MCWO - LINKING MCNP AND ORIGEN2 FOR FUEL BURNUP ANALYSIS

The UNIX BASH (Bourne Again Shell) script MCWO has been developed at the Idaho National Engineering and Environment Laboratory (INEEL) to couple the Monte Carlo transport code MCNP with the depletion and buildup code ORIGEN2. MCWO is a fully automated tool that links the Monte Carlo transport code MCNP with the radioactive decay and burnup code ORIGEN2. MCWO can handle a large number of fuel burnup and material loading specifications, Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) powers, and irradiation time intervals. The program processes input from the user that specifies the system geometry, initial material compositions, feed/removal specifications, and other code-specific parameters. Calculated results from MCNP, ORIGEN2, and data process module calculations are then output successively as the code runs. The principal function of MCWO is to transfer one-group cross-section and flux values from MCNP to ORIGEN2, and then transfer the resulting material compositions (after irradiation and/or decay) from ORIGEN2 back to MCNP in a repeated, cyclic fashion. The basic requirement of the code is that the user has a working MCNP input file and other input parameters; all interaction with ORIGEN2 and other calculations are performed by UNIX BASH script MCWO. This paper presents the MCWO-calculated results of the RERTR-1 and -2, and Weapons-Grade Mixed Oxide (WG-MOX) fuel experiments in Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) and compares the MCWO-calculated results with the measured data.