Results of vera application to the AP1000® PWR startup

F. Franceschini; D. Salazar; A. Godfrey

doi:10.1051/epjconf/202124720003

Results of vera application to the AP1000^® PWR startup

F. Franceschini, D. Salazar, A. Godfrey

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

Abstract

This paper describes the application of the Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications, VERA, under development by the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of LWRs (CASL) to the core physics analysis of the AP1000 PWR. The AP1000 PWR features an advanced first core with radial and axial heterogeneities which provides significant enhancements compared to traditional first cores, allowing best fuel usage and short transition to the equilibrium cycle with subsequent fuel reloads. These core advanced features can pose some challenges to the core physics tools making application of VERA to the AP1000 PWR first core especially relevant to qualify VERA performance. This paper focuses on the qualification efforts at hot zero power conditions, where Monte-Carlo reference solutions have also been established. In particular, the paper focuses on the comparison of the predictions obtained with VERA for the four AP1000 units that recently started up with the measured values. It is shown that there is excellent agreement between VERA and the key reactor physics parameters measured during the AP1000 startup.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	International Conference on Physics of Reactors
Subtitle of host publication	Transition to a Scalable Nuclear Future, PHYSOR 2020
Editors	Marat Margulis, Partrick Blaise
Publisher	EDP Sciences - Web of Conferences
Pages	2850-2858
Number of pages	9
ISBN (Electronic)	9781713827245
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202124720003
State	Published - 2020
Event	2020 International Conference on Physics of Reactors: Transition to a Scalable Nuclear Future, PHYSOR 2020 - Cambridge, United Kingdom Duration: Mar 28 2020 → Apr 2 2020

Publication series

Name	International Conference on Physics of Reactors: Transition to a Scalable Nuclear Future, PHYSOR 2020
Volume	2020-March

Conference

Conference	2020 International Conference on Physics of Reactors: Transition to a Scalable Nuclear Future, PHYSOR 2020
Country/Territory	United Kingdom
City	Cambridge
Period	03/28/20 → 04/2/20

Funding

The authors would like to dedicate this paper to the memory of their colleague, Jeff Seeker, for the example that he set throughout his career at Westinghouse. This paper contains results of research supported by the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (www.casl.gov), an Energy Innovation Hub (http://www.energy.gov/hubs) for Modeling and Simulation of Nuclear Reactors under U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725. This research also made use of the resources of the High Performance Computing Center at Idaho National Laboratory, which is supported by the Office of Nuclear Energy of the U.S. Department of Energy and the Nuclear Science User Facilities under Contract No. DE-AC07-05ID14517.

Keywords

AP1000
CASL
VERA

Access to Document

10.1051/epjconf/202124720003

Cite this

Franceschini, F., Salazar, D., & Godfrey, A. (2020). Results of vera application to the AP1000^® PWR startup. In M. Margulis, & P. Blaise (Eds.), International Conference on Physics of Reactors: Transition to a Scalable Nuclear Future, PHYSOR 2020 (pp. 2850-2858). (International Conference on Physics of Reactors: Transition to a Scalable Nuclear Future, PHYSOR 2020; Vol. 2020-March). EDP Sciences - Web of Conferences. https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202124720003

Franceschini, F. ; Salazar, D. ; Godfrey, A. / Results of vera application to the AP1000^® PWR startup. International Conference on Physics of Reactors: Transition to a Scalable Nuclear Future, PHYSOR 2020. editor / Marat Margulis ; Partrick Blaise. EDP Sciences - Web of Conferences, 2020. pp. 2850-2858 (International Conference on Physics of Reactors: Transition to a Scalable Nuclear Future, PHYSOR 2020).

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abstract = "This paper describes the application of the Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications, VERA, under development by the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of LWRs (CASL) to the core physics analysis of the AP1000 PWR. The AP1000 PWR features an advanced first core with radial and axial heterogeneities which provides significant enhancements compared to traditional first cores, allowing best fuel usage and short transition to the equilibrium cycle with subsequent fuel reloads. These core advanced features can pose some challenges to the core physics tools making application of VERA to the AP1000 PWR first core especially relevant to qualify VERA performance. This paper focuses on the qualification efforts at hot zero power conditions, where Monte-Carlo reference solutions have also been established. In particular, the paper focuses on the comparison of the predictions obtained with VERA for the four AP1000 units that recently started up with the measured values. It is shown that there is excellent agreement between VERA and the key reactor physics parameters measured during the AP1000 startup.",

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Franceschini, F, Salazar, D & Godfrey, A 2020, Results of vera application to the AP1000^® PWR startup. in M Margulis & P Blaise (eds), International Conference on Physics of Reactors: Transition to a Scalable Nuclear Future, PHYSOR 2020. International Conference on Physics of Reactors: Transition to a Scalable Nuclear Future, PHYSOR 2020, vol. 2020-March, EDP Sciences - Web of Conferences, pp. 2850-2858, 2020 International Conference on Physics of Reactors: Transition to a Scalable Nuclear Future, PHYSOR 2020, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 03/28/20. https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202124720003

Results of vera application to the AP1000^® PWR startup. / Franceschini, F.; Salazar, D.; Godfrey, A.
International Conference on Physics of Reactors: Transition to a Scalable Nuclear Future, PHYSOR 2020. ed. / Marat Margulis; Partrick Blaise. EDP Sciences - Web of Conferences, 2020. p. 2850-2858 (International Conference on Physics of Reactors: Transition to a Scalable Nuclear Future, PHYSOR 2020; Vol. 2020-March).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

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Franceschini F, Salazar D, Godfrey A. Results of vera application to the AP1000^® PWR startup. In Margulis M, Blaise P, editors, International Conference on Physics of Reactors: Transition to a Scalable Nuclear Future, PHYSOR 2020. EDP Sciences - Web of Conferences. 2020. p. 2850-2858. (International Conference on Physics of Reactors: Transition to a Scalable Nuclear Future, PHYSOR 2020). doi: 10.1051/epjconf/202124720003