Utilization of ORIGEN2 by the characteristics data base

The radiological characteristics in the Characteristic Data Base (CDB) are calculated using the ORIGEN2 code. Several significant near-term improvements in the application of the code have been incorporated in application of the code have been incorporated in calculations for Revision 1 of the CDB. First, revised ORIGEN2 pressurized-water reactor (PWR) and boiling-water reactor (BWR) cross section libraries were used. Second, enrichment was adjusted for each burnup and the combinations of enrichment and burnup used encompass most of the projected spent-fuel population. Finally, reactor cycle parameters that more closely match recent and anticipated utility practice were used. In this paper we discuss the motivation for these improvements, describe their implementation, present a sample of significant results, and explore limitations