Nuclear Engineering and Technology

Korean Nuclear Society (한국원자력학회)
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Development of transient Monte Carlo in a fissile system with β-delayed emission from individual precursors using modified open source code OpenMC(TD)

  • J. Romero-Barrientos (Centro de Investigacion en Física Nuclear y Espectroscopia de Neutrones CEFNEN, Comision Chilena de Energia Nuclear) ;
  • F. Molina (Centro de Investigacion en Física Nuclear y Espectroscopia de Neutrones CEFNEN, Comision Chilena de Energia Nuclear) ;
  • J.I. Marquez Damian (Spallation Physics Group, European Spallation Source ERIC) ;
  • M. Zambra (Centro de Investigacion en Física Nuclear y Espectroscopia de Neutrones CEFNEN, Comision Chilena de Energia Nuclear) ;
  • P. Aguilera (Centro de Investigacion en Física Nuclear y Espectroscopia de Neutrones CEFNEN, Comision Chilena de Energia Nuclear) ;
  • F. Lopez-Usquiano (Centro de Investigacion en Física Nuclear y Espectroscopia de Neutrones CEFNEN, Comision Chilena de Energia Nuclear) ;
  • S. Parra (Centro de Investigacion en Física Nuclear y Espectroscopia de Neutrones CEFNEN, Comision Chilena de Energia Nuclear)
  • Received : 2022.10.11
  • Accepted : 2023.02.03
  • Published : 2023.05.25
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Abstract

In deterministic and Monte Carlo transport codes, b-delayed emission is included using a group structure where all of the precursors are grouped together in 6 groups or families, but given the increase in computational power, nowadays there is no reason to keep this structure. Furthermore, there have been recent efforts to compile and evaluate all the available b-delayed neutron emission data and to measure new and improved data on individual precursors. In order to be able to perform a transient Monte Carlo simulation, data from individual precursors needs to be implemented in a transport code. This work is the first step towards the development of a tool to explore the effect of individual precursors in a fissile system. In concrete, individual precursor data is included by expanding the capabilities of the open source Monte Carlo code OpenMC. In the modified code - named Time Dependent OpenMC or OpenMC(TD)- time dependency related to β-delayed neutron emission was handled by using forced decay of precursors and combing of the particle population. The data for continuous energy neutron cross-sections was taken from JEFF-3.1.1 library. Regarding the data needed to include the individual precursors, cumulative yields were taken from JEFF-3.1.1 and delayed neutron emission probabilities and delayed neutron spectra were taken from ENDF-B/VIII.0. OpenMC(TD) was tested in a monoenergetic system, an energy dependent unmoderated system where the precursors were taken individually or in a group structure, and in a light-water moderated energy dependent system, using 6-groups, 50 and 40 individual precursors. Neutron flux as a function of time was obtained for each of the systems studied. These results show the potential of OpenMC(TD) as a tool to study the impact of individual precursor data on fissile systems, thus motivating further research to simulate more complex fissile systems.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

J. Romero-Barrientos acknowledges support from Programa Nacional de Becas de Postgrado under grant 21151413. F. Molina acknowledges support from ANID FONDECYT Regular Project 1171467, ANID FONDECYT Regular Project 1221364, and ANID - Millennium Science Initiative Program - ICN2019_044.

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