Monte Carlo Simulation of a Burnup-Averaged 78-Element Canadian SCWR and Similarity Study with the ZED-2 Test Reactor

Abstract

Properties of the 78-element Canadian SCWR with (Th, Pu)O₂ fuel are calculated for a burnup-averaged core. The similarity between the SCWR and existing ZED-2 test reactor experiments is analyzed and possible ZED-2 experiments are proposed. The modeling codes DRAGON and DONJON are used to develop an equilibrium core and the SCALE 6.0 package is used to perform similarity studies. The similarity between the SCWR and existing ZED-2 experiments is low. Possible test fuels are proposed to increase the similarity. The highest similarity of approximately 0.9 is achieved using a 13 wt% PuO₂ fuel.