United States Department of Energy Nuclear Criticality Safety Program Five-Year Plan
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United States Department of Energy Nuclear Criticality Safety Program Five-Year Plan FY2008 - 2012 Final August 2007 Nuclear Criticality Safety Program Five-Year Plan, August 2007 Concurrence: ______________________________ Richard McKnight Chairperson Nuclear Data Advisory Group Concurrence: Approved: TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ACRONYMS AND DEFINITIONS ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ES-1 1.0 Nuclear Criticality Safety Program Purpose and Scope 1 1.1 Technical Program Elements 5 1.1.1 International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project 6 1.1.2 Analytical Methods Development and Code Support 8 1.1.3 Nuclear Data 12 1.1.4 Differential Measurements 16 1.1.5 Integral Experiments 18 1.1.6 Information Preservation and Dissemination 22 1.1.7 Training and Qualification 24 1.1.8 Nuclear Criticality Safety Program Support 26 APPENDICES Appendix A Nuclear Criticality Safety Program Task Managers A-1 Appendix B Work Authorization Statements for Fiscal Year 2008 B-1 Appendix C International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project C-1 Planned Benchmarks Appendix D Nuclear Data Needs D-1 Appendix E FY 2008 Projected Foreign Travel Requests E-1 Appendix F FY 2008 Prioritized Unfunded Tasks F-1 Appendix G Program-Specific Applications G-1 i LIST OF ACRONYMS AND DEFINITIONS AMPX Nuclear Cross-Section Processing Computer Code ANL Argonne National Laboratory ANS American Nuclear Society ANSI American National Standards Institute ARH-600 Atlantic Richfield Hanford BL Bettis Laboratory BNL Brookhaven National Laboratory CED Critical Experiment Decision CedT Critical-Subcritical Experiment Design Team CE-KENO Continuous Energy Version of the KENO Code CEF Criticality Experiments Facility CENTRM Continuous-Energy Transport Module within the SCALE Code System COG (1) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Monte Carlo Computer Code CSCT Criticality Safety Coordinating Team CSEWG Cross-Section Evaluation Working Group CSIRC Criticality Safety Information Resource Center CSSG Criticality Safety Support Group CY Calendar Year DAF Device Assembly Facility DICE Database for the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project DOE United States Department of Energy EDA Energy Dependent Analysis EM Office of Environmental Management EMPIRE BNL Nuclear Reaction Model Code for Evaluation of Cross Section ENDF Evaluated Nuclear Data File EUG End-Users Group FFTF Fast Flux Test Reactor FY Fiscal Year GLLSM Generalized Linear Least Squares Method GNASH(2) A Statistical Nuclear Model Computer Code ii GNEP Global Nuclear Energy Partnership GUI Graphical User Interface HCTLTR High Core Temperature Lattice Test Reactor HEU Highly-Enriched Uranium ICSBEP International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project INL Idaho National Laboratory IRSN Institut De Radioprotection et De Sûreté Nucléaire KALMAN Bayesian Code that estimates covariances KENO(3) Monte Carlo Criticality Computer Code LANL Los Alamos National Laboratory LLNL Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory McGNASH A modern version of the GNASH code developed at LANL to produce nuclear data evaluation files for the ENDF MCNP Monte Carlo N Particle (N currently equals 3) Computer Code MOX Mixed Oxide NA-17 Assistant Deputy Administrator for Facility and Infrastructure Acquisition and Operation NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration NCS Nuclear Criticality Safety NCSET Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer Training NCSP Nuclear Criticality Safety Program NE Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology NERI Nuclear Energy Research Initiative NDAG Nuclear Data Advisory Group NNDC National Nuclear Data Center NNSA National Nuclear Security Administration NRC Nuclear Regulatory Commission OECD-NEA Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development - Nuclear Energy Agency ORELA Oak Ridge Electron Linear Accelerator ORNL Oak Ridge National Laboratory PCTR Physical Constants Test Reactor PRTR Plutonium Recycle Test Reactor iii RSICC Radiation Safety Information Computational Center RW Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management S/U Sensitivity and/or Uncertainty SAMMY(4) A Nuclear Model Computer Code SCALE(5) Standardized Computer Analyses for Licensing Evaluation SHEBA Solution High Energy Burst Assembly SQA Software Quality Assurance SRNL Savannah River National Laboratory TSR Technical Safety Requirement TSURFER Tool for Sensitive and Uncertainty Analysis of Response Functionals using Experimental Results VIM Vastly Improved Monte Carlo Computer Code WINCO Westinghouse Idaho Nuclear Company WPEC Working Party on International Evaluation Cooperation ZPPR Zero-Power Physics Reactor ZPR Zero-Power Reactor ________________________ 1COG was originally developed to solve deep penetration problems in support of underground nuclear testing. Variance reduction techniques are very important to these problems and hence the name COG was chosen as in “to cog the dice” or cheat by weighting. 2GNASH is a pre-equilibrium, statistical nuclear model code based on Hauser-Feshbach theory (and additional models) for the calculation of cross sections and emission spectra, primarily in the epithermal and fast neutron energy ranges. 3KENO is a family of Monte Carlo criticality codes whose name came from an observation of the KENO game in which small spheres, under air levitation, arbitrarily move about in a fixed geometry. 4SAMMY is a nuclear model code, which applies R-Matrix theory to measured data and produces resolved and un-resolved resonance parameters in Reich-Moore and other formalisms. 5SCALE is a system of well-established codes and data for performing nuclear safety (criticality, shielding, reactor physics and fuel irradiation) analyses. 6TSURFER is a prototype module of the SCALE code system that performs a generalized linear least squares adjustment of cross-section data to produce consistency between calculated and experimental results. When coupled with TSUNAMI sensitivity data for a criticality safety application, the adjusted cross-section data can be used as a rigorous method to predict a computational bias. iv United States Department of Energy Nuclear Criticality Safety Program Five-Year Plan EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The primary objective of the Department of Energy (DOE) Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP) is to sustain a capability maintenance program aimed at preserving a unique skill set and associated technical infrastructure assets for the nation. Skills and infrastructure are preserved and maintained by doing mission-related work in each of the program elements. The results from these endeavors enhance criticality safety operational efficiency and confidence in the safety margin of operations throughout the Department. In addition to maintaining the infrastructure or base program, NCSP resources are routinely employed to identify and correct Departmental criticality safety program and implementation problems. The NCSP is funded by the Assistant Deputy Administrator for Facility and Infrastructure Acquisition and Operation (NA-17), Defense Programs, National Nuclear Security Administration1. Dr. Jerry McKamy from NA-17 is the NCSP Manager. He is supported by the Criticality Safety Support Group (CSSG) and the Nuclear Data Advisory Group (NDAG) regarding technical matters and by the Criticality Safety Coordinating Team, consisting of Federal criticality safety practitioners at the sites, and the End-Users Group (DOE contractor criticality safety representatives) regarding DOE Field criticality safety issues. The infrastructure maintenance portion of the NCSP budget is requirements based. Requirements for preservation of capability in each of the seven technical program elements are provided in this Plan. Each program element includes a description of how it contributes to the operational criticality safety program as well as a budget and a schedule. Additionally, at the direction of the NCSP Manager, the expertise resident within the CSSG is used to assist sites by providing NCSP support for the operational criticality safety programs and technical program elements. Each of the seven technical program elements is overseen by a contractor manager appointed by the NCSP Manager. Proposed NSCP tasks for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 total approximately $17M. Available funding for the NCSP tasks for FY 2008 is approximately $11.3M. All proposed tasks were considered, evaluated, and prioritized by the CSSG, NDAG, and NCSP Manager to determine the highest-priority tasks and to wisely allocate the limited funds available. 1 In addition to the funding provided by NA-17, the DOE Office of Science is committed to maintain the Oak Ridge Electron Linear Accelerator in an operational state to support nuclear cross section data acquisition. ES-1 United States Department of Energy Nuclear Criticality Safety Program Five-Year Plan 1.0 Nuclear Criticality Safety Program Purpose and Scope The primary objective of the Department of Energy (DOE) Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP) is to sustain a capability maintenance program aimed at preserving a unique skill set and associated technical infrastructure assets for the nation. Skills and infrastructure are preserved and maintained by doing mission-related work in each of the program elements. The results from these endeavors enhance criticality safety operational efficiency and confidence in the safety margin of operations throughout the Department. In addition to maintaining the infrastructure or base program, NCSP resources are routinely employed to identify and correct Departmental criticality safety program and implementation problems.