Analysis of BEAVRS two-cycle benchmark using RMC based on full core detailed model

With the increasing demands of high fidelity neutronics analysis and the development of computer technology, Monte Carlo method is becoming more and more attractive especially in criticality analysis of initial core and shielding calculations, due to its advantages of flexible geometry modeling and use of continuous-energy nuclear cross sections. However, nuclear reactors are complex systems with different physics and feedback interactions and coupling. To perform the high fidelity multi-physics simulations of real reactors or benchmark calculations such as two-cycle BEAVRS benchmark based on measurement data of a practical nuclear power plant, several factors must be considered such as large scale detailed depletion, thermal-hydraulics feedback, on-the-fly nuclear cross section processing, criticality search and inter-cycle refueling. In this paper, the abilities mentioned above for multiple burnup cycles simulations in Hot Full Power condition of PWR full core have been developed in continuous-energy Reactor Monte Carlo neutron and photon transport code RMC, which is developed by Department of Engineering Physics at Tsinghua University, Beijing (Wang et al., 2015). RMC has the capacity for lifecycle simulations of nuclear reactor cores. The BEAVRS benchmark was selected as an example and RMC was applied to a full core, two cycle burnup calculation of BEAVRS. All of the parameters given in the BEAVRS benchmark have been calculated and compared with the measured values of BEAVRS benchmark. For other parameters such as pin power distributions, they are compared to the results of other codes. The results of RMC agree well with the measured values of BEAVRS benchmark and also agree well with those of other codes. This was the first time for a Monte Carlo code to perform the full core, two cycle calculation of BEAVRS. This work paves the way for Monte Carlo codes in life cycle simulations of nuclear reactor cores.