Neutron-induced nuclear data for the MYRRHA fast spectrum facility

¹ UPM, Energy Engineering Department, C/ José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
² EC-JRC Geel, Standards for Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguards, Retieseweg 111, 2440 Geel, Belgium
³ CIEMAT, Nuclear Innovation Unit, Avda. Complutense 40, 28040 Madrid, Spain
⁴ SCK·CEN, Institute for Advanced Nuclear Systems, Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium
⁵ JSI, Reactor Physics Department, Jamova cesta 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
⁶ OECD NEA, Data Bank, Quai Alphonse Le Gallo 46, 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt, France

^a e-mail: pablo.romojaro@externos.ciemat.es

Published online: 13 September 2017

Abstract

The MYRRHA (Multi-purpose hYbrid Research Reactor for High-tech Applications) concept is a flexible experimental lead-bismuth cooled and mixed-oxide (MOX) fueled fast spectrum facility designed to operate both in sub-critical (accelerator driven) and critical modes. One of the key issues for the safe operation of the reactor is the uncertainty assessment during the design works. The main objective of the European project CHANDA (solving CHAllenges in Nuclear DAta) Work Package 10 is to improve MYRRHA relevant nuclear data in order to reduce the reactor parameter uncertainties derived from them. In order to achieve this goal, several tasks have been undertaken. First, a sensitivity study of MYRRHA integral parameters, such as energy dependent cross sections, fission spectra and neutron multiplicities, to nuclear data has been conducted resulting in a list of MYRRHA relevant quantities (nuclides and reactions). On the second task, an analysis of the existing experimental data and evaluations for the quantities included in the list has been carried out. In this framework, the impact on the multiplication factor of quantities from different nuclear data libraries for different nuclides, reactions and energy regions has been investigated on the MYRRHA MOX critical core model. As the next step, new experiments and evaluations will be performed in order to improve existing nuclear data libraries.