Evaluation of intranodal neutron flux shapes by the variational nodal method

Journal Article · Sat Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1994 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society

OSTI ID:89131

Jacqmin, R; Carrico, C B; Palmiotti, G ^[1]

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1. Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)

With the development at Argonne National Laboratory of the VARIANT module, recent progress in variational nodal methods has made it possible to perform three-dimensional coarse-mesh transport-theory neutron-flux calculations at a reasonable cost. Previous numerical tests of the VARIANT code have demonstrated that, given a set of broad-group homogenized interaction cross sections, the diffusion and transport options of the VARIANT code are both capable of eigenvalue and node-averaged flux predictions as accurate as those obtained by fine-mesh methods, at a small fraction of the cost. The variational nodal method offers the additional advantage that it provides self-consistent pointwise intranodal flux values, from which nuclide densities, pin power densities, fuel burnup, and fluences can be inferred. Here we present results of numerical tests performed to assess the quality of the VARIANT-computed intranodal flux shapes in the case of the Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II).

• OSTI ID: 89131
• Report Number(s): CONF-941102--
• Journal Information: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society Vol. 71; ISSN 0003-018X; ISSN TANSAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
66 PHYSICS
EBR-2 REACTOR
LEGENDRE POLYNOMIALS
NEUTRON DIFFUSION EQUATION
NEUTRON FLUX
NEUTRON TRANSPORT THEORY
NODAL EXPANSION METHOD
V CODES