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Working Party on Scientific Issues of Reactor Systems (WPRS) 

Under the guidance of the Nuclear Science Committee the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Reactor Systems (WPRS) studies the reactor physics, fuel cycle, fuel behaviour, thermal hydraulics and dynamics/safety of present and future nuclear power systems and performs uncertainty analyses of present and future nuclear power systems.

The WPRS's objective is to provide member countries with up-to-date information to preserve knowledge on and develop consensus regarding:
  • Reactor physics, fuel behaviour, thermal hydraulics and dynamics/safety issues associated with innovative fuels in present and future nuclear power systems.

Reactor physics aspects considered include:

    • reactivity characteristics;
    • core power/flux distributions;
    • core kinetics and reactivity control;
    • reactivity coefficients;
    • safety/system dynamics;
    • vessel dosimetry;
    • uncertainty analysis in modelling.
  • Fuel cycle aspects considered will focus on fuel loading and discharge requirements, fission product and minor actinide inventories and radiotoxicity profiles versus time.
  • Fuel behaviour, thermal hydraulics and kinetics/safety will be considered insofar as they impinge on the reactor performance.
  • Radiation transport and dosimetry will cover aspects relevant fro reactor vessels and internals, and irradiation facilities.

Reactor types considered include, but are not limited to the following:

  • present generation LWRs with advanced and innovative fuels, evolutionary and innovative LWRs and HWRs;
  • novel reactor systems (GNEP, Generation IV Systems);
  • accelerator-driven (sub-critical) and critical systems for waste transmutation.

The WPRL liaises closely with other NEA working groups, especially those operating under the guidance of the NDC and the CSNI in order to ensure the respective work programmes are complementary and to provide advice and support where required and undertake common work where appropriate. Particularly close working relationships are maintained with the Working Party on the Scientific Issues in Fuel Cycle (WPFC).

To provide advice to the nuclear community on the developments needed to meet the requirements (data and methods, validation experiments, scenario studies) for different reactor systems.

Deliverables

  • Publication of Volume VIII – Benchmark exercise on kinetics parameters based on comparison with experimental results from the CROCUS facility – Spring 2007; (included also in IRPhE Handbook, March 2007 edition)
  • Publication of Volume IX – High temperature reactor core physics benchmark - Spring 2007;
  • Fuel Depletion
    • UOX depletion calculation benchmark, Autumn 2008;
    • MOX depletion calculation benchmark
  • MOX/UOX-core control rod ejection benchmark – January 2007.
  • Boiling Water Reactor Turbine Trip (BWRTT) Benchmark:
    • Volume IV: Best-Estimate Coupled 3-D Core/Thermal-Hydraulic System Modeling
  • VVER-1000 Coolant Transient Benchmarks Phase 1 (V1000CT-1):
    • Volume III: Coupled 3-D Kinetics/Core Thermal-Hydraulic Response Evaluation
    • Volume IV: Best-Estimate Coupled 3-D Core/Thermal-Hydraulic Plant Transient Modeling
  • VVER-1000 Coolant Transient Benchmarks Phase 2 (V1000CT-2)
    • Volume I:  Specifications of the VVER-1000 Vessel Mixing Problem
    • Volume II:  Main Steam-Line Break (MSLB)  Problem Specification
    • Volume III: Comparison of Computational Fluid Dynamics and Coarse Mesh Calculations with Measured Data
    • Volume IV: MSLB Coupled 3D Neutronics / Vessel TH Simulation
    • Volume V: MSLB Best Estimate Coupled Simulation
  • NUPEC BWR Full Size Bundle Tests (BFBT)
    • Volume II : Uncertainty and Sensitivity Analysis of Void Distribution and Critical Power
    • Volume III : Benchmark Results for Void Distribution
    • Volume IV :  Benchmark Results for Critical Power
  • PBMR Coupled Neutronics/Thermal Hydraulics Transient Benchmark the PBMR-400 Core Design :
    • Volume I: Benchmark Definition
    • Volume II: Steady State Benchmark
    • Volume III: Transient Benchmark
  • State-of-the-art report on Minor Actinide Burning in LWRs 
  • Proceedings of ARWIF-2008 
  • DOE WG-MOX Fuel Irradiation Experiment Benchmark 
  • PRIMO Ramped MOX Fuel Rod BD8 Benchmark
  • Venus Recycling Benchmark 07
  • Uncertainty Analysis in Modelling:
    • Volume I: Neutronics Phase Specification
    • Volume II: Neutronics Phase Results
  • Benchmark on Accuracy of Solution of 3-Dimensional Transport Codes and Methods over a Range in Parameter Space

Approximate meeting frequency: every twelve months.

Structure

header                   

topics

group1         area2            group3

Experiments

  • IFPE: Fuel performance experiments database
  • IRPhE: International reactor physics experiments evaluation and database
  • SINBAD: Radiation shielding and dosimetry experiments database (reactors, fusion, accelerators)

Reactor and Fuel Analysis

  • UAM: Uncertainty analysis in modelling – LWRs
  • MA-ThR:  Expert group on minor actinide burning in thermal reactors
  • ADS: Subgroup on accelerator-driven systems
  • TFRPD: Expert Group on Reactor-based Pu Disposition
  • V1000CT: VVER-1000 Coolant Transient (V1000CT) Benchmarks
  • BFBT: NUPEC BWR Full-size Fine-mesh Bundle Tests Benchmark
  • PBMR-400: PBMR Coupled Neutronics/Thermal Hydraulics Transient Benchmark

Radiation Transport and Dosimetry

Status of WPRS Activities (June 2008)

The Sixth Meeting of the WPRS (WPRS06) is scheduled for 26-27 February 2009 at NEA Headquarters, Issy les Moulineaux and will be held in conjunction with the Meeting of the WP on the Fuel Cycle WPFC (23-25 February 2009)

Previously completed or related activities

  • WPPR (predecessor of WPRS) - contains links to reports on plutonium recycling
  • Expert Group on Reactor Stability and LWR Transient Benchmarks
    • Rod Ejection (PWR); 
    • Uncontrolled Withdrawal of Control Rods (PWR); 
    • Main Steam-line Breaks (PWR); 
    • BWR Stability, time series and frequency analysis; 
    • Cold water injection and core pressurisation (BWR); 
    • Turbine Trips (BWR) benchmark;
    • Critical Issues in Nuclear Reactor Technology (CRISSUE-S)
  • VHBuFC: Expert Group on very high burn-ups in LWRs (completed)
  • PWR MOX/UO2 Core Transient Benchmark  (completed)
Workshops

Recent reports/benchmarks

Other related reports

Small and Medium Reactors, Reports by an Expert Group, OECD/NEA 1991, ISBN 92-64-13560-X
Volume I. Status and Prospects
Volume II. Technical Supplement

Other related books

Elmer E. Lewis: Fundamentals of Nuclear Reactor Physics (Academic Press, ISBN 978-0-12-370631-7)  January 2008


Chair: Kevin W. Hesketh (UK)
Vice-Chair:
Pierre D’hondt (Belgium)
Members: All NEA member countries
Participation in the work: European Commission (under the NEA Statute)

International Atomic Energy Agency (by agreement)
Observer: Russian Federation   
Date of creation:
June 2004
Date of renewal: 
June 2007
Mandate expires:   
June 2010

For more information, please contact Enrico Sartori (sartori@nea.fr)

For more information on activities managed/supported by the NSC, please contact Claes Nordborg (Claes.Nordborg@oecd.org) Return to the NSC Home Page

Last updated: 30 June 2008

   
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