Axial Burnup Profile Database for Pressurized Water Reactors

The data were obtained directly from utilities whose reactors represent the range of commercial PWR fuel lattices. The work was performed by Yankee Atomic Electric for Sandia National Laboratory. All axial burnup profiles were calculated from 3-D depletion analyses of the core configuration. The organizations and utilities providing axial burnup profiles for the database used different model codes for the 3D-depletion calculations. The model codes used were: SIMULATE-3, NEMO, ANC, and PRESTO-II. Cross-section inputs describing the assemblies are derived from assembly lattice calculations. SIMULATE and NEMO used CASMO-3, ANC and PHOENIX, PRESTO-II used RECORD. The nodal calculations were performed typically in a quarter core symmetric configuration using 12 to 25 nodes to describe the axial direction and one to four nodes to describe the radial direction of each assembly.