Comparative Neutronic Analysis of Advanced Tolerant and Conventional Fuels in the VVER-1200 Reactor Using the OpenMC Monte Carlo Code

Authors

• Sam H. Al-Lawdhaeai, Department of Nuclear Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaFollow
• Yahya A. Al-Zahrani, Department of Nuclear Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States
• Khurram Mehboob, Department of Nuclear Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
• Daud Mohamad, Department of Nuclear Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This study performs a comprehensive comparative neutronic analysis of uranium nitride (UN) and uranium monocarbide (UC) as high-density, high-thermal-conductivity, accident-tolerant fuel candidates against conventional uranium dioxide (UO₂) fuel for the VVER-1200 reactor, using OpenMC Monte Carlo simulations with ENDF/B-VIII.1 nuclear data. A detailed model was developed, accounting for varying fuel assembly enrichments and burnable absorber configurations. The analysis encompassed the burnup-induced fission product, including uranium and plutonium actinides and neutron poisons. In addition, the study investigated the reactivity response to key operational parameters such as fuel and moderator temperatures, boron concentration, and void fraction, and evaluated the key fission product inventories. The results indicate that UN and UC achieve extended fuel cycle lengths and enhanced ²³⁹Pu breeding compared to UO₂, due to their superior heavy metal density and thermal conductivity. While these advanced fuels present slightly higher concentrations of neutron poisons such as ¹³⁵Xe and ¹⁴⁹Sm due to increased fission rates, they maintain favorable negative reactivity coefficients across varying fuel temperatures, moderator temperatures, and void fractions, maintaining a comparable radiological burden. Overall, UN and UC present promising neutronic and safety characteristics for the VVER-1200, contributing to improved safety margins and fuel cycle economics.

First Page

29

Last Page

42

Recommended Citation

Al-Lawdhaeai, Sam H.; Al-Zahrani, Yahya A.; Mehboob, Khurram; and Mohamad, Daud (2026) "Comparative Neutronic Analysis of Advanced Tolerant and Conventional Fuels in the VVER-1200 Reactor Using the OpenMC Monte Carlo Code," Journal of King Abdulaziz University: Engineering Sciences: Vol. 36: Iss. 1, Article 4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64064/1658-4260.1021

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.