Computing adjoint-weighted kinetics parameters in Tripoli-4 by the Iterated Fission Probability method

Guillaume Truchet (1) , Pierre Leconte (1) , Alain Santamarina (1) , Emeric Brun (1) , Zohia Andrea (1)

1 CEA-DES (ex-DEN) - CEA-Direction des Energies (ex-Direction de l'Energie Nucléaire)

The analysis of neutron kinetics relies on the knowledge of adjoint-weighted kinetics parameters, which are key to safety issues in the context of transient or accidental reactor behavior. The Iterated Fission Probability (IFP) method allows the adjoint-weighted mean generation time and delayed neutron fraction to be computed within a Monte Carlo power iteration calculation. In this work we describe the specific features of the implementation of the IFP algorithm in the reference Monte Carlo code Tripoli-4 developed at CEA. Several verification and validation tests are discussed, and the impact of nuclear data libraries, IFP cycle length and inter-cycle correlations are analyzed in detail.

Mots clés: Kinetics parameters; Iterated Fission Probability; Monte Carlo; Tripoli-4

Domaines: Physique Nucléaire Théorique [nucl-th]; Physique Nucléaire Expérimentale [nucl-ex]

Guillaume Truchet, Pierre Leconte, Alain Santamarina, Emeric Brun, Zohia Andrea. Computing adjoint-weighted kinetics parameters in Tripoli-4 by the Iterated Fission Probability method. Annals of Nuclear Energy, 2015, 85, pp.17-26. ⟨10.1016/j.anucene.2015.04.025⟩. ⟨cea-02387020⟩