Regular Article

Local correlated sampling Monte Carlo calculations in the TFM neutronics approach for spatial and point kinetics applications

CEA, DEN, DER, Cadarache, 13108 Saint-Paul Les Durance Cedex, France

^⁎ e-mail: axel.laureau@cea.fr

Received: 11 November 2016
Received in final form: 4 March 2017
Accepted: 4 April 2017
Published online: 14 June 2017

Abstract

These studies are performed in the general framework of transient coupled calculations with accurate neutron kinetics models. This kind of application requires a modeling of the influence on the neutronics of the macroscopic cross-section evolution. Depending on the targeted accuracy, this feedback can be limited to the reactivity for point kinetics, or can take into account the redistribution of the power in the core for spatial kinetics. The local correlated sampling technique for Monte Carlo calculation presented in this paper has been developed for this purpose, i.e. estimating the influence on the neutron transport of a local variation of different parameters such as sodium density or fuel Doppler effect. This method is associated to an innovative spatial kinetics model named Transient Fission Matrix, which condenses the time-dependent Monte Carlo neutronic response in Green functions. Finally, an accurate estimation of the feedback effects on these Green functions provides an on-the-fly prediction of the flux redistribution in the core, whatever the actual perturbation shape is during the transient. This approach is also used to estimate local feedback effects for point kinetics resolution.