The variational nodal method: A three-dimensional transport method in Cartesian, triangular, and hexagonal geometries

Conference · Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1992 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States)

OSTI ID:6708463

Carrico, C B; Palmiotti, G ^[1]; Lewis, E E ^[2]; Mills, M

---

1. Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
2. Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States)

The variational nodal method (VNM) has been generalized to three dimensions and used to solve a set of five criticality problems, in Cartesian, triangular, and hexagonal geometries. The code is implemented within the IDF 3D neutronics production code on a Cray-XMP. The first four benchmarks are taken from Takeda and Ikeda, and the last is a simplified sixth-core model of the Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II). Comparisons are made to various S[sub N] codes, the other nodal methods, and Monte Carlo reference solutions. The VNM is based on a variational principle whose Euler-Lagrange equation is the even-parity transport equation. Nodal balance is imposed through the odd-parity fluxes used as a Lagrange multiplier on nodal interfaces. Even- and odd-parity fluxes are expanded in a classical Ritz procedure with complete sets of orthogonal polynomials in space and angle. The VNM is cast in response matrix form, and the even- and odd-parity fluxes are replaced by partial current moments on the nodal interfaces.

• OSTI ID: 6708463
• Report Number(s): CONF-921102-; CODEN: TANSAO
• Journal Information: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States), Vol. 66; Conference: Joint American Nuclear Society (ANS)/European Nuclear Society (ENS) international meeting on fifty years of controlled nuclear chain reaction: past, present, and future, Chicago, IL (United States), 15-20 Nov 1992; ISSN 0003-018X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
NEUTRON TRANSPORT
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
BENCHMARKS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
D CODES
DISCRETE ORDINATE METHOD
MONTE CARLO METHOD
NODAL EXPANSION METHOD
CALCULATION METHODS
COMPUTER CODES
EVALUATION
NEUTRAL-PARTICLE TRANSPORT
RADIATION TRANSPORT
663620* - Physics of Radiations Other Than Neutrons- (1992-)