A Deterministic Study of the Deficiency of the Wigner-Seitz Approximation for Pu/MOX Fuel Pins

The Wigner-Seitz pin-cell approximation has long been applied as a modeling approximation in analysis of UO2 lattice fuel cells. In the past, this approximation has been appropriate for such fuel. However, with increasing attention drawn to mixed-oxide (MOX) fuels with significant plutonium content, it is important to understand the implications of the approximation in a uranium-plutonium matrix. The special geometric capabilities of the deterministic NEWT computer code have been used to assess the adequacy of the Wigner-Seitz cell in such an environment, as part of a larger study of computational aspects of MOX fuel modeling. Results of calculations using various approximations and boundary conditions are presented, and are validated by comparison to results obtained using KENO V.a and XSDRNPM.