Uncertainties for criticality-safety benchmarks and consequences for nuclear data measurements

We have developed a new method to propagate the uncertainties of fundamental nuclear physics models and parameters used in nuclear data evaluation to the design and performance of future nuclear energy systems. Using Monte Carlo simulation, it is for the first time possible to couple these two fields at the extremes of nuclear science without any loss of information in between. With the help of a large database of nuclear reaction measurements, we have determined the uncertainties of theoretical nuclear reaction models such as the optical, compound nucleus, pre-equilibrium and fission models. A similar assessment is done for the parameters that describe the resolved resonance range. We are now able to quantify the required quality of theoretical nuclear reaction models and measurements directly from the reactor design requirements. Examples will be presented for actinides using criticality-safety benchmarks with feedback on experimental requirements.