Neutron noise calculations in a hexagonal geometry and comparison with analytical solutions
Paper in proceeding, 2012

This paper presents the development of a neutronic and kinetic solver for hexagonal geometries. The tool is developed based on the diffusion theory with multi-energy groups and multi-groups of delayed neutron precursors allowing the solutions of forward and adjoint problems of static and dynamic states, and is applicable to both thermal and fast systems with hexagonal geometries. In the dynamic problems, the small stationary fluctuations of macroscopic cross sections are considered as noise sources, and then the induced first order noise is calculated fully in the frequency domain. Numerical algorithms for solving the static and noise equations are implemented with a spatial discretization based on finite differences and a power iterative solution. A coarse mesh finite difference method has been adopted for speeding up the convergence. Since no other numerical tool could calculate frequency-dependent noise in hexagonal geometry, validation calculations have been performed and benchmarked to analytical solutions based on a 2-D homogeneous system with two-energy groups and one-group of delayed neutron precursor, in which point-like perturbations of thermal absorption cross section at central and non-central positions are considered as noise sources.

hexagonal geometry

analytical solution

Neutron noise

Author

Hoai Nam Tran

Chalmers, Applied Physics, Nuclear Engineering

Christophe Demaziere

Chalmers, Applied Physics, Nuclear Engineering

International Conference on the Physics of Reactors 2012, PHYSOR 2012: Advances in Reactor Physics, Knoxville, TN, USA, April 15-20, 2012, American Nuclear Society

Vol. 5 4107-4119
978-162276389-4 (ISBN)

Subject Categories

Other Engineering and Technologies

Physical Sciences

Areas of Advance

Energy

ISBN

978-162276389-4

More information

Created

10/8/2017