Analysis of Libraries of Evaluated Nuclear Data Using the Example of Calculations of Np-237 Sphere Criticality

A number of fast reactor projects suggest using neptunium nitride (NpN) as a fuel. Given that the neutron-physical characteristics of Np-237 are insufficiently studied, a detailed analysis of the libraries of evaluated nuclear data is necessary for numerical modeling of the reactor operation. The purpose of this study is to compare libraries to reduce the errors in calculating the critical mass of Np-237. The experimental values of K-eff (found in the experiment conducted at Los Alamos National Laboratory in 2002) are compared with the calculated values obtained using various software packages (MCNP, Serpent) and 14 libraries of evaluated nuclear data (JEFF, ENDF, JENDL, TENDEL, ROSFOND).