CRITICALITY SAFETY ANALYSIS OF

FRESH AND SPENT FUEL STORAGE AND

HANDLING FACILITIES FOR VVER
REACTOR UNIT USING MCNP5

G. Farkas1, V. Slugeň1, J. Haščík1, B. Vrban1, J. Lüley1, M. Petriska1, P. Urban2

1
Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Institute of Nuclear and Physical Engineering,
Ilkovicova 3, 812 19 Bratislava, Slovakia
2
SE a.s., NPP Mochovce, Slovakia

gabriel.farkas@stuba.sk
Objective

 To perform Criticality Safety Analysis of fresh and spent fuel storage

and handling facilities for VVER-440 units of the NPP Mochovce at
very conservative conditions.

 The following facilities were investigated:

 Spent fuel storage pool – compact and reserve grid
 Fresh fuel storage with transport containers and storage grids
 T-12 transport cask and revolving table with 6 x T-12 casks
Analysis code and validation (1)

 The criticality safety analysis  was based on determination of the

effective neutron multiplication factor (keff)  key parameter for
CS.

 MCNP5 1.40 code and ENDF/B-VII.0 data were used.

 Code validation  was conducted analyzing the BaW XI (2) case

of the Criticality Safety Validation Suite [1].

 The validation calculation was run with 200 active cycles  this
number was sufficient to rend the computation uncertainty from
the MCNP5 calculation essentially negligible relative to the given
benchmark uncertainty.

 Based on this validation  bias and its uncertainty were

calculated.

[1] International Handbook of Evaluated Criticality Safety Benchmark Experiments,

NEA/NSC/DOC(95)3, OECD Nuclear Energy Agency, ISBN 978-92-64-99140-8 (2006)
Analysis code and validation (2)

The bias and its uncertainty were calculated according formulas:

 bias  keff
bench
 keff
calcul

 bias   bench
2
  calcul
2

Based on this validation  bias and its uncertainty to be taken into consideration
for CSA are:
 bias  0.0001
 bias  0.0014
Evaluation method (1)
 Conservative approach was applied and calculation of keff was
performed for normal and various postulated emergency
conditions in order to evaluate the final maximal keff values.

 Regarding the spent fuel storage pool (compact & reserve grid) all
conditions improving neutron multiplication were taken into
account.
Evaluation method (2)

 The maximal effective multiplication factor  evaluated as

a sum of the calculated conservative keff, the systematic
error, and the combined uncertainty multiplied by 1.645
which is the one-sided tolerance limit factor for a normal
distribution at 95% probability.

max
k eff  k eff
conser
  bias  1.645  bench
2
  calcul
2
  conser
2
Model (1)

 The following detailed models were developed in MCNP5 for

criticality safety analysis:

 Compact grid of the spent nuclear fuel storage pool 

603 hexagonal absorption tubes filled with fuel
assemblies, 54 hermetic tubes, supporting plate, and
concrete well.

 Reserve grid of the spent nuclear fuel storage pool 

296 fuel assemblies, 54 hermetic tubes, supporting
plate, and concrete well.
Model (2) - Compact and reserve grid of the spent fuel storage pool

RESERVE GRID
COMPACT GRID
Model (3) – Working Fuel Assembly (2nd gen. type, 4.87 % enr.)
Model (4) – Fuel Part of the Control Assembly (2nd gen. type, 4.87 % enr.)
 Results – CSA of the compact grid

CASE - A CASE - B CASE – C1(D1) CASE – C2(D2)

All positions (AT + HT) Loading with 4.87 % Loading with 4.87 % Loading with 4.87 %
loaded with 4.87 % enr. fresh FAs and 4 enr. fresh FAs and 4 enr. fresh FAs and 4
enr. fresh FAs empty layers layers of 45 (50) layers of 45 (50)
MWd/kg burned FAs MWd/kg burned FAs
Results – CSA of the reserve grid

CASE – R1 CASE – R2

Full loading (including HT) with Full loading (including HT) with
4.87 % enr. fresh FAs 45 MWd/kg burned FAs
Results - CSA of the compact grid (emergency cases)

Investigated emergency cases:

• Diagonal downfall of fresh FA
• Longitudinal downfall of fresh FA
• Longitudinal downfall of fresh FA on the hermetic tubes
 DIAGONAL FA DOWNFALL LONGITUDINAL FA DOWNFALL
CASE - E11 CASE - E12 CASE - E21 CASE - E22

 Loading with fresh FAs  Loading with fresh FAs  Loading with fresh FAs  Loading with fresh FAs
 4 empty layers  4 layers of 45 MWd/kg  4 empty layers  4 layers of 45 MWd/kg
- burned FAs - burned FAs

LONGITUDINAL FA DOWNFALL ON HERMETIC

T.
CASE - E31 CASE- E32

 Loading with fresh FAs  Loading with fresh FAs

 4 empty layers  4 layers of 45 MWd/kg
- burned FAs
Model (5) – Fresh Fuel Storage Facility
Results – Fresh Fuel Storage Facility
Model (6) - Handling Facilities
Results - Handling Facilities
Conclusion

 Criticality issues associated with the fresh and spent fuel storages
and handling facilities were investigated for NPP Mochovce 1 & 2
using MCNP5.
 Strong conservative approach was applied to calculate maximal
multiplication factor values for postulated conditions.
 The outcomes showed that the requirement of safety regulations to
ensure 5 % subcriticality was met except one especially
conservative case of the fully loaded compact grid with fresh 4.87 %
enriched Gd-II type of FAs. Only in this case, the calculated value
exceeded the required subcriticality limit of 0.95 by 0.55 %.
 Analyses confirmed that nuclear criticality safety criteria in terms of
the fresh and spent fuel storages and handling facilities are satisfied
even at very conservative conditions.