Criticality uncertainty dependence on nuclear data library in Fast Molten Salt Reactors

To increase the sustainability of the nuclear fuel cycle, and increase security of nuclear energy, we have been investigating Molten Salt Fast Reactors (MSFR) for transmutation of Minor actinoid (MA) isotopes. In the present work we describe the reactor physics analysis of a Th-TRU MSFR using a LiF-ThF4-TRUF3-fuel salt. We investigated the uncertainty of major reactor physics parameters using 3 sets of evaluated nuclear data: JENDL-4.0, JEFF-3.1.2, and ENDF/B-VII.1. The result of our work is that the spread in the multiplication factor is rather large between the sets of nuclear data, while other parameters are by and large the same. The uncertainties due to cross section covariance are large, with Th-232, U-233, and F-19 giving the most important contributions. The isotopic contributions to the uncertainties are quite different between the sets of nuclear data, giving a suspicion that the covariance data may is very different between the evaluations, and a review of the covariance data may be needed. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.