Verification of Unstructured Mesh Capabilities in MCNP6 for Reactor Physics Problems

Technical Report · Wed Aug 22 00:00:00 EDT 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1049351· OSTI ID:1049351

Burke, Timothy P. ^[1]; Martz, Roger L. ^[1]; Kiedrowski, Brian C. ^[1]; Martin, William R. ^[1]

---

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

New unstructured mesh capabilities in MCNP6 (developmental version during summer 2012) show potential for conducting multi-physics analyses by coupling MCNP to a finite element solver such as Abaqus/CAE. Before these new capabilities can be utilized, the ability of MCNP to accurately estimate eigenvalues and pin powers using an unstructured mesh must first be verified. Previous work to verify the unstructured mesh capabilities in MCNP was accomplished using the Godiva sphere, and this work attempts to build on that. To accomplish this, a criticality benchmark and a fuel assembly benchmark were used for calculations in MCNP using both the Constructive Solid Geometry (CSG) native to MCNP and the unstructured mesh geometry generated using Abaqus/CAE. The Big Ten criticality benchmark was modeled due to its geometry being similar to that of a reactor fuel pin. The C5G7 3-D Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel Assembly Benchmark was modeled to test the unstructured mesh capabilities on a reactor-type problem.

• 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: 1049351
• Report Number(s): LA-UR--12-24260
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING
BENCHMARKS
CRITICALITY
EIGENVALUES
GEOMETRY
Mathematics & Computing(97)
NUCLEAR FUELS
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
Nuclear Physics & Radiation Physics(73)
OXIDES
REACTOR PHYSICS
VERIFICATION