Reactivity monitoring of the accelerator driven VENUS-F subcritical reactor with the ‘‘current-to-flux” method

TY - JOUR

T1 - Reactivity monitoring of the accelerator driven VENUS-F subcritical reactor with the ‘‘current-to-flux” method

AU - Marie, N

AU - Lecouey, Jean-Luc

AU - Lehaut, Gregory

AU - Chevret, T.

AU - Billebaud, Annick

AU - Chabod, Sebastien

AU - Doligez, Xavier

AU - Kochetkov, Anatoly

AU - Krása, Antonin

AU - Lecolley, F.-R.

AU - Mellier, Frédéric

AU - Uyttenhove, Wim

AU - Vittiglio, Guido

AU - Wagemans, Jan

N1 - Score=10

PY - 2019/1/3

Y1 - 2019/1/3

N2 - In this article, we evaluate the quality and robustness of a method envisaged for the on-line monitoring of the subcriticality of an ADS, called the ‘‘current-to flux” (CTF) method. For this evaluation, we performed a dedicated experiment at the GUINEVERE facility. It is hosted at the SCK-CEN and consists of the subcritical VENUS-F reactor coupled to a continuous external neutron source provided by the GENEPI-3C accelerator. During this experiment, the reactor control rods were moved in various patterns, and the subsequent dynamical evolutions of the reactor reactivity were monitored using nine fission chambers (FCs). The space-energy effects that bias the reactivity values are corrected using a procedure based on simulations computed with the Monte Carlo neutron transport code MCNP. We investigate the precision of this correction procedure by comparison with a reactivity value extracted with the beam interruption technique and we demonstrate its insensitivity to the simplifications made on the VENUS-F reactor modeling and to a simulation key parameter such as the boron carbide density filling the control rods.

AB - In this article, we evaluate the quality and robustness of a method envisaged for the on-line monitoring of the subcriticality of an ADS, called the ‘‘current-to flux” (CTF) method. For this evaluation, we performed a dedicated experiment at the GUINEVERE facility. It is hosted at the SCK-CEN and consists of the subcritical VENUS-F reactor coupled to a continuous external neutron source provided by the GENEPI-3C accelerator. During this experiment, the reactor control rods were moved in various patterns, and the subsequent dynamical evolutions of the reactor reactivity were monitored using nine fission chambers (FCs). The space-energy effects that bias the reactivity values are corrected using a procedure based on simulations computed with the Monte Carlo neutron transport code MCNP. We investigate the precision of this correction procedure by comparison with a reactivity value extracted with the beam interruption technique and we demonstrate its insensitivity to the simplifications made on the VENUS-F reactor modeling and to a simulation key parameter such as the boron carbide density filling the control rods.

KW - Reactivity monitoring

KW - VENUS-F

KW - MYRRHA

KW - current-to-flux

KW - subcritical

KW - ADS

KW - MCNP

KW - control rods

UR - http://ecm.sckcen.be/OTCS/llisapi.dll/open/32375892

U2 - 10.1016/j.anucene.2018.12.033

DO - 10.1016/j.anucene.2018.12.033

M3 - Article

VL - 128

SP - 12

EP - 23

JO - Annals of nuclear energy

JF - Annals of nuclear energy

SN - 0306-4549

ER -