Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis in the neutronic parameters generation over the coupled thermalhydraulic-neutronic nuclear power plant simulations

J. Juanas, T. Barrachina, R. Miró, R. Macián

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

This paper presents a study of the influence of the uncertainty in the macroscopic neutronic information that describes a three-dimensional BWR core model on the most relevant results of the simulation of a Reactivity Induced Accident (R1A). The analysis of the BWR-R1A has been carried out with a three-dimensional thermal-hydraulic and neutronic model for the coupled system TRACE-PARCS. The cross section information has been generated by the SIMTAB methodology based on the joint use of CASMO-SIMULATE. The Best Estimate analysis consists of a coupled thermal-hydraulic and neutronic description of the nuclear system's behaviour, uncertainties from both aspects should be included and jointly propagated. The statistically based methodology performs a Monte-Carlo kind of sampling of the uncertainty in the macroscopic cross sections. The size of the sampling is determined by the characteristics of the tolerance intervals by applying the Noether-Wilks formulas. A number of simulations equal to the sample size is carried out in which the cross sections used by PARCS are directly modified with uncertainty, and non-parametric statistical methods are applied to the resulting sample of the values of the output variables to determine their intervals of tolerance.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationAmerican Nuclear Society - International Conference on Mathematics, Computational Methods and Reactor Physics 2009, M and C 2009
Pages2395-2406
Number of pages12
StatePublished - 2009
EventInternational Conference on Mathematics, Computational Methods and Reactor Physics 2009, M and C 2009 - Saratoga Springs, NY, United States
Duration: 3 May 20097 May 2009

Publication series

NameAmerican Nuclear Society - International Conference on Mathematics, Computational Methods and Reactor Physics 2009, M and C 2009
Volume4

Conference

ConferenceInternational Conference on Mathematics, Computational Methods and Reactor Physics 2009, M and C 2009
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CitySaratoga Springs, NY
Period3/05/097/05/09

Keywords

  • Coupled TH-3DNK codes
  • Sensitivity
  • Uncertainty
  • Wilks methodology

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