A Mutlivariate Analysis of Mixed Oxide Based Nuclear Scenarios
Abdoul-Aziz ZAKARI-ISSOUFOU, N. Thiollière, X. Doligez, M. Ernoult, A. Somaini, F. Courtin, A. Bideau
CNRS
Abstract
In nuclear scenarios the use of mixed oxide (MOx) fuel usually involves a long term strategy toward fast reactors that should guarantee a natural resource resistant nuclear power. While MOx fuel are often presented as a possibility to gather progressively the fissile materials needed for theses reactors, many questions remain. As an example, either fast reactors come to start or not the final situation should be bearable in term of waste toxicity (including plutonium in the worst case). In a prospective study, there is no one solution to such an issue but more likely a tendency as a lot of parameters (cooling time, fuel burn-up, fraction of MOx fuelled reactors…) has to be considered.In order to cope with this problematic, a new scenario methodology has been developed. Each scenario is defined by a set of parameters. Typically, it is the composition of the fleet (rector number, power share…), the characteristics of the fuel (UOx, MOx, MOxAm) or reactors (burn-up, loading factor…) and the options of the fuel cycle (Cooling time of spent fuel, Storage, reprocessing strategy…). The exercise consists in an “all at a time” method where all the parameters of the scenario are modified together via a random sampling (Latin Hypercube Sampling, there is no two identical set of parameters) and then run with the CLASS (Core Library for Advanced Scenario Simulations) code.In this workshop, we will present our methodology for the multivariate analysis and the major results will be discussed.