Extension of the TRANSURANUS Burn-up Model for Gd-doped UO2 Fuel in WWER Reactors

Extensions of the TRANSURANUS burn-up model are reported for simulating Gd-doped UO2 fuel used in WWER reactors. To this end, neutron-transport calculations have been performed with the MONTEBURNS code for both UO2 and UO2-Gd2O3 fuel irradiated in a WWER 440 fuel assembly. After an earlier adaptation of the radial form factor for absorption of resonance neutrons in 238U and 240Pu, the one group effective cross sections for neutron absorption in the isotopes 155Gd and 157Gd have been refined. The impact of applying an additional form factor for neutron absorption on the Gd isotopes has been tested, too. A preliminary verification is based on a) a detailed comparison with the local concentrations of the Gd isotopes and the power form factor calculated by MONTEBURNS and b) central temperatures measured in commercial fuel during its irradiation in the OECD Halden reactor.

SCHUBERT Arndt;  GYORI Csaba;  VAN DE LAAR Jacques;  VAN UFFELEN Paul;  BZNUNI S.;  SAFARYAN T.; 

2010-07-27

Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy

JRC54521

https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC54521,