IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v17y2024i14p3498-d1436641.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Analysis of the APR1400 Benchmark Using High-Fidelity Pin-Wise Core Calculation Codes

Author

Listed:
  • Hwanyeal Yu

    (KEPCO Nuclear Fuel Co., Ltd., 242, Daedeok-daero 989beon-gil, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34057, Republic of Korea)

  • Hyunsik Hong

    (KEPCO Nuclear Fuel Co., Ltd., 242, Daedeok-daero 989beon-gil, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34057, Republic of Korea)

  • Jooil Yoon

    (Department of Nuclear Power Plant Engineering, KEPCO International Nuclear Graduate School, 658-91 Haemaji-ro, Seosaeng-myeon, Ulju-gun, Ulsan 45014, Republic of Korea)

Abstract

The KEPCO Nuclear Fuel Company (KNF) has undertaken considerable efforts to improve the KARMA/ASTRA nuclear design code system to meet the increasing demand for high-fidelity core analyses. Through years of effort, the KARMA lattice transport code based on the method of characteristics (MOC) has evolved into KARMA2, a direct whole core calculation code using a 3D calculation method based on planar (2D) MOC principles. Simultaneously, ASTRA2, designed as the successor to the ASTRA nodal diffusion code, has been developed. ASTRA2 exhibits enhanced capabilities in multigroup pin-by-pin core calculations, achieved by decoupling the 3D whole core problem into a series of planar and axial problems. The domain size of each axial problem can be adjusted, ranging from pin-cell to assembly scale, thereby optimizing efficiency. The verification and validation process of the KARMA2/ASTRA2 code system involves various benchmark problems and measured data from operational PWRs. In this study, the APR1400 benchmark analysis was performed to verify the neutronics calculation capabilities of both codes. The results underscore the reliability and accuracy of the KARMA2 solutions across various core conditions, exhibiting close agreement with the McCARD reference solutions. Similarly, the ASTRA2 results agree with the corresponding KARMA2 results. These successful results demonstrate the high-fidelity core calculation capabilities of KNF’s next-generation code system.

Suggested Citation

  • Hwanyeal Yu & Hyunsik Hong & Jooil Yoon, 2024. "Analysis of the APR1400 Benchmark Using High-Fidelity Pin-Wise Core Calculation Codes," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-17, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:14:p:3498-:d:1436641
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/14/3498/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/14/3498/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Keywords

    KARMA2; ASTRA2; pin-by-pin; APR1400 benchmark;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:14:p:3498-:d:1436641. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.