Benchmark Calculations for Standard and DUPIC CANDU Fuel Lattices Compared with the MCNP-4B Code

Cell-code benchmark calculations have been performed for the standard CANDU and DUPIC CANDU fuel lattices compared with the MCNP-4B code. To consider the full isotopic composition and the temperature effect, new MCNP libraries have been generated from ENDF/B-VI release 3 and validated for typical benchmark problems. The lattice codes WIMS-AECL and HELIOS were then benchmarked by the MCNP code for the major physics parameters such as burnup reactivity, coolant void reactivity, fuel temperature coefficient, etc. The calculations have shown that the physics parameters estimated by the lattice codes are consistent with those by MCNP. However, there is a tendency that the error increases slightly when the fuel burnup is high. This study has shown that the WIMS-AECL produces reliable results for CANDU fuel analysis. However, it is recommended that the cross-section library be updated to be used for the high-burnup fuels even though the current results are generally acceptable. This study has also shown that the HELIOS code has the potential to be used for CANDU fuel lattice analysis in the future.