Neutronics analysis of the 3 MW TRIGA Mark-II research reactor by using SRAC code system

This study deals with the neutronics analysis of the current core configuration of a 3 MW TRIGA Mark-II research reactor at Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE), Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh and validation of the results by benchmarking with the experimental, operational and available Safety Analysis Report (SAR) values. The comprehensive neutronics code system SRAC was used to develop a versatile and accurate full-core model of the TRIGA core. The model represents in detail all components of the core with literally no physical approximation. All fresh fuel and control elements as well as the vicinity of the core were precisely described. Cross-section data library generated from JENDL-3.2 were used. The validation of the model against benchmark experimental results is presented. The SRAC predictions and the experimentally determined values are found to be in very good agreement, which indicates that the SRAC model is correctly simulating the TRIGA reactor.