Title: Analysis of a VVER-1000 in-core fuel management benchmark with DRAGON and DONJON

Authors: W.F.G. Van Rooijen; Mohammad Jahirul Haque Khan; Alain Hébert; Vivian Salino

Addresses: Research Institute of Nuclear Engineering, University of Fukui, Kannawa-cho 1-2-4, Tsuruga-shi, Fukui-ken, T914-0055, Japan ' Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Ganakbari, Savar, GPO BOX #3787, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh ' Ecole Polytechnique de Montréal, Institut de Génie Nucléaire, P.O. Box 6079, Station Centre-Ville, Montréal, Qc., H3C 3A7, Canada ' Institut de Radioprotection et Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSN-EXP, SNC, LNR, Fontenay-aux-Roses, 92262, France

Abstract: This paper discusses the calculation of the IAEA benchmark entitled In-core fuel management code package validation for WWERs (IAEA-TECDOC-847) with the Version5 code system (DRAGON and DONJON). Calculations were performed for VVER-1000 cores. Cell calculations are done with DRAGON. Core calculations are done with DONJON, using CLE-2000 procedures to determine the reactor state at each depletion step, taking into account the control rod insertion pattern, reactor power, coolant inlet temperature and coolant mass flow. A multi-variate cross-section database for the core calculations is made with DRAGON. Calculated results are the critical boron concentration at each depletion step, and axial and radial power profiles at a few depletion steps. The present work serves as a feasibility study for the application of DRAGON and DONJON to VVER cores, and results are generally acceptable. Suggestions are made to improve the quality of the simulations.

Keywords: DRAGON; DONJON; VVER-1000; VVER lattice calculation; VVER core calculation; VVER core follow simulation; VVER core analysis; IAEA VVER benchmark; Rooppur nuclear power plant.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNEST.2017.090658

International Journal of Nuclear Energy Science and Technology, 2017 Vol.11 No.4, pp.345 - 376

Received: 11 Sep 2017
Accepted: 26 Jan 2018
Published online: 25 Mar 2018 *

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