Abstract
This paper aims to evaluate the practical feasibility of using the
continuous-energy Monte Carlo method for producing homogenized group
constants for deterministic core simulators. The calculations are
carried out using the Serpent 2 Monte Carlo code and ARES nodal
diffusion fuel cycle simulator. A test case from a previous validation
study is repeated with varying number of neutron histories in group
constant generation. The impact of statistical variation in the results
of ARES simulations is evaluated, and the corresponding calculation
times used to provide an order-of-magnitude estimate for the overall
computational cost for generating the full set of group constants
covering all state points. It is concluded that, while computationally
expensive, Monte Carlo-based spatial homogenization involving burnup and
thousands of state points per assembly type is within the range of
feasibility using modern computer clusters.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 945-952 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology |
Volume | 52 |
Issue number | 7-8 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2015 |
MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
Event | International Conference on the Physics of Reactors, PHYSOR 2014: The Role of Reactor Physics toward Sustainable Future - Kyoto, Japan Duration: 28 Sept 2014 → 3 Oct 2014 |
Keywords
- serpent
- ARES core simulator
- Monte Carlo
- group constants
- statistics
- computational cost