Nuclear Engineering and Technology

Korean Nuclear Society (한국원자력학회)
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Evaluation of neutronics parameters during RSG-GAS commissioning by using Monte Carlo code

  • Surian Pinem (Research Center for Nuclear Reactor Technology, Research Organization for Nuclear Energy, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN)) ;
  • Wahid Luthfi (Research Center for Nuclear Reactor Technology, Research Organization for Nuclear Energy, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN)) ;
  • Peng Hong Liem (Cooperative Major in Nuclear Energy, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo City University (TCU)) ;
  • Donny Hartanto (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
  • Received : 2022.09.30
  • Accepted : 2023.01.08
  • Published : 2023.05.25
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Abstract

Several reactor physics commissioning experiments were conducted to obtain the neutronic parameters at the beginning of the G.A. Siwabessy Multi-purpose Reactor (RSG-GAS) operation. These parameters are essential for the reactor to safety operate. Leveraging the experimental data, this study evaluated the calculated core reactivity, control rod reactivity worth, integral control rod reactivity curve, and fuel reactivity. Calculations were carried out with Serpent 2 code using the latest neutron cross-section data ENDF/B-VIII.0. The criticality calculations were carried out for the RSG-GAS first core up to the third core configuration, which has been done experimentally during these commissioning periods. The excess reactivity for the second and third cores showed a difference of 510.97 pcm and 253.23 pcm to the experiment data. The calculated integral reactivity of the control rod has an error of less than 1.0% compared to the experimental data. The calculated fuel reactivity value is consistent with the measured data, with a maximum error of 2.12%. Therefore, it can be concluded that the RSG-GAS reactor core model is in good agreement to reproduce excess reactivity, control rod worth, and fuel element reactivity.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

The authors are very grateful to the RSG-GAS multipurpose reactor staff members for conducting the experiments. This research was supported by the Indonesian government through DIPA for the 2021 fiscal year funding number SP DIPA-080.01.1.450310/2021.

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