Hybrid parallel code acceleration methods in full-core reactor physics calculations
- EDF R and D, 1, Avenue du General de Gaulle, 92141 Clamart Cedex (France)
- Nuclear and Radiological Engineering, Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332 (United States)
When dealing with nuclear reactor calculation schemes, the need for three dimensional (3D) transport-based reference solutions is essential for both validation and optimization purposes. Considering a benchmark problem, this work investigates the potential of discrete ordinates (Sn) transport methods applied to 3D pressurized water reactor (PWR) full-core calculations. First, the benchmark problem is described. It involves a pin-by-pin description of a 3D PWR first core, and uses a 8-group cross-section library prepared with the DRAGON cell code. Then, a convergence analysis is performed using the PENTRAN parallel Sn Cartesian code. It discusses the spatial refinement and the associated angular quadrature required to properly describe the problem physics. It also shows that initializing the Sn solution with the EDF SPN solver COCAGNE reduces the number of iterations required to converge by nearly a factor of 6. Using a best estimate model, PENTRAN results are then compared to multigroup Monte Carlo results obtained with the MCNP5 code. Good consistency is observed between the two methods (Sn and Monte Carlo), with discrepancies that are less than 25 pcm for the k{sub eff}, and less than 2.1% and 1.6% for the flux at the pin-cell level and for the pin-power distribution, respectively. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- American Nuclear Society, Inc., 555 N. Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, Illinois 60526 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 22105857
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: PHYSOR 2012: Conference on Advances in Reactor Physics - Linking Research, Industry, and Education, Knoxville, TN (United States), 15-20 Apr 2012; Other Information: Country of input: France; 11 refs.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
97 MATHEMATICAL METHODS AND COMPUTING
ACCELERATION
BENCHMARKS
COMPUTER GRAPHICS
DISCRETE ORDINATE METHOD
MONTE CARLO METHOD
NEUTRON TRANSPORT
NUCLEAR DATA COLLECTIONS
OPTIMIZATION
POWER DISTRIBUTION
PWR TYPE REACTORS
REACTOR CORES
REACTOR PHYSICS
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
TIN
TRANSPORT THEORY