Determination of the RBMK-1500 reactor passport characteristics

Abstract

Abstract During the whole life of reactor equipment it has to be shown that safety relevant limitations of general reactivity characteristics are not exceeded. Usually, safety margins of these characteristics are listed in a technical certificate (reactor passport). This paper presents the calculation results of the Ignalina nuclear power plant unit 2 reactor passport characteristics obtained by the best estimate 3D computer code QUABOX/CUBBOX, adjusted for the RBMK-1500 reactor core. The characteristics determined are supported by an uncertainty and sensitivity analysis which was performed using the software package SUSA. The uncertainty of the reactivity coefficients and associated effects were quantified in terms of statistical tolerance limits. The sensitivity analysis provided a ranking of the uncertain input parameters with respect to their contribution to the uncertainty of the reactivity characteristics.