NEA Mandates and Structures

International Reactor Physics Experiments Evaluation Project Technical Review Group (IRPhETRG)

Mandate (Document reference):

• Summary record of the 10th meeting of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Reactor Systems held on 22 February 2013 [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPRS(2013)2]
• Summary Record of the 7th meeting of the Expert Group on Reactor Physics and Advanced Nuclear Systems held on 15 February 2017 [NEA/NSC/WPRS/DOC(2017)6]
• Summary Record of the 14th meeting of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Reactor Systems held on 16 February 2017 [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPRS(2017)2]
• Mandate of the International Reactor Physics Experiments Technical Review Group (IRPHE) [NEA/NSC/WPRS/DOC(2019)12]
• Extended and revised mandate at the 16^th meeting of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Reactor Systems (WPRS) held in February 2019 [NEA/NSC/WPRS/DOC(2019)5]
• Mandate of the International Reactor Physics Experiments Evaluation (IRPHE) Project Technical Review Group [NEA/NSC/WPRS/DOC(2019)12]
• The NSC Working Party on Scientific Issues of Reactor Systems (WPRS): Proposal for Prioritisation and Restructuring [NEA/NSC/WPRS/DOC(2020)19]
• Summary record of the 31^st meeting of the Nuclear Science Committee in September 2020 [NEA/SEN/NSC(2020)20]
• Mandate of the WPRS International Reactor Physics Experiments Evaluation (IRPhE) Project Technical Review Group [NEA/NSC/WPRS/DOC(2020)15]

Mandate (Document extract):

Extract from document [NEA/NSC/WPRS/DOC(2020)15]

Scope

The IRPhE Technical Review Group will co-ordinate the programme of the International Reactor Physics Experiments Evaluation (IRPhE) Project and the development of the IRPhE Handbook and database. These comprise an evaluated set of benchmark specifications derived from experiments performed at various reactor facilities around the world. The benchmark specifications are primarily intended for use by reactor analysts to validate computational methods along with the associated basic data libraries.

The IRPhE Technical Review Group will also steer the development of a database tool (IDAT) to facilitate user access to the IRPhE benchmarks.

Objectives

The IRPhE Technical Review Group will provide the nuclear community with an evaluated set of benchmark specifications derived from experiments performed at reactor facilities, worldwide. More specifically the objectives are as follows:

• identify and evaluate a comprehensive set of reactor physics benchmark measurement data;
• verify the data, to the extent possible, by reviewing original and subsequently revised documentation, and by talking with the experimenters or individuals who are familiar with the experimenters or the experimental facility;
• evaluate the experimental data and uncertainties;
• transform evaluated measurements into benchmarks that are appropriate for validation of reactor physics calculation methods, adjusting measurement results and uncertainties accordingly;
• compile the data into a standardised format;
• perform calculations of each benchmark with standard reactor physics codes;
• formally document the work into a single source of verified benchmark data;
• based on an understanding of industry and research requirements, identify existing or potential sources of experimental data which would fill significant gaps in the evaluated set of benchmarks.

Links to other NEA working parties

The IRPhE Technical Review Group will closely co-ordinate its work with other subsidiary bodies of the Nuclear Science Committee (NSC) developing and using databases of integral experiments. In particular, there will be close links with the Technical Review Group for the International Criticality Safety Benchmarks Evaluation Project (ICSBEP). The ICSBEP programme is co-ordinated through the ICSBEP Technical Review Group, which reports to the Working Party on Nuclear Criticality Safety (WPNCS). There will also be close links with the spent fuel inventory assessment and shielding areas. Spent fuel inventory assessment is co-ordinated under the database of measured nuclide concentrations of spent nuclear fuel, with operational histories and design data. Close links will also be maintained with the Technical Review Group for the International Assay Data of Spent Nuclear Fuel Database (SFCOMPO). Shielding assessments are co-ordinated under the Shielding Integral Benchmark Archive and Database (SINBAD).

A key element of the evaluation process is a rigorous analysis of the uncertainties, including quantification of correlations between experiments. There will be strong linkage between the IRPhE Technical Review Group and the WPNCS in the area of uncertainty analysis methods. Close liaison will be maintained between the IRPhE Technical Review Group and both the WPRS Expert Group on Reactor Systems MUlti-Physics (EGMUP) as well as the Expert Group on Physics of Reactor Systems (EGPRS).

The group will be solicited to interact with the project on data preservation and quality assurance within the NEA Framework for Fuel and Material Testing (FIDES). 

The IRPhE Technical Review Group will also invite and co-operate with experts from non‑member countries.

Deliverables:

• Provide new editions of the IRPhE Handbook on DVD at regular intervals (nominally 18 months) and provide downloadable versions through suitably protected websites in accordance with NEA Data Bank protocols.
• Develop and maintain a database tool (IDAT) to allow users to search the database using keywords and create listings of experiments with matched characteristics. The tool is to be distributed with the handbook in accordance with NEA Data Bank protocols.
• In liaison with the ICSBEP, develop guidance on uncertainty assessment and evaluation of experiments and measurements.