta, Shohei; Aihara, Jun; Shibata, Taiju; Sakaba, Nariaki

Nuclear Engineering and Technology, 54(8), p.2792 - 2800, 2022/08

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.net.2022.02.026

Toward a more reliable evaluation of fuel fracture during LOCA; Development of uncertainty quantification methodology and evaluation of the effect of fuel burnup extension

Narukawa, Takafumi

Nihon Genshiryoku Gakkai-Shi ATOMO, 63(11), p.780 - 785, 2021/11

https://doi.org/10.3327/jaesjb.63.11_780

no abstracts in English

Report of summer holiday practical training 2020; Feasibility study on nuclear battery using HTTR core; Feasibility study for nuclear design, 3

Ishitsuka, Etsuo; Mitsui, Wataru*; Yamamoto, Yudai*; Nakagawa, Kyoichi*; Ho, H. Q.; Ishii, Toshiaki; Hamamoto, Shimpei; Nagasumi, Satoru; Takamatsu, Kuniyoshi; Kenzhina, I.*; et al.

JAEA-Technology 2021-016, 16 Pages, 2021/09

JAEA-Technology-2021-016.pdf:1.8MB

As a summer holiday practical training 2020, the feasibility study for nuclear design of a nuclear battery using HTTR core was carried out, and the downsizing of reactor core were studied by the MVP-BURN. As a result, it is clear that a 1.6 m radius reactor core, containing 54 (183 layers) fuel blocks with 20% enrichment of U, and BeO neutron reflector, could operate continuously for 30 years with thermal power of 5 MW. Number of fuel blocks of this compact core is 36% of the HTTR core. As a next step, the further downsizing of core by changing materials of the fuel block will be studied.

Concepts and basic designs of various nuclear fuels, 5; Fuels for high temperature gas-cooled reactor and molten salt reactor

Ueta, Shohei; Sasaki, Koei; Arita, Yuji*

Nihon Genshiryoku Gakkai-Shi ATOMO, 63(8), p.615 - 620, 2021/08

https://doi.org/10.3327/jaesjb.63.8_615

no abstracts in English