Validation of Novel Fuel Depletion Methodology in RAPID Using JSI TRIGA Research Reactor in Slovenia

with Anze Pungercic, Researcher & PhD Candidate, Reactor Physics Division, Jozef Stefan Institute, Slovenia

January 26, 2024, 10:10 am, Virtual
(Blacksburg: 440 Goodwin Hall; Arlington: 6-051 VTRC)

Register for remote connection via zoom

Recently a new methodology for calculating fuel burnup was proposed and developed in the scope of the RAPID code system at Virginia Tech. One of the most important steps in development of new methods is their validation and verification. As a part of collaboration between Virginia Tech (VT) and Jožef Stefan Institute (JSI) in Slovenia, the RAPID code system with its novel depletion methodology was validated using the TRIGA Mark II research reactor. The JSI TRIGA reactor has been in operation for almost 60 years and during its lifetime a substantial amount of experimental data was obtained, which can be used for validation of fuel burnup. Three different experiments will be presented, each offering a unique way of validating in-directly fuel burnup and calculated nuclide inventory. A comparison to Monte Carlo depletion code Serpent-2 will be performed to analyze the accuracy as well as the needed computational resources. The talk will give an overview on development of modern depletion codes as well utilizing a research reactor for the purpose of their validation.

Anže Pungerčič is a young researcher at the Reactor Physics Division at JSI. He completed his Bachelor's degree in Physics in 2016 and subsequently earned a Master's degree in Nuclear Engineering in 2018, both from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. His master's thesis, titled "Fuel Element Burnup Analysis of the TRIGA Reactor," demonstrated his interest into burnup calculations. Currently, Anže is in the final stages of his Ph.D. in Physics, where his research focuses on the "Application of Fission Matrix-Based Burnup Methodology to the TRIGA Reactor."