Fission Products that come from the MCNP output?

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on the critical fission products derived from MCNP (Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code) outputs, emphasizing the significance of Iodine-135 and its decay to Xenon-135 in reactor operations. Other notable radionuclides include Samarium-149, Rhodium isotopes (Rh-103, Rh-106), and Cesium isotopes (Cs-134, Cs-137). The importance of these fission products varies significantly between thermal and fast reactor systems, necessitating tailored assessments based on the specific reactor type being modeled.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of MCNP (Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code)
  • Knowledge of fission product behavior and decay chains
  • Familiarity with neutron poisoning concepts
  • Basic principles of reactor physics and thermal vs. fast systems
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the decay processes of Iodine-135 and Xenon-135
  • Study the role of Samarium-149 as a neutron poison in reactors
  • Explore the differences in fission product importance between thermal and fast reactors
  • Learn about burnup calculations and their verification using isotopes like Rh-103 and Cs-137
USEFUL FOR

Nuclear engineers, reactor physicists, and anyone involved in the analysis and optimization of fission product behavior in nuclear reactors will benefit from this discussion.

Aly_19f
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TL;DR
What are the most important fission products?
What are the most important fission products should I include/care about that comes out from the MCNP output?
 
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This depends so much on what question you want to ask MCNP. X and 6 can calculate some forms of depletion but I don't know if they simulate poisoning and every fission product.

Iodine-135 and it's decay to Xenon-135 are especially relevant to reactor operation, but all fission products start as the double humped curve mess you see in textbooks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodine_pit

If this doesn't help, tell us more about what the problem is.
 
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Certainly, Iodine-135 and it's decay to Xenon-135 are two important radionuclides. Samarium-149 (σ = 74,500 b) is another important poison, and to a lesser extent Promethium-147.
See - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutron_poison#Transient_fission_product_poisons and following section.

For verifying burnup calculations, one would also look at Rh-103, -106; Cs-134/Cs-137; and Nd-143,145, and possibly Nd-146, -148.
 
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The answer is also going to depend strongly on what type of system you are modeling. The most important fission products for a thermal system are much different from the most important fission products in a fast system.

For example, Xe-135 is extremely critical in a thermal spectrum, but only modestly important in a fast spectrum.

In practice, the list of "important" fission products is usually tuned for each reactor type.
 
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