Development of a fast reactor multigroup cross section generation code EXUS-F capable of direct processing of evaluated nuclear data files

• Main Authors: Changhyun Lim, Han Gyu Joo, Won Sik Yang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2018-04-01
• Series: Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1738573317308069

The methods and performance of a fast reactor multigroup cross section (XS) generation code EXUS-F are described that is capable of directly processing Evaluated Nuclear Data File format nuclear data files. RECONR of NJOY is used to generate pointwise XS data, and Doppler broadening is incorporated by the Gauss–Hermite quadrature method. The self-shielding effect is incorporated in the ultrafine group XSs in the resolved and unresolved resonance ranges. Functions to generate scattering transfer matrices and fission spectrum matrices are realized. The extended transport approximation is used in zero-dimensional calculations, whereas the collision probability method and the method of characteristics are used for one-dimensional cylindrical geometry and two-dimensional hexagonal geometry problems, respectively. Verification calculations are performed first for various homogeneous mixtures and cylindrical problems. It is confirmed that the spectrum calculations and the corresponding multigroup XS generations are performed adequately in that the reactivity errors are less than 50 pcm with the McCARD Monte Carlo solutions. The nTRACER core calculations are performed with the EXUS-F–generated 47 group XSs for the two-dimensional Advanced Burner Reactor 1000 benchmark problem. The reactivity error of 160 pcm and the root mean square error of the pin powers of 0.7% indicate that EXUF-F generates properly the broad-group XSs. Keywords: Advanced Burner Reactor 1000 Benchmark, Evaluated Nuclear Data File Format, Fast Reactors, Multigroup Cross Sections, Ultrafine Group