ABRAC: A Microcomputer-Based FORTRAN Code for Multi-Cycle Burnup

Abstract

Pressurized-water reactors have reactor physics and fuel management characteristics which are very amenable to simplified analysis. Given models which account for the dominant features of core and fuel performance, it is possible to rapidly perform relatively accurate scoping studies of many years of reactor operation in just a few hours on a modern (386-class) microcomputer. Models are described for burnup-dependent cross-section generation, for burnup of fuel under irradiation, and for computation of radial power distributions in hexagonal geometry assuming hexagonal fuel assemblies. Comparisons with more elaborate methods are given in order to validate the models, and to quantify the accuracy of the results.