The Transient Multi-Level method for Monte Carlo reactor statics calculations

Gonzalez, Evan S.; Kiedrowski, Brian C.; Davidson, Gregory G.

doi:10.1016/j.anucene.2024.111021

The Transient Multi-Level method for Monte Carlo reactor statics calculations

Journal Article · Fri Nov 15 19:00:00 EST 2024 · Annals of Nuclear Energy

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2024.111021· OSTI ID:2513983

^[1]; Kiedrowski, Brian C. ^[2]; ^[3]

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

The Transient Multi-Level (TML) method is applied to a time-dependent Monte Carlo transport solver to offload some of the computational burden of the expensive Monte Carlo solve to lower-order Coarse Mesh Finite Difference (CMFD) and Exact Point Kinetics Equations (EPKE) solvers via factorization of the neutron flux at the transport and CMFD levels using the Predictor Corrector Quasi-Static Method (PCQM). The Monte Carlo transient is solved by a modified fission source iteration scheme that introduces a single transient source bank. The method is implemented in the production-level Monte Carlo code, Shift, and verified with prescribed reactivity ramps from the two-dimensional version of the C5G7-TD reactor benchmark. The results show that, as compared to other quasi-static methods, the TML reduces the stochastic noise inherent to the transient Monte Carlo solver by factors of ~2 to 6 for various norm comparisons of the reactor power amplitude. Finally, the TML additionally reduces the number of Monte Carlo evaluations needed to simulate the transient, leading to roughly an order of magnitude improvement in CPU time relative to the standard PCQM for the problems tested.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-07NA27344

OSTI ID:: 2513983

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2588253

Report Number(s):: LLNL--JRNL-864001; 1095483

Journal Information:: Annals of Nuclear Energy, Journal Name: Annals of Nuclear Energy Vol. 212; ISSN 0306-4549

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (25)

OpenMC: A state-of-the-art Monte Carlo code for research and development Romano, Paul K.; Horelik, Nicholas E.; Herman, Bryan R. Annals of Nuclear Energy, Vol. 82 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2014.07.048	journal	August 2015
Coupling of dynamic Monte Carlo with thermal-hydraulic feedback Sjenitzer, Bart L.; Hoogenboom, J. Eduard; Jiménez Escalante, Javier Annals of Nuclear Energy, Vol. 76 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2014.09.018	journal	February 2015
Multiphysics reactor-core simulations using the improved quasi-static method Prince, Zachary M.; Ragusa, Jean C. Annals of Nuclear Energy, Vol. 125 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2018.10.056	journal	March 2019
Kinetic methods in Monte Carlo code RMC and its implementation to C5G7-TD benchmark Guo, Xiaoyu; Shang, Xiaotong; Song, Jing Annals of Nuclear Energy, Vol. 151 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2020.107864	journal	February 2021
Pointing probability Driven semi-analytic Monte Carlo Method (PDMC) – Part I: Global variance reduction for large-scale radiation transport analysis Pan, Qingquan; Lv, Huanwen; Tang, Songqian Computer Physics Communications, Vol. 291 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpc.2023.108850	journal	October 2023
Comparison of global variance reduction techniques for Monte Carlo radiation transport simulations of ITER Davis, Andrew; Turner, Andrew Fusion Engineering and Design, Vol. 86, Issue 9-11 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2011.01.059	journal	October 2011
Implementation, capabilities, and benchmarking of Shift, a massively parallel Monte Carlo radiation transport code Pandya, Tara M.; Johnson, Seth R.; Evans, Thomas M. Journal of Computational Physics, Vol. 308 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcp.2015.12.037	journal	March 2016
Development of a Predictor-Corrector Quasi-Static Transient Fission Matrix combination method for the neutronics transient simulation He, Donghao; Li, Yuehang; Pan, Qingquan Nuclear Engineering and Design, Vol. 424 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2024.113301	journal	August 2024
The quasi-static method revisited Dulla, Sandra; Mund, Ernest H.; Ravetto, Piero Progress in Nuclear Energy, Vol. 50, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2008.04.009	journal	November 2008
The multi-physics improved quasi-static method - Application to a neutronics-thermomechanics coupling Patricot, Cyril; Baudron, Anne-Marie; Fandeur, Olivier Progress in Nuclear Energy, Vol. 101 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2017.03.021	journal	November 2017
Predictor-Corrector Quasi-Static Method for Tightly-Coupled Reactor Multiphysics Transient Calculations Kooreman, Gabriel; Griesheimer, David P. EPJ Web of Conferences, Vol. 247 https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202124707011	journal	January 2021
A unified approach for numerical calculation of space-dependent kinetic equation Ban, Yuichiro; Endo, Tomohiro; Yamamoto, Akio Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, Vol. 49, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2012.677126	journal	May 2012
A Linear Prolongation Approach to Stabilizing CMFD Wang, Dean; Xiao, Sicong Nuclear Science and Engineering, Vol. 190, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2017.1417347	journal	March 2018
Transient Multilevel Scheme with One-Group CMFD Acceleration Shen, Qicang; Kochunas, Brendan; Xu, Yunlin Nuclear Science and Engineering, Vol. 195, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2020.1866388	journal	March 2021
Frequency Transform Method for Transient Analysis of Nuclear Reactors in Monte Carlo Kreher, Miriam A.; Shaner, Samuel; Forget, Benoit Nuclear Science and Engineering, Vol. 197, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2022.2067739	journal	June 2022
A Novel Hybrid Deterministic and Monte Carlo Neutron Transport Formulation and Algorithm (tRAPID) for Accurate and Fast 3-D Reactor Kinetics Mascolino, Valerio; Haghighat, Alireza Nuclear Science and Engineering, Vol. 198, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2023.2197844	journal	May 2023
FW-CADIS Method for Global and Regional Variance Reduction of Monte Carlo Radiation Transport Calculations Wagner, John C.; Peplow, Douglas E.; Mosher, Scott W. Nuclear Science and Engineering, Vol. 176, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.13182/NSE12-33	journal	January 2014
Dynamic Monte Carlo Method for Nuclear Reactor Kinetics Calculations Sjenitzer, Bart L.; Hoogenboom, J. Eduard Nuclear Science and Engineering, Vol. 175, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.13182/NSE12-44	journal	September 2013
Nuclear Reactor Transient Analysis by Continuous-Energy Monte Carlo Calculation Based on Predictor-Corrector Quasi-Static Method Jo, YuGwon; Cho, Bumhee; Cho, Nam Zin Nuclear Science and Engineering, Vol. 183, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.13182/NSE15-100	journal	June 2016
A Multilevel Quasi-Static Kinetics Method for Pin-Resolved Transport Transient Reactor Analysis Zhu, Ang; Xu, Yunlin; Downar, Thomas Nuclear Science and Engineering, Vol. 182, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.13182/NSE15-39	journal	April 2016
Accuracy of the Quasistatic Treatment of Spatial Reactor Kinetics Ott, K. O.; Meneley, D. A. Nuclear Science and Engineering, Vol. 36, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.13182/NSE36-402	journal	June 1969
Verification of a Method for Treating Neutron Space-Time Problems Henry, A. F.; Curlee, N. J. Nuclear Science and Engineering, Vol. 4, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.13182/NSE4-727	journal	December 1958
The Application of Reactor Kinetics to the Analysis of Experiments Henry, A. F. . Nuclear Science and Engineering, Vol. 3, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.13182/NSE58-1	journal	January 1958
Some Numerical Experiments Concerning Space-Time Reactor Kinetics Behavior Yasinsky, J. B.; Henry, A. F. Nuclear Science and Engineering, Vol. 22, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.13182/NSE65-A20236	journal	June 1965
Denovo: A New Three-Dimensional Parallel Discrete Ordinates Code in SCALE Evans, Thomas M.; Stafford, Alissa S.; Slaybaugh, Rachel N. Nuclear Technology, Vol. 171, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.13182/NT171-171	journal	August 2010

Similar Records

Nuclear reactor transient analysis via a quasi-static kinetics Monte Carlo method

Journal Article · Wed Dec 30 23:00:00 EST 2015 · AIP Conference Proceedings · OSTI ID:22499108

A Monte Carlo implementation of the predictor-corrector Quasi-Static method

Conference · Mon Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2013 · OSTI ID:22212850

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
Monte Carlo
Nuclear science and engineering - General studies of nuclear reactors
Quasi-static
Transient

The Transient Multi-Level method for Monte Carlo reactor statics calculations

Citation Formats

References (25)

Similar Records

Related Subjects