Targeting ultimate fidelity reactor physics calculations the Dynamic Monte Carlo (DMC) method simulates reactor transients without resorting to static or quasistatic approximations. Due to the capability to harness the computing power of Graphics Processing Units, the GUARDYAN (GpU Assisted Reactor DYnamic ANalysis) code has been recently upscaled to perform pin-by-pin simulations of power plant scale systems as demonstrated in this paper. A recent rod drop experiment at a VVER-440/213 (vodo-vodyanoi enyergeticheskiy reaktor) type power plant at Paks NPP, Hungary, was considered and signals of ex-core detectors placed at three different positions were simulated successfully by GUARDYAN taking realistic fuel loading, including burn-up data into account. Results were also compared to the time-dependent Paks NPP in-house nodal diffusion code VERETINA (VERONA: VVER Online Analysis and RETINA: Reactor Thermo-hydraulics Interactive). Analysis is given of the temporal and spatial variance distribution of GUARDYAN fuel pin node-wise power estimates. We can conclude that full core, pin-wise DMC power plant simulations using realistic isotope concentrations are feasible in reasonable computing times down to 1–2% error of ex-core detector signals using current GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) High Performance Computing architectures, thereby demonstrating a technological breakthrough.
a b s t r a c tBetween 2003 and 2007 the Hungarian Paks NPP performed a large modernization project to upgrade its VERONA core monitoring system. The modernization work resulted in a state-of-the-art system that was able to support the reactor thermal power increase to 108% by more accurate and more frequent core analysis. Details of the new system are given in Végh et al. (2008), the most important improvements were as follows: complete replacement of the hardware and the local area network; application of a new operating system and porting a large fraction of the original application software to the new environment; implementation of a new human-system interface; and last but not least, introduction of new reactor physics calculations. Basic novelty of the modernized core analysis was the introduction of an on-line core-follow module based on the standard Paks NPP core design code HELIOS/C-PORCA. New calculations also provided much finer spatial resolution, both in terms of axial node numbers and within the fuel assemblies. The new system was able to calculate the fuel applied during the first phase of power increase accurately, but it was not tailored to determine the effects of burnable absorbers as gadolinium. However, in the second phase of the power increase process the application of fuel assemblies containing three fuel rods with gadolinium content was intended (in order to optimize fuel economy), therefore off-line and on-line VERONA reactor physics models had to be further modified, to be able to handle the new fuel according to the accuracy requirements. In the present paper first a brief overview of the system version (V6.0) commissioned after the first modernization step is outlined; then details of the modified off-line and on-line reactor physics calculations are described. Validation results for new modules are treated extensively, in order to illustrate the extent and complexity of the V&V procedure associated with the development and licensing of the new calculations running in version V6.22 of VERONA. Some details on the experience collected during the operation of the new reactor physics calculations are also discussed. Finally conceptual plans for the next system modification phase are outlined briefly; these changes are induced by the forthcoming introduction of 15 month long fuel cycles (instead of the present 12 month long cycles).
Measurement of rod efficiency is an important part of nuclear reactor safety. In case of operating power reactors it is usual to measure all rod efficiency at beginning of cycle hot zero power condition. Measurement of all rod efficiency is technically complicated because the measured “dynamic” reactivity cannot be compared directly to calculated “static” value of control rod efficiency. At Paks Nuclear Power Plant a new method was established to solve this problem. A static computer code used for reload safety analysis was extended to calculate core kinetics as well. Using the developed code the rod drop measurement itself is simulated and the time dependence of flux is determined. In addition, using Monte Carlo calculations weight functions are determined to describe the detector signal response to neutron flux changes in the reactor core. Using this combined system the detector signal itself can be simulated to the actual cycle and condition. Thus the measurement directly can be compared to simulation and the result can be evaluated. The method is under introduction to NPP Paks measurement practice and the first results – which are shown in the paper, are very promising.
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