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Title: Development of a three-dimensional flux synthesis program and comparison with 3-D transport theory results

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5719468

A three-dimensional (3-D) flux synthesis program called DOTSYN has been developed for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to estimate neutron fluence in light water reactors (LWRs). The main purpose of developing this program is to provide the US utilities with an economical tool for routine 3-D fluence calculations at various ex-core locations in a reactor, especially at critical pressure vessel sites for embrittlement analysis. The synthesis is based on a simple expression which uses lower dimensional flux values obtained from 2-D and 1-D transport theory calculations to approximate the desired 3-D fluxes. In order to verify the accuracy and efficiency of the method, a simulated pressurized water reactor, similar in configuration to the Babcock and Wilcox Arkansas Nuclear One Unit 1 (ANO-1) reactor, is modeled in 3-D cylindrical coordinates, and calculations are performed with the Three-dimensional Oak Ridge Transport code TORT as well as with DOTSYN. Results by TORT are used as a reference 3-D ''benchmark'' solution, and DOTSYN results at various locations, especially near the pressure vessel, are compared to this reference solution. It has been concluded that the 3-D synthesis method is a very efficient method for estimating reactor pressure vessel fluence, which gives acceptable accuracy within the vessel even at axial locations far above the active core height.

Research Organization:
Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge (USA). Nuclear Science Center; Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-84OR21400
OSTI ID:
5719468
Report Number(s):
NUREG/CR-4984; ORNL/TM-10503; ON: TI88004581
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English