CESAR: A Code for Nuclear Fuel and Waste Characterisation

CESAR (Simplified Evolution Code Applied to Reprocessing) is a depletion code developed through a joint program between CEA and COGEMA. In the late 1980’s, the first use of this code dealt with nuclear measurement at the Laboratories of the La Hague reprocessing plant. The use of CESAR was then extended to characterizations of all entrance materials and for characterisation, via tracer, of all produced waste. The code can distinguish more than 100 heavy nuclides, 200 fission products and 100 activation products, and it can characterise both the fuel and the structural material of the fuel. CESAR can also make depletion calculations from 3 months to 1 million years of cooling time. Between 2003-2005, the 5 th version of the code was developed. The modifications were related to the harmonisation of the code’s nuclear data with the JEF2.2 nuclear data file. This paper describes the code and explains the extensive use of this code at the La Hague reprocessing plant and also for prospective studies. The second part focuses on the modifications of the latest version, and describes the application field and the qualification of the code. Many companies and the IAEA use CESAR today. CESAR offers a Graphical User Interface, which is very user-friendly.