Visualization and Analyses of MCNP Criticality Calculation Results

Conference · Sun Sep 17 00:00:00 EDT 1995

OSTI ID:102513

Forster, R. A. ^[1]; Booth, T. E. ^[1]; Urbatsch, T. J. ^[1]; Van Riper, K. A. ^[1]; Waters, L. S. ^[1]

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1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Careful assessment of the results of a calculation by the code itself can detect mistakes in the problem setup and execution. MCNP has over four hundred error messages that inform the user of FATAL or WARNING errors that have been discovered during processing of just the input file. MCNP4A performs a self-assessment of the calculated results to aid the user in determining the quality of the Monte Carlo results. MCNP4A contains new built-in sensitivity analyses of the Monte Carlo calculation that provide the user with simple WARNING messages for both criticality and fixed source calculations. The goal of the new analyses described in this paper is to provide the MCNP criticality practitioner with enough information in the output to assess the validity of the k_eff calculation and any associated tallies. The results of these checks are presented in the k_eff results summary, several k_eff tables and graphs, and tally tables and graphs. Plots of k_eff at the workstation are also available as the problem is running or in a postprocessing mode to assess problem performance and results. Plots of the fission source by cycle supply valuable visual information, although they are not yet available in the production version of MCNP.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 102513
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-95-2058; CONF-9509100-21; ON: DE95015283; TRN: 95:020314
• Resource Relation: Conference: ICNC '95: 5. International Conference on Nuclear Criticality Safety, Albuquerque, NM (United States), 17-22 Sep 1995; Other Information: PBD: [1995]
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING
CRITICALITY
SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS
DATA ANALYSIS
M CODES
MONTE CARLO METHOD
FISSION
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport (MCNP)
Fission Source
Physics Analysis Workstation (PAW)
Jezebel Plutonium
Fissionable Cells