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Title: SMITHERS: An object-oriented modular mapping methodology for MCNP-based neutronic–thermal hydraulic multiphysics

Abstract

A novel object-oriented modular mapping methodology for externally coupled neutronics–thermal hydraulics multiphysics simulations was developed. The Simulator using MCNP with Integrated Thermal-Hydraulics for Exploratory Reactor Studies (SMITHERS) code performs on-the-fly mapping of material-wise power distribution tallies implemented by MCNP-based neutron transport/depletion solvers for use in estimating coolant temperature and density distributions with a separate thermal-hydraulic solver. The key development of SMITHERS is that it reconstructs the hierarchical geometry structure of the material-wise power generation tallies from the depletion solver automatically, with only a modicum of additional information required from the user. In addition, it performs the basis mapping from the combinatorial geometry of the depletion solver to the required geometry of the thermal-hydraulic solver in a generalizable manner, such that it can transparently accommodate varying levels of thermal-hydraulic solver geometric fidelity, from the nodal geometry of multi-channel analysis solvers to the pin-cell level of discretization for sub-channel analysis solvers.

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1];  [2]; ORCiD logo [2];  [2]
  1. Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  2. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1228757
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-14-28485
Journal ID: ISSN 0306-4549; PII: S0306454915001619
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC52-06NA25396
Resource Type:
Journal Article: Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Annals of Nuclear Energy (Oxford)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 81; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0306-4549
Publisher:
Elsevier
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
42 ENGINEERING; SMITHERS; thermal coupling; Drift Flux Solver; neutronic/thermal-hydraulic coupling; operator splitting in reactor analysis; MCNP6; MONTEBURNS

Citation Formats

Richard, Joshua, Galloway, Jack, Fensin, Michael, and Trellue, Holly. SMITHERS: An object-oriented modular mapping methodology for MCNP-based neutronic–thermal hydraulic multiphysics. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1016/j.anucene.2015.03.027.
Richard, Joshua, Galloway, Jack, Fensin, Michael, & Trellue, Holly. SMITHERS: An object-oriented modular mapping methodology for MCNP-based neutronic–thermal hydraulic multiphysics. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2015.03.027
Richard, Joshua, Galloway, Jack, Fensin, Michael, and Trellue, Holly. 2015. "SMITHERS: An object-oriented modular mapping methodology for MCNP-based neutronic–thermal hydraulic multiphysics". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2015.03.027. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1228757.
@article{osti_1228757,
title = {SMITHERS: An object-oriented modular mapping methodology for MCNP-based neutronic–thermal hydraulic multiphysics},
author = {Richard, Joshua and Galloway, Jack and Fensin, Michael and Trellue, Holly},
abstractNote = {A novel object-oriented modular mapping methodology for externally coupled neutronics–thermal hydraulics multiphysics simulations was developed. The Simulator using MCNP with Integrated Thermal-Hydraulics for Exploratory Reactor Studies (SMITHERS) code performs on-the-fly mapping of material-wise power distribution tallies implemented by MCNP-based neutron transport/depletion solvers for use in estimating coolant temperature and density distributions with a separate thermal-hydraulic solver. The key development of SMITHERS is that it reconstructs the hierarchical geometry structure of the material-wise power generation tallies from the depletion solver automatically, with only a modicum of additional information required from the user. In addition, it performs the basis mapping from the combinatorial geometry of the depletion solver to the required geometry of the thermal-hydraulic solver in a generalizable manner, such that it can transparently accommodate varying levels of thermal-hydraulic solver geometric fidelity, from the nodal geometry of multi-channel analysis solvers to the pin-cell level of discretization for sub-channel analysis solvers.},
doi = {10.1016/j.anucene.2015.03.027},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1228757}, journal = {Annals of Nuclear Energy (Oxford)},
issn = {0306-4549},
number = C,
volume = 81,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Apr 04 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Sat Apr 04 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}

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Cited by: 3 works
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