Analysis of Experimental Data for High Burnup BWR Spent Fuel Isotopic Validation – SVEA-96 and GE14 Assembly Designs (NUREG/CR-7162)

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Publication Information

Manuscript Completed: December 2012
Date Published: March 2013

Prepared by:
H. J. Smith
I. C. Gauld
U. Mertyurek

Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Managed by UT-Battelle, LLC
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6170

Mourad Aissa, NRC Project Manager

NRC Job Code N6540

Prepared for:
Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Washington, DC 20555-0001

R. Sullivan, NRC Technical Lead

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Abstract

This report describes experimental radiochemical assay data, recently acquired under two international collaboration programs, for the isotopic compositions in high burnup spent nuclear fuel from modern boiling water reactor (BWR) assemblies. The Belgian MALIBU extension program provides measured data for isotopic contents of more than 50 nuclides in spent fuel samples selected from a SVEA-96 (10×10) Optima fuel assembly with burnups between 59 and 63 GWd/MTU. An experimental program in Spain provides additional isotopic data for more than 60 nuclides in samples selected from a GE14 (10×10) fuel assembly that cover a burnup range 38 to 56 GWd/MTU. These samples were selected from different axial elevations of a fuel rod, representing therefore a wide range of moderator void conditions. The measurement data include concentrations of actinides and fission products important to nuclear decay heat, radiological sources, and nuclear criticality safety. These data are essential for validation of the computational models used to calculate fuel isotopic concentrations and activities applied in reactor and spent nuclear fuel safety studies. Computational benchmark analyses using the measurements are performed with the TRITON two-dimensional depletion sequence in the SCALE 6.1 computer code system and ENDF/B-VII-based nuclear data libraries. These measurements represent an important contribution to the code benchmark database by providing data for modern BWR assembly designs and operating conditions representative of currently operating reactors.