A new MCNP option: KCORR -- The use of the correlated sampling method to study reactivity effects due to changes of a reactor arrangement
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
The planned advanced neutron source (ANS) reactor has a compact core surrounded by a large pool of heavy water containing a complex arrangement of reflector experimental components. Mocking up the reactor system without the reflector components results in an azimuthally symmetric geometry for which the eigenvalue k{sub eff} can be calculated accurately with diffusion or discrete ordinates methods by using two-dimensional geometry. Here, a new option KCORR for calculating the eigenvalue k{sub eff} of fission reactor arrangements has been implemented in the MCNP Monte Carlo code. This option is based on a matrix method and has the additional feature of applying correlated sampling methods to investigate small reactivity effects that are very likely lost in the statistical uncertainties of two independent program runs with the old option KCODE. For verification of the new program option, calculations of the reactivity worths of the control rod and the safety rod of the FOEHN reactor and the reactivity effects of various components in the reflector pool of the FOEHN reactor were performed with both KCODE and KCORR and compared with measured data. The efficient of MCNP in calculating reactivity changes by using KCORR is improved not only by means of lower statistical uncertainties but also by reducing of computing time.
- OSTI ID:
- 89674
- Journal Information:
- Nuclear Science and Engineering, Vol. 120, Issue 2; Other Information: PBD: Jun 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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