Abstract
SCALE 6.2 provides numerous updates in nuclear data, nuclear data processing, and computational tools utilized in the criticality safety calculational sequences relative to SCALE 6.1. A new 252-group ENDF/B-VII.0 multigroup neutron library, improved ENDF/B-VII.0 continuous energy data, as well as the previously deployed 238-group ENDF/B-VII.0 neutron library are included in SCALE 6.2 for criticality safety analysis. The performance of all three libraries for keff calculations is examined with a broad sampling of critical experiment models covering a range of fuels and moderators.
Critical experiments from the International Handbook of Evaluated Criticality Safety Benchmark Experiments (IHECSBE) that are available in the SCALE Verified, Archived Library of Inputs and Data (VALID) are used in this validation effort. Over 300 cases are used in the validation of KENO V.a, and a more limited set of approximately 50 configurations are used for KENO-VI validation. Additionally, some KENO V.a cases are converted to KENO-VI models so that an equivalent set of experiments can be used to validate both codes.
For continuous-energy calculations, SCALE 6.2 provides improved performance relative to SCALE 6.1 in most areas with notable improvements in fuel pin lattice cases, particularly those with mixed oxide fuel. Multigroup calculations with the 252-group library also demonstrate improved performance for fuel lattices, uranium (high and intermediate enrichment) and plutonium metal experiments, and plutonium solution systems. Overall, SCALE 6.2 provides equivalent or smaller biases than SCALE 6.1, and the two versions of KENO provide similar results on the same suite of problems.
