Feedback on239Pu and240Pu nuclear data and associated covariances through the CERES integral experiments
Benchmark measurements of irradiated and un-irradiated fuel samples were performed in the framework of the CERES collaborative program between AEA (UK Atomic Energy Agency) and CEA (French Atomic Energy Commission). These experiments provide relevant data for the validation of fuel burn-up and criticality-safety calculations for the whole fuel cycle. As part of this program, pile-oscillation measurements were carried out on a range of mixed-oxide samples with plutonium of various mass and isotopic contents, both in the MINERVE and DIMPLE reactors. Four core configurations, two over-thermalized situations and two pressurized water reactor (PWR)-type situations, were constituted with different forward and adjoint flux spectra, emphasizing fission and/or capture contributions. The experiments were analyzed using reference TRIPOLI4 calculations with the JEFF-3.1.1 library, using exact three-dimensional models of the core configurations. In a first step, calculations of each DIMPLE configuration were performed...