Neutronic Characteristics Analysis of Fuel Assembly of WWER Using MCNPX Code

Abstract

VVER-1200 is one of the most common used reactors overall the world due to its stability, economic, highly safe, and proliferation-resistant nuclear system. This study presents the ability of replacing the commonly used UO2 fuel with anther fuel types like UN and UC in a fuel assembly level and studies some neutronic characteristics, safety parameters and the fuel isotopic transmutation of these investigated fuels. The investigated fuel assemblies are divided into: one assembly uses UN14, one assembly uses UN15, one assembly uses UC and one assembly uses UO2 as a fuel material was modeled to compare between the three investigated fuel assemblies results with the results that comes out from UO2 fuel assembly. MCNPX code is used to model and study the investigated fuel assemblies. The analysis of these fuel assemblies neutronic and safety parameters and isotopic transmutation have shown favorable neutronic characteristics. Moreover, the results of the isotopic transmutation and burnup within the assembly level demonstrated the capability of these fuels to achieve fuel sustainability and the investigated UN15 and UC fuel assemblies achieve more fuel lifetime compared with UO2 fuel. Keywords: VVER- UN- UC- MCNPX