Report on the progress of CRP 15009 research contract

Hongchun Wu, Liangzhi Cao* caolz@mail.xjtu.edu.cn Department of Nuclear Engineering, Xian Jiaotong University, China

1. Background information (areas of experience and expertise in solution reactor design, analysis, construction, operation, maintenance, waste management, etc. as well as similar information related to isotope extraction from solution reactor operation). NECP (Nuclear Engineering Computational Physics) lab of Xian Jiaotong University has been focusing on neutron transport calculation method and its application in nuclear engineering for several decades. On the one hand, many neutron transport solvers have been developed, such as: Auto-MOC : based on the Method of Characteristics and the customization of the AUTOCAD software; TEPFEM : based on the Finite Element Method and the Pn method; LESFES: based on the Finite Element Method and the Sn method; DNTR: based on the triangular nodal method and the Sn method; TEMTD: based on the transmission probability method; DDPM : based on the discrete direction probability method; and so on. On the other hand, many applications of these solvers have been implemented. Aqueous homogenous solution reactor, which is regarded as a promising candidate for producing medical isotopes, is one of the objects of these applications. 2. Detailed information on current and planned research activities including specific, expected outputs. A software package for the core design, fuel management calculation and safety analysis of the aqueous homogenous solution reactor has been developed in NECP lab. This software package contains four parts: few-group constants computation code PANTHER three-dimensional in-core fuel management calculation code FMSR three-dimensional core neutronic kinetics analysis code DNTR-T and point-reactor kinetics analysis code POINT-R. PANTHER begins with the 69-group WIMS library released by the IAEA and performs the transport calculation for the complex geometry of the solution reactor. It supplies few-group constants for 3D steady state calculation code FMSR and 3D transient state computation code DNTR-T. FMSR initializes transient analysis calculation for DNTR-T and POINT-R except steady state fuel management calculation. The detailed theoretical model of the PANTHER/FMSR can be found in our published paper (FMSR: A code system for in-core fuel management calculation of aqueous homogeneous solution reactor, Nuclear Engineering and Design, 2010). DNTR-T performs efficient 3D transport kinetics calculation by combines improved

quasi-static method (IQS) and triangular nodal Sn method. POINT-R employs analytical method to solve the point reactor kinetics equation by considering the void and temperature feedback. All these four code systems have been verified against some benchmark problems. Further validation is undertaken. As the future research plan, low enrichment uranium (LEU) fueled aqueous homogenous reactor (AHR) core neutronic design will be carried out by using the code system developed above. Firstly, the design objectives of the LEU fueled AHR must be specified by investigation or communication with IAEA. For example, the power level, the power peak factor, the reactivity feedback coefficients and generating rate of the medical isotopes et al, must satisfy some criteria. Secondly, an reference core design will be obtained by following the design criteria. Thirdly, the reference design will be improved and optimized. 3. Ideas related to opportunities for collaboration (per the attached draft agenda beginning at 16:00 on 24-February) In our opinion, the verification and validation of the codes are of critical importance and bring a lot challenges to the code system development. Currently, the code system was only verified against some simple benchmark problems, but not experimental data. It is difficult to confirm that the codes are exactly accurate with practice and absolutely reliable. In order to specify the difference between numerical simulation and actual operation, many experiments will be needed or some other ways to verify the codes need to be designed. So, we propose the collaboration on the development of solution reactor benchmarks under the IAEA support. All participants can join the program to give their own solutions to a series of common benchmark problems. In spite of that, some basic works will be needed. For instance, the 69-group WIMS library does not contain some important medical isotopes such as Mo-99. The present point burnup model can not lead us to the fine distribution of the all the isotopes in reactor core. 4. Your current work plan (activities and schedule). 2010.2-2010.5 Further verification and validation of the codes 2010.6-2010.7 Preliminary core design of the LEU fueled AHR 2010.8-2010.9 Neutronics analysis and optimization of the LEU fueled AHR 2010.10 Project summary