Publications
Nuclear Fuel Cycle (NFC) Technology and Policy Program
A Benchmark Study of Computer Codes for System Analysis of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle
L. Guerin et al.
MIT-NFC-TR-105 (April 2008)
Abstract
As use of nuclear energy is expected to expand in different parts of the world, several codes that describe the nuclear fuel cycle system are currently under development, featuring a range of capabilities and different levels of flexibility and automation. Such codes model the addition or retirement of reactors, the demand for fresh fuel, and the need for spent fuel storage and recycling facilities as the production of nuclear energy varies with time. The codes enable analysis of various scenarios for the evolution of the nuclear energy system, and the timing of deployment of new facilities. Outputs may also include fuel material mass flows, economic analysis and metrics related to spent fuel or waste assessment.
The study reported here is the first attempt for benchmarking the MIT code CAFCA against three independently developed fuel cycle simulation codes. It is also among the first publicly available benchmark exercises. Some reviews of the existing codes were previously reported, but focused mostly on their theoretical capabilities. Benchmarking studies, generally involving two or three codes, have been done over the last few years, but most remain unpublished. The codes included in this study are: CAFCA (developed at MIT), COSI (developed at CEA, France), DANESS (developed at ANL) and VISION (developed by DOE laboratories for the AFCI program). The purpose of this benchmark study is to evaluate the degree of convergence of the current versions of these codes and to compare their basic methodologies.
