A Review of Best Practices for Monte Carlo Criticality Calculations
Conference
·
OSTI ID:1003795
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Monte Carlo methods have been used to compute keff and the fundamental mode eigenfunction of critical systems since the 1950s. While such calculations have become routine using standard codes such as MCNP and SCALE/KENO, there still remain 3 concerns that must be addressed to perform calculations correctly: convergence of keff and the fission distribution, bias in keff and tally results, and bias in statistics on tally results. This paper provides a review of the fundamental problems inherent in Monte Carlo criticality calculations. To provide guidance to practitioners, suggested best practices for avoiding these problems are discussed and illustrated by examples.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC52-06NA25396
- OSTI ID:
- 1003795
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR--09-03136; LA-UR--09-3136
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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