Evaluation of Kinetic Parameters RSG-GAS Reactor Equilibrium Silicide Core Using Continuous-Energy Monte Carlo Serpent 2 Code

The purpose of this study is to determine the kinetic parameters of the RSG-GAS equilibrium core. The calculated kinetic parameters are the effective delayed neutron fraction β_eff, the neutron generation time Ʌ, and the prompt neutron lifetime ℓ since they are related to the safety of nuclear operations. The kinetic parameters were calculated using the Serpent 2 code with the ENDF/B-VII.1 and ENDF/B-VIII.0 nuclear data libraries. Calculations were performed using various adjoint-weighted methods such as Meulekamp’s method, Nauchi’s method, the Iterated Fission Probability method, and the Perturbation Technique. The calculated results of the six-group delayed neutron fraction by the Meulekamp and the IFP methods showed no significant difference. Choosing the IFP method as the reference, the maximum difference for β_eff (694 pcm) is 0.73%, and the maximum difference for Ʌ and ℓ is 1.89%. The calculated kinetic parameters with ENDF/B-VII.1 and ENDF/B-VIII.0 are quite close, with a maximum difference of 0.9%. The sensitivity analysis results indicate several nuclides and reaction types that dominantly affect the β_eff and Λ. The results of the kinetic parameter calculations can be used for the safety analysis of the RSG-GAS equilibrium core.