Dosimetry and Activation Calculations for Optimal Decommissioning Planning of NPPs

In April 2023, all German nuclear power plants (NPPs) will have been shut down. The final shutdown is followed by a post-operational phase in which measures can be carried out to prepare for the NPPs dismantling and decommissioning. One of the essential tasks in planning and preparing an NPP for decommissioning is to obtain precise knowledge of the activation levels in its reactor pressure vessel (RPV), the biological shielding, and other internal components. In that regard, a method based on the combined use of two Monte Carlo codes, MCNP6 and FLUKA2021, was developed to serve as a non-destructive tool for evaluating the activation in an NPP. The methodology is demonstrated through the activation calculations of selected components of a German pressurized water reactor (PWR), Germany's most common NPP type. In the first step, the MCNP6 code was used to calculate the neutron fluence rate characteristics in the studied component using a detailed 3D model of a German PWR. The neutron source defined in the model was based on burn-up calculations provided by the operator. The neutron fluence rate prediction capability of the MCNP6 model was validated using neutron fluence monitors placed inside two German PWRs. The validation studies showed that the MCNP6 model and neutron sources are reliable and suitable for evaluating the neutron radiation field in the reactor for the ensuing activation calculations. In the second step, the FLUKA2021 code was used to calculate the specific activity in the studied component using a 3D exact model of the component and complex source terms built based on the neutron fluence rate parameters computed using the MCNP6 code. The results of the calculations were obtained with great accuracy and can be used as guidelines for optimal planning of the discharged reactor components' disposal and storage.