Reactor Physics Study: Coding Tips

[vatly]

Do you know any code for reactor physics study ?

 

[PerennialII]

Could you elaborate a bit on what field/aspect you're interested in ?

 

[Astronuc]

Do you know any code for reactor physics study?

Like PerennialII mentioned, what exactly do you want to do?

There are commercial core simulator packages like SIMULATE-IIIK (from Studsvik-Scandpower), PRESTO, and one package FORMOSA from North Carolina State University, Electric Power Research Center.

SIMULATE-IIIK requrires data from the CASMO lattice code (also from Studsvik), and PRESTO (PRESTO-B for BWRs) is used with CPM (CPM-3) lattice code.

A little background on FORMOSA

A methodology has been developed whereby a three-dimensional (3-D) geometry, nodal expansion method (NEM), pressurized water reactor (PWR) core simulator model is collapsed to form an equivalent two-dimensional (2-D) geometry model that preserves approximately, but with negligible loss of fidelity, the global quantities and axially integrated reaction rates and surface currents of the 3-D model. In comparison with typical licensed-quality 3-D models, the 2-D collapsed NEM model typically requires a factor of 50 less computational time and exhibits root-mean-square (rms) assembly relative power fraction errors, as compared with the original 3-D model, of 5 × 10-3 over an entire fuel cycle, and average maximum errors over the fuel cycle of 1 × 10-2. The collapse methodology includes a pin reconstruction methodology, which exhibits assemblywise rms pin power errors of 5 × 10-3 and average maximum assemblywise pin power errors of 1.2 × 10-2. When coupled with FORMOSA-P's existing assembly power response generalized perturbation theory reactor core simulator, this permits loading-pattern evaluations at a speed approximately 100 to 150 times faster than full, 3-D models, providing the computational efficiency needed for efficient incore fuel management optimization using stochastic methods.

- FORMOSA-P Three-Dimensional/Two-Dimensional Geometry Collapse Methodology purchase the article from ANS.

FORMOSA-P may be available for a small fee - a lot less than SIMULATE. I believe PRESTO is obsolete. FORMOSA is developed by the group under Paul Turinsky, who is also head of the Nuclear Engineering Department as NCSU.

One can also do nuclear calculations with MCNP.

Are you interested in LWR cores, Liquid Metal Fast Reactor (LMFRs), GCR/GCFR's or all three types?

Additional information -

PDQ (Group Diffusion Reactor Computation Code)
ANISN (One-Dimensional Discrete Ordinates Transport Code System with Anisotropic Scattering) - http://www-rsicc.ornl.gov/codes/ccc/ccc2/ccc-254.html

DOT/DORT/TORT - (conventional radiation transport codes from RSICC)

Twodant/Threedant/DANTSYS (available from Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA - OECD) or RSICC(IS))
see - http://www.nea.fr/abs/html/ccc-0547.html
see - http://www-rsicc.ornl.gov/codes/ccc/ccc5/ccc-547.html
Academic institutions should have access to this package

PHYSOR conference held every 2 years.

PHYSOR2002 - http://physor2002.kaist.ac.kr/ - International Conference on the
New Frontiers of Nuclear Technology : Reactor Physics, Safety and High-Performance Computing
PHYSOR2004 - http://www.physor2004.anl.gov/ - The Physics of Fuel Cycles and Advanced Nuclear Systems: Global Developments
PHYSOR2006 - http://www.cns-snc.ca/physor2006/physor2006.html

Vendor proprietary reactor core physics packages

PHOENIX/ANC - BNFL/Westinghouse (Alpha/Phoenix/ANC) for PWRs

TGBLA-6/PANACEA-11 - GE/GNF for BWRs

WIMS/ PANTHER - British Energy/Tractebel.for PWR - see OF WIMS/PANTHER CALCULATIONS WITH
MEASUREMENT ON A RANGE OF OPERATING PWR[/url] pdf

PHOENIX/POLCA-7 or CASMO-4/POLCA-7 for BWRs - see VTT- http://www.vtt.fi/inf/pdf/symposiums/2003/S230.pdf

 

[Physics71]

MCNP Code

How i can get Registered version of Reactor code MCNP to utilize it for research purposes?

 

[Astronuc]

How i can get Registered version of Reactor code MCNP to utilize it for research purposes?

http://laws.lanl.gov/x5/MCNP/index.html

One should be able to obtain MNCP from Radiation Shielding Information Computational Center (RSICC) or OECD-Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA).

http://www-rsicc.ornl.gov/codes/ccc/ccc7/ccc-710.html or
http://www-xdiv.lanl.gov/PROJECTS/DATA/nuclear/doc/ccc-710.html

http://www.nea.fr/abs/html/nea-1733.html

One must request the code. However, access may be restricted to academic and scientific institutions.

 

[vatly]

I am a novice, then I care about some free codes for students. I am caring about some code to compute reactor physics like neutron distribution, lattice calculation, thermohydro calculation ... Thanks for the above news, anyway.