OECD Nuclear Energy Agency / L'Agence pour l'énergie nucléaire

International Reactor Physics Benchmark Experiments (IRPhE) Project

The International Reactor Physics Benchmark Experiments (IRPhE) Project aims to provide the nuclear community with qualified benchmark data sets by collecting reactor physics experimental data from nuclear facilities, worldwide. More specifically the objectives of the expert group are as follows:

maintaining an inventory of the experiments that have been carried out and documented;
archiving the primary documents and data released in computer-readable form;
promoting the use of the format and methods developed and seek to have them adopted as a standard.

For those experiments where interest and priority is expressed by member countries or working parties and executive groups within the NEA provide guidance or co-ordination in:

compiling experiments into a standard international agreed format;
verifying the data, to the extent possible, by reviewing original and subsequently revised documentation, and by consulting with the experimenters or individuals who are familiar with the experimenters or the experimental facility;
analysing and interpreting the experiments with current state-of-the-art methods;
publishing electronically the benchmark evaluations.

The expert group will:

identify gaps in data and provide guidance on priorities for future experiments;
involve the young generation (Masters and PhD students and young researchers) to find an effective way of transferring know-how in experimental techniques and analysis methods;
provide a tool for improved exploitation of completed experiments for Generation IV reactors;
co-ordinate closely its work with other NSC experimental work groups in particular the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP), the Shielding Integral Benchmark Experiment Data Base (SINBAD) and others, e.g. knowledge preservation in fast reactors of the IAEA, the ANS Joint Benchmark Activities;
keep a close link with the working parties on partitioning and transmutation (WPPT), physics of plutonium fuels and innovative fuel cycles (WPPR), the expert group on reactor-based plutonium disposition (TFRPD) and the working party on international evaluation co-operation (WPEC).

The Secretariat of the group is provided by the OECD/NEA Data Bank, who is in charge of the management of the material released to the project. The Technical Review is chaired and co-ordinated by J.B. Briggs from INL, USA.

Current activities

The group is currently:

maintaining an international inventory of relevant reactor physics experiments and measurements, preserving in computer readable form the primary documentation and data describing the facilities, characterising the experimental techniques, the experimental results and interpretation thereof;
developing and maintaining an international database containing a sub-set of high priority reactor physics benchmark specifications derived from the experiments performed at various nuclear facilities around the world, relevant for or including data from power reactors (e.g. Advanced Gas Reactors, Fast Reactors, Generation-IV Reactors, Water Reactors, etc.)

The following type of measurements are included:

fundamental mode lattice experiments;
heterogeneous core configurations;
power reactor start-up data;
core follow experiments;
specific applications experiments (e.g. fission product integral data, irradiation experiments).

The benchmark specifications and experimental data are intended for use by nuclear reactor physicists and engineers to validate current and new calculational schemes including computer codes and nuclear data libraries, for assessing uncertainties, confidence bounds and safety margins, and to record measurement methods and techniques.

Third edition and availability

The third edition of the International Handbook of Evaluated Reactor Physics Benchmark Experiments was published in March 2008 (ISBN 978-92-64-99055-5) and contains reactor physics benchmark specifications that have been derived from experiments that were performed at various nuclear experimental facilities around the world. The benchmark specifications are intended for use by reactor physics personnel to validate calculational techniques. This Edition contains data from 25 different experimental series that were performed at 17 different reactor facilities. Twenty-one of the 25 evaluations are published as approved benchmarks. The remaining four evaluations are published as DRAFT documents only. Draft documents have been reviewed by the IRPhEP Technical Review Group (TRG); however, all action items could not be completed or reviewed in time for the final publication or, in most cases, the TRG felt it necessary to review the revised evaluations before giving final approval. The Handbook is organized in a manner that allows easy inclusion of additional evaluations, as they become available. Additional evaluations are in progress and will be added to the handbook periodically.

The Handbook is published in electronic format (pdf files) on DVD, where the experiments are grouped into evaluations, categorised by (1) Reactor Name, (2) Reactor Type, (3) Facility Type, and (4) Measurement Type.

The Handbook was prepared by a working party comprised of experienced reactor physics personnel from Belgium, Brazil, Canada, P.R. of China, France, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Slovenia, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States.

The Handbook can be requested by accessing the corresponding IRPhEP web pages filling in the REQUEST FORM. It is distributed on DVD. The IRPhEP Handbook is available to authorised requesters from the OECD member countries and to contributing establishments from non-OECD countries. Other requests are handled on a case by case basis. Restrictions, Disclaimer, Feedback

Handbook contents March 2008 Edition

(blue background: new evaluations)

Approved Evaluations	TITLE

FUND
BFS1-FUND-EXP-001 CRIT-SPEC-COEF-RRATE	Experimental Program Performed at the BFS-97, -99, -101 Assemblies - Critical Experiments with Heterogeneous Compositions of Plutonium, Depleted Uranium Dioxide and Polyethylene
BFS1-FUND-EXP-002 CRIT-SPEC-REAC-RRATE (MIX-MISC-FAST-001)	Experimental Program Performed at the BFS-42 Assembly - k-infinity Experiments for 238U in Fast Neutron Spectra: Measurements with Plutonium Mixed with Depleted Uranium Dioxide and Polyethylene
BFS1-FUND-EXP-003 CRIT-SPEC-COEF-RRATE	Experimental Program Performed at the BFS-57and -59 Assemblies - Critical Experiments with Heterogeneous Compositions of Enriched Uranium or Plutonium, Depleted Uranium Dioxide and Polyethylene
BFS2-FUND-EXP-001 CRIT-SPEC-REAC	Experimental Program Performed at the BFS-31 Assemblies - k-infinity Experiments for 238U in Fast Neutron Spectra: Measurements with Plutonium Mixed with Depleted Uranium Dioxide

GCR
ASTRA-GCR-EXP-001 CRIT	Graphite Annular Core Assemblies with Fuel Elements Containing UO2 Coated Fuel Particles
HTR10-GCR-RESR-001 CRIT	Evaluation of the Initial Critical Configuration of the HTR-10 Pebble-Bed Reactor

HWR
DCA-HWR-RESR-001 CRIT-SPEC-RRATE	Deuterium Critical Assembly with 1.2% Enriched Uranium Varying Coolant Void Fraction and Lattice Pitch

LMFR
BFS1-LMFR-EXP-001 CRIT-SPEC-COEF-KIN-RRATE	BFS-73-1 Assembly: Experimental Model of Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor with Core of Metal Uranium Fuel of 18.5% Enrichment and Depleted Uranium Dioxide Blanket
BFS2-LMFR-EXP-002 CRIT-SPEC-RRATE	BFS-62-3A Experiment: Fast Reactor Core with U and U-Pu fuel of 17% Enrichment and Partial Stainless Steel Reflector
JOYO-LMFR-RESR-001 CRIT-REAC-COEF	Japan's Experimental Fast Reactor JOYO MK-Icore: Sodium-Cooled Uranium=Plutonium Mixed Oxide Fueled Fast Core Surrounded by UO2 Blanket
ZEBRA-LMFR-EXP-001 CRIT-SPEC-REAC-RRATE	Fast Critical Experiments in Plate and Pin Geometry Form. The ZEBRA CADENZA Cores, Assemblies 22, 23, 24 and 25
ZEBRA-LMFR-EXP-002 CRIT-SPEC-REAC-RRATE	The ZEBRA MOZART Programme Part 1. MZA and MZB, ZEBRA Assemblies 11 and 12
ZEBRA-LMFR-EXP-003 CRIT-REAC-RRATE	The ZEBRA MOZART Programme Part 2. MZC and the Control Rod Studies ZEBRA Assembly 12
ZPR-LMFR-EXP-001 CRIT-SPEC-REAC-RRATE	ZPR-6 Assembly 7: A Cylindrical Assembly with Mixed (Pu,U)-Oxide Fuel and Sodium with a Thick Depleted-Uranium Reflector

LWR
CROCUS-LWR-RESR-001 CRIT-REAC-KIN	Kinetic Parameters and Reactivity Effect Experiments in CROCUS
DIMPLE-LWR-RESR-001 CRIT-BUCK-SPEC-REAC-COEF-RRATE	Light Water Moderated and Reflected Low Enriched Uranium (3 wt.% 235U) Dioxide Rod Lattices DIMPLE S01
DIMPLE-LWR-RESR-002 CRIT-BUCK-SPEC-COEF-RRATE	Light Water Moderated and Reflected Low Enriched Uranium (3 wt.% 235U) Dioxide Rod Lattices DIMPLE S06
IPEN/MB01-LWR-RESR-001 CRIT-COEF-KIN	Isothermal Experiment of the IPEN/MB-01 Reactor

PWR
CREOLE-PWR-EXP-001 CRIT-COEF-RRATE-MISC	CREOLE PWR Reactivity Temperature Coefficient Experiment - UOX and MOX up to 300C in EOLE

VVER
PFACILITY-VVER-EXP-001 CRIT-RRATE	VVER Physics Experiments: Hexagonal (1.27-vm Pitch) Lattices of U(4.4 wt.% 235U)O2 Fuel Rods In Light Water, Perturbed by Boron, Hafnium, or Dysprosium Absorber Rods, or by Water Gap With/Without Aluminium Tubes
ZR6-VVER-EXP-001 CRIT-BUCK-SPEC-REAC-COEF-RRATE	The VVER Experiments: Regular and Perturbed Hexagonal Lattices of Low-Enriched UO2 Fuel Rods in Light Water

Evaluations published as drafts
SNEAK-LMFR-EXP-001 CRIT-SPEC-REAC-RRATE	SNEAK-7A&SNEAK 7B Pu-Fueled Fast Critical Assembly Experiments in the Karlsruhe Fast Critical Facility
VENUS-PWR-RESR-001 RRATE-POWDIS	VENUS-1 PWR Core -- 2-Dimensional Benchmark Experiment
VENUS-PWR-RESR-003 RRATE-POWDIS	VENUS-3 PWR UO2 Core 3-Dimensional Benchmark Experiment
ZPPR-LMFR-RESR-001 CRIT-REAC-RRATE	JNC Large fast reactor experiment ZPPR-10A in JUPITER

Recently added primary documentation archives (October 2006)

IRPHE/B&W-SS-LATTICE, Spectral Shift Reactor Lattice Experiments
IRPHE-JAPAN, Reactor Physics Experiments carried out in Japan
IRPHE/JOYO MK-II, JOYO MK-II core management and characteristics database
IRPhE/RRR-SEG, Reactor Physics Experiments from Fast-Thermal Coupled Facility
IRPHE-SNEAK, KFK SNEAK Fast Reactor Experiments, Primary Documentation
IRPhE/STEK, Reactor Physics Experiments from Fast-Thermal Coupled Facility
IRPHE-ZEBRA, AEEW Fast Reactor Experiments, Primary Documentation
IRPHE-DRAGON-DPR, OECD High Temperature Reactor Dragon Project, Primary Documents
IRPHE-HTR-ARCH-01, Archive of HTR Primary Documents
IRPHE/AVR, AVR High Temperature Reactor Experience, Archival Documentation
IRPHE-KNK-II-ARCHIVE, KNK-II fast reactor documents, power history and measured parameters
IRPhE/BERENICE, effective delayed neutron fraction measurements
IRPhE-TAPIRO-ARCHIVE, fast neutron source reactor primary documents, reactor physics experiments

Other benchmarks in reactor physics (coupled neutronics/thermal-hydraulics - coupling core-plant)

ZZ 3DLWRCT, 3-D LWR Rod Ejection and Rod Withdrawal Benchmarks
ZZ BFBT, OECD/NEA-US/NRC NUPEC BWR Full-size Fine-mesh Bundle Tests Benchmark
ZZ BWRSB-FORSMARKS, Stability Benchmark Data from BWR FORSMARKS 1 and 2
ZZ BWRSB-RINGHALS1, Stability Benchmark Data from BWR RINGHALS-1
ZZ BWRTT, BWR Turbine Trip Transient Benchmark Based on Peach-Bottom 2
ZZ PBMR-400: PBMR Coupled Neutronics/Thermal Hydraulics Transient Benchmark
ZZ PWR-MSLB, PWR Main Steam-Line Break Benchmarks, Coupled Neutronics Thermal-Hydraulics
ZZ V1000CT-1 VVER-1000 Main Coolant Pump (MCP) Switching On Benchmark
ZZ WPPR Pu Recycling Benchmark Results
ZZ UAM-LWR Uncertainty Analysis in Modelling, Coupled Multi-physics and Multi-scale LWR analysis

Evaluation Guide - Revision 8.9 (20 January 2006)
Format Template

Feedback on IRPhE Project and Queries to the IRPhE Executive Group Members, to WPRS and the Nuclear Science Committee- Status of Project 29 March 2007

Co-operation

IRPhE co-operates and co-ordinates its work with the ICSBEP: International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project.

Acknowledgments

Much of the work so far realised by the International Reactor Physics Experiments Evaluation Project (IRPhEP), in particular, the evaluation and review of selected benchmark experiments, was possible thanks to substantial funding provided by the Government of Japan. Other countries, currently Belgium, Brazil, Canada, P.R. of China, Germany, Hungary, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America have contributed evaluations, reviews and data at their own expense. Overall technical coordination of the IRPhEP is directly supported by the United States Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy with significant in-kind contributions from the parallel OECD NEA International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP), supported in the United States by the Department of Energy’s Office of Facility Management and ES&H Support.

The Fourth IRPhE Technical Review Meeting was held in Pisa on 22-24 October 2007. During this meeting, experiments evaluations were reviewed that will be added in the third edition of the IRPhEP Handbook.