Accurate analytical evaluation of heat capacity of nuclear fuels using Einstein-Debye approximation

A new method was developed for heat capacity calculations of nuclear fuels using the convolution between Einstein and Debye approximations. The calculation results permitted an accurate evaluation of the validity of the analytical approximations, as well as further improvements of the theoretical formulas. This analytical method is general for arbitrary values of temperature. The algorithm is used to simulate variation of heat capacities with temperature dependence of the nuclear fuels UO2 and PuO2. Comparison of computed numerical results with the ones obtained by findings using other methods reveals that the proposed approach is reliable, efficient and accurate. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.