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At least 199 records · Page 11

Characterization of Uranium Foil Irradiations at the WSU TRIGA Reactor Using a New Reactor Model in SCALE [Slides]

A depleted uranium foil and a highly enriched uranium foil that were irradiated at the Washington State University TRIGA reactor were used to measure the relative production of 237 U and 239 U, two key isotopes of interest in nuclear forensics, as well as their decay daughters 237 Np and 239 Pu. Total fissions in the two foils were also estimated using 99 Mo measurement. A reactor model of the TRIGA was built in the SCALE neutron transport code using dimensions obtained from an existing MCNP geometry. The model was successfully used to simulate foil fissions and the reaction rate ratios in 238 U, using the laboratory-measured isotope ratios as a benchmark. The flux distribution in the foils was determined. Finally, using the continuous energy Tsunami-3d module of SCALE, a sensitivity/uncertainty analysis was performed to determine the effects on the reaction ratio caused by other reactions in the reactor and by uncertainties in the known cross-sections.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

Characterization of Uranium Foil Irradiations at the WSU TRIGA Reactor Using a New Reactor Model in Scale

A new reactor model of the Washington State University TRIGA was developed in the SCALE neutron transport code, and its fidelity was verified by comparison to MCNP and available data for several reactor parameters. The model was used to characterize irradiations designed to produce the short-lived actinides 237 U and 239 U, two key isotopes for nuclear forensics. These short-lived actinides, their decay daughters 237Np and 239Pu, and total fissions (via 99 Mo) were measured in irradiated foils at Los Alamos National Laboratory and other labs with good agreement among parent/daughter pairs and among labs. The laboratory-measured isotope ratios were used as a benchmark for the model determination of reaction rates. The flux distribution in the foils was also determined. Finally, using the continuous energy TSUNAMI-3D module of SCALE, a sensitivity/uncertainty analysis was performed to determine the effects on foil reactions caused by other system-wide reactions and by uncertainties in the known cross-sections.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

SCALE Sensitivity Tutorial [Slides]

In sensitivity analysis, we seek to quantify the degree to which fundamental data (i.e., nuclear data) influence a system’s response. In uncertainty analysis, we seek to quantify the degree to which uncertainty in fundamental data contributes to uncertainty in a system’s response. In SCALE, the TSUNAMI suite provides tools for sensitivity and uncertainty analysis, similarity analysis, and nuclear data and covariance adjustment.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

ORNL Neutron Cross Section Measurements of 90 Zr NCSP ND-1 Task [Slides]

Luiz Leal's idea to integrate the experimental uncertainties, covariances, and sensitivities in this workflow and centralize the process at one location led to the creation of a cohesive tool for data testing. It has been practiced for more than two decades by the NCS and ND groups at ORNL. The development and use of the ORNL codes TSUNAMI and TSURFER within SCALE made it possible. Today, it has been extended to SAMINT which enables the coupling of differential and integral data evaluation in a continuous-energy framework.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Status of Shift for NCS Applications in SCALE 6.3 [Slides]

Shift can run most KENO V.a and KENO-VI inputs, but beware of small geometry fudge factors. Shift is faster than KENO for fast spectrum systems, but has a higher uncertainty per particle. KENO FoM is higher for thermal systems. KENO V.a in MG is significantly faster than KENO V.a in CE, so this may exacerbate Shift difference. Shift generally has greater speedup for parallel calculations. Shift has only IFP available for TSUNAMI-3D, but parallel calculations are enabled.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Analysis of SCALE Criticality and Sensitivity Calculations for Reflected HEU Cylinders [Slides]

The SCALE code package offers multiple nuclear data libraries supporting Monte Carlo transport, with sensitivity and uncertainty methods derived from MC transport solutions. Several libraries are multigroup, which introduce bias differing by system. Previous work has shown poor S/U results in several reflector materials: ICSBEP benchmark HMF-084 was selected to analyze biases and S/U method applicability to a variety of reflectors. Prior and ongoing work found inaccuracies in CSAS and TSUNAMI results, which were further investigated utilizing the HEU-MET-FAST-084 ICSBEP critical benchmark, chosen for its geometrical simplicity and variety of reflector materials. Perturbation of reflector thickness across various reflector materials allowed for an assortment of materials is to be tested swiftly for each sequence and method. Observation was an increasing bias of MG $k_{eff}$ relative to CE, in both direction and magnitude. IFP produced extremely reliable results. >85% of CLUTCH cases were found satisfactory.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Sensitivity Calculations for Systems with Polyethylene Reflector Materials Using CLUTCH [Slides]

CLUTCH is a CE TSUNAMI method that uses a single forward calculation to determine sensitivities. An F*(r) function provides the importance of each voxel in a mesh over all regions where fission can occur. A sufficient number of fissions must be simulated in each voxel in which fission is possible to generate an accurate estimate of the importance of a fission in that voxel.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Hierarchical Data Format for Nuclear Data Sensitivities [Slides]

An HDF5-based file format was introduced for the sensitivity data calculated by TSUNAMI. The format was defined to collect the sensitivity coefficients into hyperslabs, which optimizes file reading time and therefore improves the time-to-solution for applications. In future work, this format will be extended to store sensitivity data for depletion calculations.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Uses of Sensitivity/Uncertainty Techniques for Critical Experiment Design [Slides]

This presentation discusses the programming languages TSUNAMI and TSAR. It also provides a review of experimental designs using sensitivity analysis in regard to 7uPCX fuel design, fission product experiment analysis, MIRTE, and temperature dependent experiments at the Sandia Pulsed Reactor Facility (SPRF).

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Recent Testing of ENDF/B-VIII.0 at ORNL [Slides]

This presentation provides an overview of comparisons of ENDF/B-VII.1 and ENDF/B-VIII.0 and uses VALID suite to test >600 cases with ENDF/B-VII.1 and ENDF/B-VIII.0 in KENO V.a/KENO-VI, although a limited number of cases have been tested with TSUNAMI. It provides a results summary of KENO V.a/KENO-VI with a pooled results summary. The presentation also discusses changes for LCT experiments, MCT experiments, MST experiments, and PST experiments. A few words about graphite are also provided and the presentation states that graphite performance investigated across ENDF/B-VII.0, ENDF/B-VII.1, and ENDF/B-VIII.0 for MSR and HTGR models. A brief summary of the results is presented to make sure the Validation Committee is aware of the work. Also presented is an Eigenvalue comparison with a graphite moderated system, and comparison between an HTR-10 pebble model ENDF/B-VII.1 vs. ENDF/B-VIII.0, which provides different graphite data. In conclusion, ORNL has recently completed a comparison of ENDF/B-VIII.0 and ENDF/B-VII.1 using the VALID library. Work is also being performed for advanced reactor applications. Other efforts on-going and they are also trying to investigate more intermediate spectrum cases.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Copper Evaluation and SCALE S/U [Slides]

This presentation discusses progress that has been made so far on the RRR evaluation for n+ 63,65 Cu and on SCALE S/U work, especially optimizations for TSUNAMI-IP.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

SMART Subsea Cables for Observing the Earth and Ocean, Mitigating Environmental Hazards, and Supporting the Blue Economy

The Joint Task Force, Science Monitoring And Reliable Telecommunications (JTF SMART) Subsea Cables, is working to integrate environmental sensors for ocean bottom temperature, pressure, and seismic acceleration into submarine telecommunications cables. The purpose of SMART Cables is to support climate and ocean observation, sea level monitoring, observations of Earth structure, and tsunami and earthquake early warning and disaster risk reduction, including hazard quantification. Recent advances include regional SMART pilot systems that are the first steps to trans-ocean and global implementation. Examples of pilots include: InSEA wet demonstration project off Sicily at the European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and water column Observatory Western Ionian Facility; New Caledonia and Vanuatu; French Polynesia Natitua South system connecting Tahiti to Tubaui to the south; Indonesia starting with short pilot systems working toward systems for the Sumatra-Java megathrust zone; and the CAM-2 ring system connecting Lisbon, Azores, and Madeira. This paper describes observing system simulations for these and other regions. Funding reflects a blend of government, development bank, philanthropic foundation, and commercial contributions. In addition to notable scientific and societal benefits, the telecommunications enterprise’s mission of global connectivity will benefit directly, as environmental awareness improves both the integrity of individual cable systems as well as the resilience of the overall global communications network. SMART cables support the outcomes of a predicted, safe, and transparent ocean as envisioned by the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and the Blue Economy. As a continuation of the OceanObs’19 conference and community white paper (Howe et al., 2019, 10.3389/fmars.2019.00424), an overview of the SMART programme and a description of the status of ongoing projects are given.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Powering the Blue Economy: Progress Exploring Marine Renewable Energy Integration With Ocean Observations

The blue economy is a dynamic and rapidly growing movement that captures the interplay between economic, social, and ecological sustainability of the ocean and encompasses numerous maritime sectors and activities (e.g., commerce and trade; living resources; renewable energy; minerals, materials, and freshwater; and ocean health and data). The demand for ocean data to inform scientific, risk reduction, and national security needs is leading to a large increase in the number of deployed ocean observation and monitoring systems, most of which require increased power. Because ocean observation systems are often placed in remote locations, they primarily rely on energy storage (or in some cases in situ energy generation) to power instruments and equipment, which imposes limits on sampling rates, deployment times, and spatiotemporal resolution of data. The U.S. Department of Energy Water Power Technologies Office is exploring the potential for marine renewable energy (MRE) devices (largely wave and tidal energy converters) to provide power to support multiple blue economy opportunities. A portion of these opportunities focus on power at sea markets for providing power in off-grid and offshore locations to support a variety of ocean-based activities, including ocean observation and navigation, underwater vehicle charging, marine aquaculture, marine algae farming, and seawater mining. Initially, research has focused on better understanding how and where MRE can provide a consistent source of reliable power to extend ocean observing missions, including operation of autonomous underwater vehicles. Online surveys as well as phone and inperson interviews were conducted with experts in the field of ocean observing systems and observatories to gather end-user requirements, determine energy needs, identify opportunities for codevelopment, and pinpoint constraints for MRE to meet those needs. The surveys and interviews provided feedback on the potential for powering devices and vehicles using MRE, including identifying common themes and challenges that will inform foundational research and development steps needed to advance the integration of MRE with ocean observing systems. In most cases, additional power generation on the order of watts was identified as significantly beneficial to enhancing ocean observations capabilities.

marine renewable energy, powering the blue economy↗

LESSONS LEARNED IN AEROSOL MONITORING WITH THE RASA

The Radionuclide Aerosol Sampler/Analyzer (RASA) is an automated aerosol collection and analysis system designed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in the 1990's and is deployed in several locations around the world as part of the International Monitoring System (IMS) required under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). The RASA operates unattended, save for regularly scheduled maintenance, iterating samples through a three-step process on a 24-hour interval. In its 15-year history, much has been learned from the operation and maintenance of the RASA that can benefit engineering updates or future aerosol systems. On 11 March 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami rocked the eastern coast of Japan, resulting in power loss and cooling failures at the Daiichi nuclear power plants in Fukushima Prefecture. Aerosol collections were conducted with the RASA in Richland, WA. We present a summary of the lessons learned over the history of the RASA, including lessons taken from the Fukushima incident, regarding the RASA IMS stations operated by the United States.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

NARAC Modeling During the Response to the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Emergency

This paper summarizes the activities of the National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center (NARAC) during the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant crisis. NARAC provided a wide range of products and analyses as part of its support including: (1) Daily Japanese weather forecasts and hypothetical release (generic source term) dispersion predictions to provide situational awareness and inform planning for U.S. measurement data collection and field operations; (2) Estimates of potential dose in Japan for hypothetical scenarios developed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to inform federal government considerations of possible actions that might be needed to protect U.S. citizens in Japan; (3) Estimates of possible plume arrival times and dose for U.S. locations; and (4) Plume model refinement and source estimation based on meteorological analyses and available field data. The Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) deployed personnel to Japan and stood up 'home team' assets across the DOE complex to aid in assessing the consequences of the releases from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant. The DOE Nuclear Incident Team (NIT) coordinated response activities, while DOE personnel provided predictive modeling, air and ground monitoring, sample collection, laboratory analysis, and data assessment and interpretation. DOE deployed the Aerial Measuring System (AMS), Radiological Assistance Program (RAP) personnel, and the Consequence Management Response Team (CMRT) to Japan. DOE/NNSA home team assets included the Consequence Management Home Team (CMHT); National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center (NARAC); Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS); and Radiological Triage. NARAC was activated by the DOE/NNSA on March 11, shortly after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami occurred. The center remained on active operations through late May when DOE ended its deployment to Japan. Over 32 NARAC staff members, supplemented by other LLNL scientists, invested over 5000 person-hours of time and generated over 300 analyses and predictions.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Markov Model of Severe Accident Progression and Management

The earthquake and tsunami that hit the nuclear power plants at the Fukushima Daiichi site in March 2011 led to extensive fuel damage, including possible fuel melting, slumping, and relocation at the affected reactors. A so-called feed-and-bleed mode of reactor cooling was initially established to remove decay heat. The plan was to eventually switch over to a recirculation cooling system. Failure of feed and bleed was a possibility during the interim period. Furthermore, even if recirculation was established, there was a possibility of its subsequent failure. Decay heat has to be sufficiently removed to prevent further core degradation. To understand the possible evolution of the accident conditions and to have a tool for potential future hypothetical evaluations of accidents at other nuclear facilities, a Markov model of the state of the reactors was constructed in the immediate aftermath of the accident and was executed under different assumptions of potential future challenges. This work was performed at the request of the U.S. Department of Energy to explore 'what-if' scenarios in the immediate aftermath of the accident. The work began in mid-March and continued until mid-May 2011. The analysis had the following goals: (1) To provide an overall framework for describing possible future states of the damaged reactors; (2) To permit an impact analysis of 'what-if' scenarios that could lead to more severe outcomes; (3) To determine approximate probabilities of alternative end-states under various assumptions about failure and repair times of cooling systems; (4) To infer the reliability requirements of closed loop cooling systems needed to achieve stable core end-states and (5) To establish the importance for the results of the various cooling system and physical phenomenological parameters via sensitivity calculations.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Markov Model of Accident Progression at Fukushima Daiichi

On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake followed by a tsunami caused loss of offsite power and disabled the emergency diesel generators, leading to a prolonged station blackout at the Fukushima Daiichi site. After successful reactor trip for all operating reactors, the inability to remove decay heat over an extended period led to boil-off of the water inventory and fuel uncovery in Units 1-3. A significant amount of metal-water reaction occurred, as evidenced by the quantities of hydrogen generated that led to hydrogen explosions in the auxiliary buildings of the Units 1 & 3, and in the de-fuelled Unit 4. Although it was assumed that extensive fuel damage, including fuel melting, slumping, and relocation was likely to have occurred in the core of the affected reactors, the status of the fuel, vessel, and drywell was uncertain. To understand the possible evolution of the accident conditions at Fukushima Daiichi, a Markov model of the likely state of one of the reactors was constructed and executed under different assumptions regarding system performance and reliability. The Markov approach was selected for several reasons: It is a probabilistic model that provides flexibility in scenario construction and incorporates time dependence of different model states. It also readily allows for sensitivity and uncertainty analyses of different failure and repair rates of cooling systems. While the analysis was motivated by a need to gain insight on the course of events for the damaged units at Fukushima Daiichi, the work reported here provides a more general analytical basis for studying and evaluating severe accident evolution over extended periods of time. This work was performed at the request of the U.S. Department of Energy to explore 'what-if' scenarios in the immediate aftermath of the accidents.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Sensitivity/Uncertainty Comparison Study: Oak Ridge National Laboratory Results

Various methods and tools have been developed over the years to assist Nuclear Criticality Safety practitioners in determining a safe upper subcritical limit (USL) for an application of interest. The Nuclear Criticality Safety Program has funded a task to compare calculated USL methods developed at three laboratories—Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and the Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN)—on a small set of benchmark problems. The purpose of this paper is to present the ORNL results using the Tools for Sensitivity Uncertainty Analysis Methodology Implementation (TSUNAMI) from the SCALE 6.2.3 code suite.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗