Validation of CENDL and JEFF evaluated nuclear data files for TRIGA calculations through the analysis of integral parameters of TRX and BAPL benchmark lattices of thermal reactors

The aim of this paper is to present the validation of evaluated nuclear data files CENDL-2.2 and JEFF-3.1.1 through the analysis of the integral parameters of TRX and BAPL benchmark lattices of thermal reactors for neutronics analysis of TRIGA Mark-II Research Reactor at AERE, Bangladesh. In this process, the 69-group cross-section library for lattice code WIMS was generated using the basic evaluated nuclear data files CENDL-2.2 and JEFF-3.1.1 with the help of nuclear data processing code NJOY99.0. Integral measurements on the thermal reactor lattices TRX-1, TRX-2, BAPL-UO2-1, BAPL-UO2-2 and BAPL-UO2-3 served as standard benchmarks for testing nuclear data files and have also been selected for this analysis. The integral parameters of the said lattices were calculated using the lattice transport code WIMSD-5B based on the generated 69-group cross-section library. The calculated integral parameters were compared to the measured values as well as the results of Monte Carlo Code MCNP. It was found that in most cases, the values of integral parameters show a good agreement with the experiment and MCNP results. Besides, the group constants in WIMS format for the isotopes U-235 and U-238 between two data files have been compared using WIMS library utility code WILLIE and it was found that the group constants are identical with very insignificant difference. Therefore, this analysis reflects the validation of evaluated nuclear data files CENDL-2.2 and JEFF-3.1.1 through benchmarking the integral parameters of TRX and BAPL lattices and can also be essential to implement further neutronic analysis of TRIGA Mark-II research reactor at AERE, Dhaka, Bangladesh.