USE OF DIFFERENT LIBRARIES IN THE ANALYSIS OF THE DOPPLER MEASUREMENTS OF THE SEFOR REACTOR: ASSESSMENT OF THE DOPPLER EFFECT OF THE ASTRID CORE

¹ Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives CEA, DEN, DER, SPRC, Cadarache, F-13108 Saint-Paul-Lez-Durance, France
² Ecole Doctorale 352 : Physique et Sciences de la Matière Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France

Martin.foissy@cea.fr
gerald.rimpault@cea.fr
laurent.buiron@cea.fr

Published online: 22 February 2021

Abstract

For the next generation of fast reactors, global objectives are required in terms of safety, sustainability, waste minimization and non-proliferation issues. Concerning safety issues, particular efforts have been made in order to obtain core designs that can be resilient to accidental transients. In that frame, the CEA held R&D program toward a GEN-IV-like core concept that could meet those requirements: the ASTRID project. Based on heterogeneous core geometry (axial inner fertile layer, large upper sodium plenum) the ASTRID core shows improved behavior in case of unprotected loss of flow. It has been found that Doppler Effect plays a dominant role for the considered transients to deal with in the safety demonstration. The prediction of the Doppler Effect by neutronic simulation codes require experimental validation, the reason for which static tests conducted within SEFOR (South-West Experimental Fast Oxide Reactor) –a fast reactor fueled with mixed PuO₂-UO₂ and cooled with sodium –are being used.

The SEFOR experimental tests are being analyzed with the ERANOS code package using nuclear data libraries of different evaluations: JEFF-3.1.1, JEFF-3.2, ENDF-B/VII.1 and JENDL4. The C/E values on the SEFOR Doppler Effect range from 1.01 to 1.07 with an experimental uncertainty of ±0.06. With the use of perturbation break down in energy and isotope, this paper identifies the reasons for such large C/E spread and identifies the differences and similarities of the SEFOR Doppler Effect with the ASTRID one.