2022 journal article

Propagation of VHTRC manufacturing uncertainties with RAVEN/PHISICS

ANNALS OF NUCLEAR ENERGY, 165.

co-author countries: United States of America 🇺🇸
author keywords: PHISICS; RAVEN; VHTRC; Manufacturing Uncertainties; Monte Carlo Sampling
Source: Web Of Science
Added: November 8, 2021

The International Atomic Energy Agency recently concluded a Coordinated Research Program (CRP) to evaluate the effect of propagation of uncertainties on design and safety parameters in High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGRs). This CRP catalyzed the development of novel software and methods relevant to HTGR uncertainty analysis. In the framework of this CRP, the statistical analysis code RAVEN was coupled to the neutron transport code PHISICS, using 6-group cross section libraries generated with the modules TRITON/NEWT from SCALE 6.2.1. This article describes the mechanics of the RAVEN/PHISICS sequence, and reports the effects of manufacturing uncertainties on integral parameter uncertainties found in the Very High Temperature Reactor Critical (VHTRC) core. The VHTRC experimental results included propagation of manufacturing uncertainties to obtain eigenvalue (keff) and temperature coefficient (αT) uncertainties. RAVEN/PHISICS was used to reproduce this analysis and to compare the predicted output uncertainties to the experimental measurements on the three VHTRC cores (HC-I, HP, HC-II). Results from the sequence agree with the experimental values (σ[keff] ~ 0.00300). The analysis also focuses on the interpretation of input uncertainties. The simulations conducted with RAVEN/PHISICS demonstrated the input uncertainties can induce a threefold increase in the resulting output uncertainties, depending on the mathematical modeling of the raw input uncertainties. In particular, the use of a unique uncertainty value repeated over lattice elements constitutes the major contribution to the keff and αT uncertainties, while modeling these uncertainties with random independent values leads to negligible keff and αT uncertainties, due to cancellation of errors. The propagation of the manufacturing uncertainties was also repeated using 56 energy groups in the neutron transport calculations, and showed a moderate impact on the output (keff, αT) uncertainties (~10 % difference) compared to the base-case 6-group simulations.