The variational nodal method: A three-dimensional transport method in Cartesian, triangular, and hexagonal geometries

Conference · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1992 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States)

OSTI ID:6708463

Carrico, C B; Palmiotti, G ^[1]; Lewis, E E ^[2]; Mills, M

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1. Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
2. Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States)

The variational nodal method (VNM) has been generalized to three dimensions and used to solve a set of five criticality problems, in Cartesian, triangular, and hexagonal geometries. The code is implemented within the IDF 3D neutronics production code on a Cray-XMP. The first four benchmarks are taken from Takeda and Ikeda, and the last is a simplified sixth-core model of the Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II). Comparisons are made to various S[sub N] codes, the other nodal methods, and Monte Carlo reference solutions. The VNM is based on a variational principle whose Euler-Lagrange equation is the even-parity transport equation. Nodal balance is imposed through the odd-parity fluxes used as a Lagrange multiplier on nodal interfaces. Even- and odd-parity fluxes are expanded in a classical Ritz procedure with complete sets of orthogonal polynomials in space and angle. The VNM is cast in response matrix form, and the even- and odd-parity fluxes are replaced by partial current moments on the nodal interfaces.

• OSTI ID: 6708463
• Report Number(s): CONF-921102--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States) Journal Volume: 66
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

663620* -- Physics of Radiations Other Than Neutrons-- (1992-)
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
BENCHMARKS
CALCULATION METHODS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COMPUTER CODES
D CODES
DISCRETE ORDINATE METHOD
EVALUATION
MONTE CARLO METHOD
NEUTRAL-PARTICLE TRANSPORT
NEUTRON TRANSPORT
NODAL EXPANSION METHOD
RADIATION TRANSPORT
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS