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Enhancing Nuclear Safety

Safety of nuclear facilities and systems

CRISTAL V2.0 Calculation Route[SIMULATION PLATFORM FOR CRITICALITY

SAFETY CALCULATIONS]

The CRISTAL V2.0 calculation route was developed and qualifi ed within the scope of a collaboration agreement between IRSN, the CEA, Areva NC and Areva NP. Based on an optimised modular architecture in an updated computer development environment, the design of the CRISTAL V2.0 calculation route incorporates answers to new criticality calculation issues and benefi ts from the latest physical knowledge (in terms of basic data) and digital knowledge (with the contribution of new-generation neutronic codes). The CRISTAL V2.0 calculation route can be coupled with the CESAR upgradeable software (CEA) and the DARWIN calculation route (CEA) so as to take into account “credit burn-up“ in criticality safety studies.

Objective

The purpose of the CRISTALV2.0 calculation route is to evaluate the risk of criticality in all nuclear facilities and transport casks containing fi ssile materials. This calculation route is designed to meet the needs of industry players and IRSN in the fi elds of nuclear fuel cycle facilities and the transport of fi ssile materials.

Composition

The CRISTAL V2.0 calculation route comprises the CEAV5.1.2 database library (CEA) based on the JEFF3.1.1 evaluation, procedure libraries (APROC and APROC_CRISTAL by the CEA), the LATEC software environment (IRSN) and neutronic software packages, i.e. APOLLO2 (CEA), MORET 5 (IRSN) and TRIPOLI-4 (CEA).

Functional architecture

The “APOLLO2 Sn” multi-group route provides the effective multiplication factor, Keff, for systems with 1D and 2D geometries. The “APOLLO2 – MORET 5” multi-group route (concatenation of the APOLLO2 and MORET 5 software) is used to calculate the main magnitude of interest, i.e. the Keff of complex systems in 3D. The specifi c “TRIPOLI-4” calculation route is based on the 3D Monte-Carlo software with TRIPOLI-4 continuous energy. The “Standards“ calculation route is based on the “APOLLO2 Sn” deterministic calculations and is used to establish databooks of critical and permissible parameters (mass, dimensions, concentrations, etc.).

The LATEC software environment generates a “unique“ model to generate input fi les for all the calculation routes.

Qualifi cation

Qualifi cation was performed on the basis of the experimental results obtained from environments, geometries and spectra encountered in fuel cycle operations (plants, facilities and transport).The current qualifi cation process resumes the qualifi cation bases used for the previous version (CRISTAL V1.2 route) and integrates more than 2,300 experiments in total.

Scope

The CRISTAL V2.0 calculation route is used in criticality studies, i.e. design and operation of a broad range of nuclear facilities. It is also used in qualifi cation studies, i.e. to qualify calculation routes, and to defi ne and develop experimental programmes.The wide-scale promotion and heightened awareness of such issues is targeted both on a national and international level, particularly by making the CRISTAL V2.0 calculation route available to the OECD/NEA data bank.

Functional architecture of the CRISTAL V2.0 calculation route