The benchmark employs many of the characteristics of the NEACRP L-335 Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) benchmark proposed by Herbert Finnemann in 1991. The current problem adds the complexity of modelling a control rod ejection in a core loaded partially with weapons-grade MOX since the neutronic characteristics of plutonium are sufficiently different from uranium to significantly change the kinetics response of the reactor core. The reactor core chosen for the simulation was based on four-loop Westinghouse PWR power plant similar to the reactor proposed for plutonium disposition in the United States. It is relevant to current international plutonium use strategies as many of the commercial power plants in Europe and Japan already use MOX fuel. The United States was preparing to use MOX in light water reactors (LWRs) as part of its weapons plutonium disposition programme.

Benchmark data

• Material number densities (last update: December 1, 2003)
• 2G nodal cross section library (last update: July 9, 2004)
• 4G nodal cross section library (last update: July 9, 2004)
• 4G nodal cross section library without upscattering (last update: July 9, 2004)
• 8G nodal cross section library (last update: July 9, 2004)
• 8G cell cross section library (last update: July 9, 2004)
• 1G pin-power form functions (last update: May 10, 2004)
• 2G pin-power form functions (last update: May 10, 2004)
• 4G pin-power form functions (last update: May 10, 2004)

Benchmark results

Heterogeneous

• BARS 5G heterogeneous transport solution, Kurchatov Institute, Russia (last update: February 1, 2006)
• DeCART 47G heterogeneous transport solution, Seoul National University and KAERI, Korea (last update: February 1, 2006)
• DORT 16G heterogeneous transport solution, GRS, Germany (last update: February 1, 2006)
• MCNP continuous energy heterogeneous transport solution, Kurchatov Institute, Russia (last update: February 1, 2006)

Nodal

• CORETRAN 2G 1/FA nodal diffusion solution, PSI, Switzerland (last update: February 1, 2006)
• CORETRAN 2G 4/FA nodal diffusion solution, PSI, Switzerland (last update: February 1, 2006)
• NUREC 2G nodal diffusion solution, KAERI, Korea (last update: February 1, 2006)
• PARCS 2G nodal diffusion solution, Purdue University, USA (last update: February 1, 2006)
• PARCS 4G nodal diffusion solution, Purdue University, USA (last update: February 1, 2006)
• PARCS 8G nodal diffusion solution, Purdue University, USA (last update: February 1, 2006)
• SKETCH-INS 2G nodal diffusion solution, JNES, Japan (last update: February 1, 2006)

Related data package

Data related to the MOX/UO2 Transient Benchmark can be requested from the NEA Data Bank: https://www.oecd-nea.org/tools/abstract/detail/NEA-1780/

Acknowledgement

This work has been performed under the auspices of OECD/NEA Working Party on Scientific Issues of Reactor Systems (WPRS) and is sponsored by US NRC and OECD/NEA.

Contact

Ian Hill