A Proposal to Asian Countries with Operating Research Reactors for Making Nuclear Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluations

Abstract

The Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (CSBEP) was initiated in 1992 by the United States Department of Energy. The project quickly became an international effort as scientists from other interested countries became involved. The International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP) is now an official activity of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development-Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD-NEA).

“International Handbook of Criticality Safety Benchmark Experiments” was prepared and is updated yearly by the working group of the project. This handbook contains criticality safety benchmark specifications that have been derived from experiments that were performed at various nuclear criticality facilities around the world. However, the handbook lacks criticality data of 20 wt%-enriched uranium fuel. The author proposes to make benchmark specifications derived from, modern research reactors in Asia. Future evaluations of these reactors will facilitate to fill the “enrichment gap”.

KEYWORDS:

• OECD/NEA
• ICSBEP
• nuclear criticality safety
• benchmark specification
• criticality experiment
• research reactors
• initial core
• 20 wt%-enriched uranium
• experimental data