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At least 685 records · Page 38
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Subcritical Multiplication with a Fixed Source

In a subcritical, multiplying medium, the system multiplication describes the expected total number of neutrons created by a single source neutron. Subcriticality plays a large role in criticality safety and thus it is vital for the subcritical multiplication factor be accurate, especially as a system approaches criticality. This work examines the accuracy of calculating the system multiplication using the MCNP6.2 ® k-eigenvalue power iteration (KCODE) method when a fixed-point source is present in a multiplying medium, for near critical systems. This work compares the standard approach for calculating system multiplication, using the fixed-source calculational approach, to a new, single k-eigenvalue power iteration approach that incorporates a fixed-source component and a fission-source component into a single calculation. For the remainder of this paper, some theoretical background and numerical results for an approximate k eigenvalue approach, an accurate fixed-source approach and a new and more accurate k-eigenvalue approach to computing system multiplication are provided.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Comparison of NMC estimates with trans-stilbene, EJ-309, and He-3 detection systems

Neutron multiplicity counting (NMC) is a technique for the assay of fissile material. In this work, three detection systems are utilized for active interrogation assay of shells of the Rocky Flats shells (highly enriched uranium, 93% 235U) stacked from 13.25-54.92 kg assemblies. The singles ($R_1$) and doubles ($R_2$) rates are calculated with each system to estimate two sample parameters: $M_L$- the leakage multiplication and F - the sample fission rate. The estimated mass, m, is found by dividing F by a constant activity per unit mass. Since we are interrogating HEU, the α ratio of (α; n) to fission neutrons is taken to be zero. The system of equations to calculate these quantities was originally derived. The Neutron Multiplicity 3 He Array Detector (NOMAD) consists of 15 3 He tubes inside polyethylene and is the traditional, capture-based detection system for NMC. The polyethylene moderates incoming neutrons for thermal capture in individual tubes. The low gamma background, discrete capture signals, and high efficiency of the NOMAD are beneficial for NMC. However, the time to slow down neutrons to thermal energies leads to a system die away time on the scale of microseconds. Comparatively, the Rossi-alpha Measurements – Rapid Organic (n, γ) Discrimination Detector (RAMRODD) and the Organic Scintillator Array (OSCAR) are scatter-based detection systems. RAMRODD consists of 8, 5.08 by 5.08 cm EJ-309 liquid scintillators in 4 pairs, evenly-spaced with 90 degrees separation about the center of each assembly. OSCAR consists of a single array of 12, 5.08 by 5.08 cm trans-stilbene crystals aligned with the center of the assembly. Scatter-based systems detect fast neutrons without any moderation, leading to system die away times on the scale of tens of nanoseconds. This allows much shorter timing gate widths compared to thermal systems, thus increasing counting statistics of true correlated fission events. However, scatter-based systems are susceptible to neutron cross-talk when an incident neutron scatters off one detector and interacts in an adjacent detector, causing two seemingly correlated detection signals. The equations developed adjust for cross-talk to conduct NMC with scatter-based systems.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Sensitivity-based Experiment Design Optimization for a Molybdenum Critical Experiment

A lack of intermediate molybdenum benchmarks in the ICSBEP has been identified by LANL, Y-12, and IRSN. This lacking adversely effects criticality safety operations and leaves new differential molybdenum data unvalidated. NCERC is proposing a series of intermediate integral experiments to better the understanding of molybdenum systems. Using MCNP6.2 with the ENDF/B-VIII.0 nuclear data library a single unmoderated and four moderated system designs were identified using a sensitivity optimization method. Each proposed system was found to be at least twice as sensitive to the 95 Mo capture cross section in the URR as the sole existing intermediate molybdenum benchmark in the ISCBEP handbook. The addition of a new molybdenum sensitive intermediate system would improve future nuclear data evaluations.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

CSRI Summer Proceedings 2020

The Computer Science Research Institute (CSRI) brings university faculty and students to Sandia for focused collaborative research on Department of Energy (DOE) computer and computational science problems. The institute provides an opportunity for university researchers to learn about problems in computer and computational science at DOE laboratories. Participants conduct leading-edge research, interact with scientists and engineers at the laboratories, and help transfer results of their research to programs at the labs. Some specific CSRI research interest areas are: scalable solvers, optimization, adaptivity and mesh refinement, graph-based, discrete, and combinatorial algorithms, uncertainty estimation, mesh generation, dynamic load-balancing, virus and other malicious-code defense, visualization, scalable cluster computers, data-intensive computing, environments for scalable computing, parallel input/output, advanced architectures, and theoretical computer science. The CSRI Summer Program is organized by CSRI and typically includes the organization of a weekly seminar series and the publication of a summer proceedings. In 2020, the CSRI summer program was executed completely virtually; all student interns worked from home, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2021

CSRI Summer Proceedings 2021

The Computer Science Research Institute (CSRI) brings university faculty and students to Sandia National Laboratories for focused collaborative research on Department of Energy (DOE) computer and computational science problems. The institute provides an opportunity for university researches to learn about problems in computer and computational science at DOE laboratories, and help transfer results of their research to programs at the labs. Some specific CSRI research interest areas are: scalable solvers, optimization, algebraic preconditioners, graph-based, discrete, and combinatorial algorithms, uncertainty estimation, validation and verification methods, mesh generation, dynamic load-balancing, virus and other malicious-code defense, visualization, scalable cluster computers, beyond Moore’s Law computing, exascale computing tools and application design, reduced order and multiscale modeling, parallel input/output, and theoretical computer science. The CSRI Summer Program is organized by CSRI and includes a weekly seminar series and the publication of a summer proceedings.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2022

MPACT Software Management Plan (V.4.3)

The MPACT code solves a discretized form of the Boltzmann transport equation on a wide variety of geometries and is distributed with a multigroup neutron cross section library. MPACT provides an advanced geometrically resolved neutral-particle transport capability to solve the flux distribution throughout the entire problem geometry, and it can model the isotopic depletion, decay, and activation of materials. The flux solution in MPACT is provided using a 2D/1D synthesis method within the framework of the 3D coarse mesh finite difference (CMFD) method for which axial and radial correction factors are obtained from 2D method of characteristics (MOC) and 1D nodal expansion method (NEM), PN, or SN. Other key characteristics of the MPACT code include the subgroup method and the embedded self-shielding method (ESSM) for resonance treatment, depletion capability based on the ORIGEN exponential matrix method, and a simplified thermal-hydraulics method for temperature/fluid feedback. The sole purpose of the simplified feedback model is to provide a mechanism for testing during code development and to provide a limited capability for educational applications. Work performed at the code level supports the VERA-QA-001, quality assurance program plan (QAPP) and VERA-QA-002, VERA Software Quality Assurance Plan.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2022

ASC FY2023 Implementation Plan Revision 0

The DOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP) is an integrated technical program for maintaining the safety, security, and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile. The SSP incorporates nuclear test data, computational modeling and simulation, and experimental facilities to advance understanding of nuclear weapons. The suite of data analyzed comes from activities including previous nuclear tests, stockpile surveillance, experimental research, and development and engineering programs. This integrated national program requires the continued use of experimental facilities and the computational capabilities to support the SSP missions. These component parts, in addition to an appropriately scaled production capability, enable NNSA to support stockpile requirements. The ultimate goal of the SSP, and thus of the Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) Program, is to ensure that the U.S. maintains a safe, secure, and effective strategic deterrent.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Status of the Atlas of Neutron Resonances [Slides]

The Atlas of Neutron Resonances is the most comprehensive compilation of neutron resonances, thermal cross sections, resonance integrals and Maxwellian averaged cross sections generally available. For decades, the Atlas was carefully curated and maintained by Dr. Said Mughabghab who sadly passed on during the summer of 2018 after publishing the 2018 edition of the Atlas . We are continuing the development of this important compendium. To a large extent, the Atlas book is generated from a series of text files given in a single purpose domain-specific format. Therefore, we developed a software API and began the systematic assessment of the Atlas files. With this work past, we are now focusing on new efforts to expand the quality and scope of the Atlas . Current and recently completed projects include a cross comparison of the Atlas bibliography with Nuclear Science References and the EXFOR data library, a better determination of average resonance parameters, and using machine learning to assess the correctness of the spin group assignments of resonances tabulated in the Atlas .

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

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↗
DOE OSTI2022

AMPX [Slides]

This presentation discusses and announces that AMPX is now available as open source. It additionally provides an overview about ENDF and GNDS reading in AMPX. It also discusses thermal scattering law updates and the CE and MG data libraries for SCALE 6.3.0 and SCALE 7.0.0. In addition, the presentation discusses the photonuclear sub library processing capability of AMPX.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Transient Efficiency, Flexibility, and Reliability Optimization of Coal-Fired Power Plants - Final Report

This program developed an advanced model-based monitoring and model-predictive control algorithms for a coal fired power plant (CFPP), and deployed these algorithms in a real-time platform to demonstrate performance benefits for transient flexibility and plant operation efficiency. More specifically, the objectives were successfully achieved through a combination of (i) developing a high-fidelity transient plant model in Apros, which was used as a high-fidelity plant simulation between $100-50\% TMCR$ where TMCR denotes the turbine maximum continuous rating, i.e., baseload, (ii) developing a very fast physics-based reduced-order model (ROM) of the plant, which ran more than $100\times$ faster than real-time, enabling its use as real-time embedded model for model-based estimation (MBE) and model predictive control (MPC) (iii) implementing a real-time MBE based on ROM using a robust unscented Kalman filter (UKF) to continuously tune the ROM to match the measurements from high-fidelity Apros plant model despite significant plant-model mismatch, and thus, obtain a Digital Twin of the plant (iv) designing and implementing a real-time MPC with dual objectives of transient plant load tracking with high ramp rates and minimizing coal consumption, i.e., improving plant efficiency in the baseload-partload operation range of $100-50\% TMCR$. Each key element above was developed and tested individually, and has been reported in corresponding Topical Reports. Finally, all the individual elements were integrated in an overall closed-loop system, that was successfully tested in desktop Simulink test harness simulations with ROM or high-fidelity model as the plant. Thereafter, the Simulink implementation was used to auto-generate C-code and deploy as real-time Docker microservice containers in Linux, and validate that they can run in real-time in the hardware-in-the loop (HIL) setup and produce the same results as in Simulink. The results of the integrated simulation tests in Simulink as well as the real-time HIL deployment are documented in this final report, showing good load tracking for load ramps at $3-4\%/min$ ramp rates, and achieving up to $5.5\%$ reduction in coal relative to baseline operation at $50\% TMCR$ load. The desktop and HIL simulations show successful performance of the overall model based estimation and control solution and achieve the key objectives of the program for flexible, efficient and reliable operation of subcritical coal fired power plants.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2022

TSL Nuclear Fuel Evaluations and Capabilities at NC State University [Slides]

This presentation discusses the purpose of this project which is to provide thermal scattering law (TSL) and cross section data to support advanced reactor modeling and criticality safety. The presentation also examines modeling and simulations, evaluation updates, and benchmark applications in connection with the project. In summation, new and updated uranium fuel evaluations have been submitted to the ENDF/B libraries. These include vital fuel materials U-metal, UC, UN, and UO 2 .

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2026

EvaluateFlux, VARPOW, VARPEAK, and DIF3DtoVTK Utility Programs for DIF3D (Rev. 1)

The DIF3D-VARIANT solver is part of the DIF3D code which was developed at ANL for engineering level predictive analysis of nuclear reactor cores. Over the course of the last 20 years, the DIF3D-VARIANT option of DIF3D has become increasingly more used because of improvements in computer memory capabilities and performance. This is beneficial to the users of DIF3D as DIF3D-VARIANT is able to apply both p- and h-spatial mesh refinement strategies in diffusion and transport theory. Given its greater use, utility programs were created to assist in post-processing the DIF3D output. This document discusses the basic execution process of DIF3D and the output files it creates but is primarily focused on being the manual for the utility programs EvaluateFlux, VARPOW, VARPEAK, and DIF3DtoVTK.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Uniformly Ordered Binary Decision Algorithm for Benchmark Experiment Correlations in Whisper Validation

When performing a validation exercise for determining the upper subcritical limit of a nuclear criticality safety application, an analyst should select and perform a statistical analysis on a population of benchmark experiments that are neutronically similar to the application. The size of this population should be sufficiently large such that the statistical analysis has a high degree of confidence that the bias plus bias uncertainty (calculational margin) has been accurately quantified. A complication arises because many benchmark experiments share common components, leading to correlations in their measured effective multiplication factors. Correlations between benchmark experiments within the population reduces its predictive power. This motivates the need for methods that consider benchmark experiment correlations and ensure adequate statistical significance of results. The Whisper code is a statistical analysis pack- age that incorporates nuclear data sensitivity coefficients from MCNP to assess benchmark experiment similarity and then performs an extreme-value analysis to estimate the bias plus bias uncertainty. The original methodology in Whisper does not consider the effect of benchmark experiment correlations when making this estimation, and this summary proposes the uniformly ordered binary decision algorithm to address this shortcoming. The original methodology in Whisper computes similarity coefficients ck for an application compared to all benchmark experiments in its library and develops weighting factors for a selected population proportional to the ck values. The methodology can be interpreted as statistically emulating a validation exercise for a particular application where the weighting factors may be viewed as the likelihood that an analyst would include a particular benchmark experiment within the population. The effective sample size of the population is the expected or mean number of benchmark experiments in the population. The uniformly ordered binary decision algorithm identifies clusters of correlated benchmark experiments within the population and then computes adjusted weighting factors based on the magnitude of the correlation coefficients within the cluster to compute a reduced effective sample size accounting for the lower information content because of correlations. Benchmark experiments within the cluster are ordered randomly with equal probability and probabilistic decisions are made as to whether a benchmark. experiment within the cluster should treated as redundant with a previous one; if two redundant benchmark experiments are included, then the conservative worst case bias plus bias uncertainty is used and the pair is counted as a single benchmark experiment in the population. Results are provided for HEU solutions in a research version of the Whisper software using benchmark experiment correlations provided by DICE, the Database for the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP). These show that there can be a significant increase in the bias plus bias uncertainty because the effective sample size is reduced, and therefore the algorithm, needing to meet sample size requirements, expands the benchmark experiment population by accepting less similar benchmark experiments that would have otherwise not been included.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Brochure for the DOE Office of Science Workshop on Envisioning Frontiers in AI and Computing for Biological Research

In February of 2025 a joint ASCR/BER workshop was held to identify key transformational research directions for understanding biology using artificial intelligence (AI), digital twins and high-performance (HPC) computational methods to facilitate scientific discovery and innovation in support of the Department of Energy mission. AI technologies offer exciting new groundbreaking methods to analyze large volumes of complex biological data, thereby greatly accelerating the ability to understand, predict, and design biological processes for beneficial purposes. In the laboratory, the bridging of AI-enabled automated experimental technologies, HPC and digital twins will provide potent tools for researchers to explore the fundamental nature of biology and harness its inherent metabolic potential for a variety of beneficial purposes. The focus of this workshop was on how high-performance computational methods can impact this objective by exploring digital twins, foundational models, and data-driven approaches with applications to advance automated laboratory experiments, modeling of complex living systems and engineering new functions into plants and microbial systems relevant to DOE mission. Workshop attendees with expertise in plant science, microbiology, mathematics, computer science, and AI assessed the current state of the science, trends, and AI challenges at the interface of plant and microbial systems biology and computational science to identify opportunities for high-impact research. This collaborative effort capitalized on ASCR's advancements in applied mathematics, computer science, and Exascale systems, and BER's expertise in basic genomics-enabled research on DOE relevant plant and microbial systems. The workshop culminated in four key priority research directions to guide future research and development within DOE Office of Science programs.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗