Validation of Code Packages for Light Water Reactor Physics Analysis

Dear Colleagues,

Light water reactor (LWR) analysis can be performed using a typical 2-step code package, which includes a 2D lattice physics code and a 3D nodal diffusion code with thermal–hydraulic feedback capabilities. The 2D lattice physics code processes few-group assembly-homogenized cross sections, incorporating the functionalization of various reactor states. The 3D nodal code conducts 3D whole-core calculations for LWR multi-physics analysis, including neutronics, thermal-hydraulics and transmutation. In recent years, direct 3D whole-core multi-physics analysis has become more practical, providing more reliable simulation results and thus enhancing LWR technology.

Nuclear vendors validate their code packges by estimating the uncertainties in key nuclear parameters via comparisons between the simulated and measured data, which can be used in in-core fuel management. In recent years, various LWR-based small modular reactors (SMRs) have been developed. Evaluating the uncertainties of the design code packages for these SMRs is challenging due to the lack of available measured data, which may require different approacges to uncertainty analysis to be employed, for example, by integrating individual components of uncertainty, such as those arising from nuclear data and manufacturing.

This Special Issue of JNE will focus on the validation of 2-step and direct LWR analysis code packages by comparing simulation results with plant-measured data, and by performing uncertainty analysis based on nuclear data and manufacturing uncertainties. The scope of this Special Issue includes validations of the analysis code packages used for the key nuclear parameters of operating LWRs, LWR-based SMR, and advanced LWRs.

Dr. Kang Seog Kim
Guest Editor

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