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Simulating gas-filled neutron detector responses with DRiFT

– Gas-filled neutron detectors have numerous applications across the nuclear engineering and nuclear physics fields. The ability to accurately model and simulate these detectors is important for those applications but is currently limited by the lack of readily-useable detector response software. Recently, the capabilities of DRiFT, a Detector Response Function Toolkit, were expanded to model gas-filled, He-3 and BF3, neutron detectors so that, combined with the radiation transport capabilities of the MCNP code, a high-fidelity treatment of gas-filled neutron detectors can be obtained. Further, this model has been validated by an experiment carried out with the Epithermal Neutron Multiplicity Counter and its capabilities have been demonstrated in two additional experiments. This work shows that utilizing DRiFT to post-process MCNP outputs produces more accurate results than using the MCNP code alone, reducing the difference between experimental and simulated results for measurements taken near the end of a He-3 tube, where the MCNP code struggles to model inactive regions of the detector, from a maximum of 35% with the MCNP code alone to 15% with the MCNP code plus DRiFT. DRiFT's diagnostic capabilities are also demonstrated with measurements for scenarios when pulse pileup or room return effects are significant and must be considered. Altogether, these measurements underpin the ability of DRiFT to accurately model and predict the behavior of gas-filled neutron detectors, making it a valuable tool for the design and testing of systems and experiments that utilize these detectors.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Porosity in nuclear graphite and its impact on nuclear reactor science and criticality safety applications

Porosity in nuclear-grade graphite significantly influences its low-energy neutron scattering, yet its effect on underlying phonon properties remains debated. Here, this work integrates inelastic and small-angle neutron scattering (INS/SANS) experiments, advanced atomistic simulations with a novel machine-learned potential (DeepMD), total cross-section measurements, and neutronics calculations (SCALE, MCNP, OpenMC) to investigate porosity’s impact on neutron thermalization. INS measurements on diverse graphite grades reveal no discernible porosity effect on phonon spectra, which align with crystalline graphite. Conversely, total cross-section data below ≈10 meV show increased scattering attributable to SANS. Our DeepMD simulations demonstrate that realistic micropores do not distort phonon spectra, challenging the assumptions in current ENDF/B-VIII.1 porosity thermal scattering laws (TSLs). These TSLs, based on random atom removal, produce unphysical phonon spectra and inflate inelastic cross-sections. Augmenting a crystalline TSL with an SANS component accurately captures experimental total cross-sections. Neutronics benchmarks (ICSBEP/IRPhE) show ENDF porosity TSLs unphysically increase neutron multiplication factor, keff. Crucially, incorporating SANS physics (NCrystal/OpenMC) indicates accurately modeled porosity negligibly affects keff, reactor physics, or criticality safety.

Critical benchmarks↗

Nuclear Criticality Safety Assessment of Criticality Control Containers without Moderation Control at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) provides for safe, permanent disposal of government-owned transuranic (TRU) and TRU mixed wastes. Receipt and disposal of waste at the WIPP site began in March 1999. The Sandia report, Consideration of Nuclear Criticality When Disposing of Transuranic Waste at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, addressed potential nuclear criticality safety issues based on the projected inventory characteristics known at the time [1]. As designs for inventory, waste forms, and disposal packages have changed, new analyses have been performed, and updates have been made to address any potential effects to the WIPP safety basis. New analyses performed include Saylor 2017 [2] and Brickner 2019 [3], which address certain waste containers with specified loadings under post-closure conditions. Both examined several hypothetical scenarios and included analyses to bound (from a criticality potential standpoint) credible configurations that could occur at WIPP during the repository regulatory post-closure disposal time period for feature, event, and process (FEP) considerations—10,000 years. During this post-closure period at WIPP, the screening of FEPs is governed by the risk-based standards and implementing regulations of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (i.e., 40 CFR 191 and 40 CFR 194, respectively) [4,5]. An FEP screening can be based on either a low-consequence or low-probability rationale. A low-probability rationale includes either (a) a qualitative rationale that the FEP is not credible or (b) a quantitative demonstration that the probability is less than 10-4 in 104 years. In this evaluation, a qualitative lowprobability rationale of not credible is used by demonstrating that bounding configurations of the waste are not critical. The demonstration of subcriticality is through quantitative calculations, but a probability of criticality is not evaluated. Rather, the rationale for this evaluation is that bounding configurations with an effective neutron multiplication factor (keff) well below the upper subcriticality limit (USL) make criticality incredible. Reference [2] documented a nuclear criticality assessment of the WIPP repository for disposal of dilute surplus plutonium materials using the Dilute and Dispose Approach and packaging in criticality control overpacks (CCOs). The CCO is the waste disposal container recently designed to allow for up to 380 fissile gram equivalent (FGE) 239 Pu per drum, which is a higher fissile loading than typical waste containers. The CCO consists of a criticality control container (CCC) positioned by upper and lower plywood spacers within a standard 55 gal drum. The CCC is used to establish a geometry control for fissile materials during transportation and WIPP emplacement operations. The current WIPP waste acceptance criteria for CCO payloads limit beryllium to less than or equal to 1% by weight of the waste contents and require the waste form to be non-machine compacted. Reference [2] considered two scenario progressions—room closure from salt creep, hereafter referred to as the reconfigured dry scenario, and flooding with brine, hereafter referred to as the reconfigured wet scenario. The subsequent drying out of the reconfigured wet scenarios was also considered. For all scenarios, subcriticality was maintained when 50 g of B 4 C (acting as a neutron absorber) per CCC was intermixed within the plutonium disposition waste form. The analysis used a waste form description that limits the amount of moderation that could be present within the waste form (i.e., it limits the amount of water and polyethylene that could be present based on planned processing conditions). This analysis to evaluate increased limits on the amount of moderation that could be present was performed as a companion to Reference [2] to address concerns associated with verifying moisture and/or plastic contents of waste materials following packaging of dilute surplus plutonium in the CCO. To that end, this analysis used the models and methods from Reference [2] to evaluate a more generic base waste form consisting of water and polyethylene that is more similar (and nearly identical) to the generic waste forms utilized in other models/analyses supporting the TRU Package Transporter Model II (TRUPACTII) safety analysis [6] (all are without moderation controls). The waste form in this analysis uses a base mixture of 75% water and 25% polyethylene, the total amount of which is varied to determine the optimum moderation to fissile material (H/Pu) ratio. The fissile loading is maintained at up to 380 FGE 239 Pu (modeled as PuO 2 ) per CCO with an additional 545 g of beryllium (to bound the 1% by weight contents restriction) and 50 g of B 4 C intermixed per CCO. The beryllium content (1% by weight) is based on the total allowed waste weight (this does not include packaging and container weights). Figures ES-1 and ES-2 display summary results, showing that with this model including 50 g of B 4 C per CCO, the system keff remains under 0.85 for all moderator amounts and provides a significant margin against post-closure criticality under postulated bounding conditions for compaction. Figure ES-1 compares an infinite model with a room model at the initial emplacement spacing and under full radial compaction. Full radial compaction places each CCC in direct contact and does not credit any anticipated spacing associated with current post-closure geomechanical modeling of the repository [7]. The effects of variations in the H/Pu ratio were evaluated by varying the amount of the water/polyethylene component of the waste model, with fissile loading maintained at 380 239 Pu FGE. Similarly, Figure ES-2 illustrates how various amounts of B 4 C per CCO influence k eff at different radial compactions, all at the H/Pu ratio of 200 (in the room array model). Therefore, while the results from Saylor 2017 [2] modeled more realistic process limits associated with packaging of dilute surplus plutonium, this analysis demonstrates that limits on moderation (plastic and water content) are not necessary to ensure subcriticality in the WIPP repository, provided the requisite B 4 C absorber is present.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Effects of Hydrogen Redistribution at High Temperatures in Yttrium Hydride Moderator Material

We report advanced materials development, manufacturing, and modeling capabilities for innovative reactor designs support nuclear security and mission-focused science through enhanced technology for safer and more efficient and secure production of nuclear energy. The high temperature moderator material yttrium hydride poses a significant enhancement in small reactor design by thermalizing (slowing down) neutrons and decreasing the required fuel mass for a system. The research presented here supports understanding hydrogen distribution in yttrium hydride through: (1) the development of neutron-based hydrogen imaging and crystallographic characterization that allows us to understand fundamental diffraction behaviors and to observe changes in hydrogen distribution as a function of temperature and (2) subsequent neutron multiplication (reactivity) effects of changes in hydrogen distribution using measurement-based cross sections in a sample microreactor design. The main conclusions from the work are that: (1) hydrogen does not redistribute significantly below temperatures of 800°C in yttrium hydride and (2) hydrogen redistribution affects the reactivity slightly but not significantly.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

First principles study of the stability and thermal conductivity of novel Li-Be hybrid ceramics

Hybrid Li-Be ceramics, combining both tritium (T) breeder (Li) and neutron multiplier (Be) for use as part of the fuel cycle of future nuclear fusion reactors are proposed. The development of such hybrid materials may reduce thermal gradients through better matching of thermal properties, mitigating the detrimental effects that may accompany traditional breeder systems while maintaining acceptable neutron multiplication and T breeding. Here, first-principles methods are used to investigate stability and thermal transport properties of a set of compounds containing both Li and Be. It is demonstrated that BeLi 2 O 4 Ge and BeLi 2 O 4 Si are mechanically stable and have formation energies comparable with leading candidates for solid state breeder materials, Li 2 TiO 3 , Li 2 ZrO 3 . It is also demonstrated that similar to the leading candidates, these compounds are insulators with thermal transport defined by phonons. The calculated thermal conductivity of BeLi 2 O 4 Ge is slightly higher compared to Li 2 TiO 3 or Li 2 ZrO 3 while in the BeLi 2 O 4 Si it is almost three times higher compared to the rest of compounds due to a higher phonon group velocities and increased phonon lifetimes. These results indicate that hybrid Li-Be ceramics offer a potential route towards better matching of thermal properties with minimal functional property degradation, thereby offering better overall fuel cycle performance.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Development of a Griffin model of the advanced test reactor

In the pursuit of a higher fidelity deterministic simulation capability of the Advanced Test Reactor, it is important to have a fast yet accurate deterministic neutronics model. Here, to achieve this, we employed an advanced two-step method. The first step involves generating homogenized cross sections using OpenMC, a cutting-edge Monte Carlo neutron transport code. OpenMC offers excellent modular capabilities, allowing for easy component integration and flexibility in incorporating new designs into the model. The second step involves deterministic transport calculations, which are performed using Griffin, a reactor physics application based on the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE). To ensure the accurate spatial resolution and assignment of material cross sections, a Cubit-generated mesh for the Advanced Test Reactor is utilized as an intermediate step between the OpenMC and Griffin models; Griffin utilizes the mesh for its finite element solution, while OpenMC material identifications are written to the mesh file to be used in Griffin material assignments. Additionally, a Python-based script converts the cross sections generated by OpenMC into the ISOXML format required by Griffin. Initial comparisons using the Griffin diffusion solver indicated good agreement between the neutron multiplication factors obtained from the standalone OpenMC model and the Griffin model, with differences of less than 10 pcm in the 2D geometry configuration; it was later determined that this agreement was likely due to compensating effect and was more likely on the order of –700 pcm relative to the OpenMC solution. However, in three-dimensional calculations, an unacceptably large error (almost 8,000 pcm) was found in the Griffin solution with the diffusion solver. Subsequent calculations using Griffin’s discrete ordinates solver demonstrated substantially improved agreement, within 116 pcm of the OpenMC solution used to generate the cross sections for Griffin. Building on this capability, future work will seek to perform more detailed validation calculations. The ultimate goal is to evaluate both transient and multiphysics simulations of the reactor.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Enhancing nuclear data validation analysis by using machine learning

In this work, we demonstrate how machine learning (ML) techniques can be used as an auxiliary tool for nuclear data validation analysis. The output of the ML analysis can inform evaluators and validators on the quality, or lack thereof, of specific nuclear data and benchmark experiments with respect to simulating these experimental benchmark values. To this end, measured and simulated effective neutron multiplication factors, k eff , of 875 selected ICSBEP critical assemblies and the latter's sensitivities with respect to nuclear data as well as benchmarks' features (e.g., material nuclide, core geometry) are used as input for a random forest (RF) regression model. The RF is used to encode the complex inter-dependencies between thousands of nuclear data features (i.e., sensitivity profiles and aspects describing the measurements) and 875 simulated and experimental k eff values in order to understand what nuclear data features are most informative for predicting bias. The complexity of relationships and high-dimensional space is difficult-to-impossible to search fully using simply expert judgment. As a first proof-of-concept—step, it is demonstrated that this technique is able to correctly trace large discrepancies between simulated and experimental k eff back to fabricated shortcomings in nuclear data that were perturbed to simulated k eff values. In a second, real-case scenario, step, the RF algorithm is used to validate the ENDF/B-VIII.0 library in comparison to ENDF/B-VII.1 nuclear data. One case is showcased where the chosen ML algorithms highlighted nuclear data (the 19 F(n,inl) cross section from 0.4–0.9 MeV) that are shown to be problematic by comparing them to associated differential experimental data and nuclear data from other libraries. In addition to that, it is shown that the RF results point towards poor benchmark experiments and associated underestimated uncertainties (e.g., the PU-SOL-THERM-028 series). However, using the RF algorithm for validating nuclear data with respect to k eff is currently limited to pinpointing groups of questionable nuclear data due to the inherent correlations between features introduced by the nuclear data themselves and how k eff is simulated. Due to this, we recommend that the ML methods presented be used to augment—rather than replace—the expert knowledge of evaluators and validators.

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗

MPACT Verification With Magnox Reactor Neutronics Progression Problems

MPACT is a state-of-the-art core simulator designed to perform high-fidelity analysis using whole-core, three-dimensional, pin-resolved neutron transport calculations on modern parallel computing hardware. MPACT was originally developed to model light water reactors, and its capabilities are being extended to simulate gas-cooled, graphite-moderated cores such as Magnox reactors. To verify MPACT’s performance in this new application, the code is being formally benchmarked using representative problems. Progression problems are a series of example models that increase in complexity designed to test a code’s performance. The progression problems include both beginning-of-cycle and depletion calculations. Reference solutions for each progression problem have been generated using Serpent 2, a continuous-energy Monte Carlo reactor physics burnup calculation code.Using the neutron multiplication eigenvalue ke as a metric, MPACT’s performance is assessed on each of the progression problems. Initial results showed that MPACT’s multi-group cross section libraries, originally developed for pressurized water reactor problems, were not sufficient to accurately solve Magnox problems. MPACT’s improved performance on the progression problems is demonstrated using this new optimized cross section library.

Luciano, Nicholas↗

Understanding the impact of nuclear-data covariances on various integral responses using adjustment

The EUCLID (Experiments Underpinned by Computational Learning for Improvements in Nuclear Data) project created a library of sensitivities for nine different integral responses with respect to nuclear data. These integral responses were obtained from measurements at LLNL (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) pulsed spheres, critical and sub-critical assemblies. At the same time, covariances for ENDF/B-VIII.0 were processed at LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory). The combination of these data allow us to study the impact of nuclear-data covariances on various integral responses, either by forward-propagating covariances via sensitivities, or by using nuclear data, integral responses, and sensitivities for adjustment. Here, we will present: the impact of 1 H, 9 Be, 12 C, 27 Al, 56 Fe, 235,238 U, and 239,240 Pu ENDF/B-VIII.0 covariances on simulated bounds of the following integral responses: LLNL pulsed-spheres neutron-leakage spectra, the effective neutron multiplication factor, reaction rates, and reactivity coefficients of ICSBEP critical assemblies. Also, adjustment results with the same nuclear-data covariances and responses will be discussed.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Unnuclear physics: Conformal symmetry in nuclear reactions

Significance Symmetry plays a key role in modern physics as a guiding principle for fundamental theories of nature. We use the nonrelativistic conformal symmetry to predict universal energy spectra of final states in reactions of quantum particles at vastly different length scales. Our work extends Georgi’s “unparticle” proposal to nonrelativistic spin-1/2 fermions in the unitary regime of strong interactions. These systems form so-called unparticles, which behave characteristically different from normal particles. They can be engineered with ultracold atoms and occur naturally in nuclear reactions with multiple neutrons—a situation we dub “unnuclear physics.” We present the general scenario of unnuclear physics, apply it to identify unnuclei in nuclear reactions, and highlight the opportunity to measure unnuclei at radioactive beam facilities.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Secondary-Source Core Reload Modeling with VERA

The CASL reactor simulation package VERA has been adapted to provide high-fidelity simulation capabilities for modeling source range detector response during subcritical reactor configurations. New features include the activation and shuffling of secondary-source assemblies, use of burned fuel neutron emission data from the ORIGEN depletion solver to the MPACT deterministic neutron transport solver, allowance of user-defined sources in MPACT based on material composition, ability to solve the subcritical source-driven system with neutron multiplication using the MPACT diffusion solver, and transfer of the calculated fission source from MPACT to the continuous-energy Monte Carlo solver Shift for final detector response evaluation using the CADIS methodology for variance reduction. These new capabilities were benchmarked against Watts Bar Unit 1 plant operating data for the first few fuel loading steps and were found to demonstrate excellent agreement with the measured data.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

GEAR-MC and Differential-Operator Methods Applied to Electron-Photon Transport in the Integrated TIGER Series

The sensitivity analysis algorithms that have been developed by the radiation transport community in multiple neutron transport codes, such as MCNP and SCALE, are extensively used by fields such as the nuclear criticality community. However, these techniques have seldom been considered for electron transport applications. In the past, the differential-operator method with the single scatter capability has been implemented in Sandia National Laboratories’ Integrated TIGER Series (ITS) coupled electron-photon transport code. This work is meant to extend the available sensitivity estimation techniques in ITS by implementing an adjoint-based sensitivity method, GEAR-MC, to strengthen its sensitivity analysis capabilities. To ensure the accuracy of this method being extended to coupled electron-photon transport, it is compared against the central-difference and differential-operator methodologies to estimate sensitivity coefficients for an experiment performed by McLaughlin and Hussman. Energy deposition sensitivities were calculated using all three methods, and the comparison between them has provided confidence in the accuracy of the newly implemented method. Unlike the current implementation of the differential-operator method in ITS, the GEAR-MC method was implemented with the option to calculate the energy-dependent energy deposition sensitivities, which are the sensitivity coefficients for energy deposition tallies to energy-dependent cross sections. The energy-dependent cross sections could be the cross sections for the material, elements in the material, or reactions of interest for the element. Further, these sensitivities were compared to the energy-integrated sensitivity coefficients and exhibited a maximum percentage difference of 2.15%.

42 ENGINEERING↗

CADIS and FW-CADIS Variance Reduction in Gamma Transport for Predicting Prompt Forensics Signatures

The goal of prompt nuclear forensics is to determine the characteristics of a nuclear detonation based on the signatures available almost immediately after the explosion. An important characteristic is the reaction time history (RTH), a measure of the device’s rate of neutron multiplication. The RTH can be estimated by observation of the gamma radiation emitted from the detonation, which can be detected directly or observed indirectly as Teller light. Gamma transport simulations used to predict these radiation fields are often modeled stochastically using the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) code, which can be a computationally demanding task due to the number of particle histories needed to achieve statistical convergence. In an attempt to improve the efficiency of these calculations, we evaluate two variance reduction techniques: Consistent Adjoint-Driven Importance Sampling (CADIS) and Forward-Weighted Consistent Adjoint-Driven Importance Sampling (FW-CADIS). These methods use a deterministically calculated adjoint flux to create weight windows and source biasing that guide MCNP sampling. We study the utility of CADIS and FW-CADIS for their use in MCNP gamma transport for nuclear forensics prediction simulations. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that both CADIS and FW-CADIS improve the accuracy for forensics-focused simulations, with CADIS being most beneficial in direct detection and FW-CADIS being ideal for computing a global Teller light source.

CADIS↗

High Resolution Fission Fragment Spectroscopy with Superconducting Microcalorimeters

Sub-1 AMU mass determination is important for determining fission yields and neutron multiplicity, which are necessary inputs for fission models. Fission models can improve spent nuclear waste stream analysis and nuclear fuel burnup determination. Here, to achieve this goal, we have used superconducting microcalorimeter detectors to directly measure the energy of fission fragments from the spontaneous fission of 252 Cf. With a fiber coupled LED pulser setup we demonstrate that we can reach a relative energy resolution of 0.1% and better for photon pulses with energies above 60 MeV. This instrument, in conjunction with time-of-flight (TOF) measurement, would allow for sub-1 atomic mass unit (AMU) mass determination of fission fragments in a future beamline application.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

NSVA-3 Spectrum Adjustment Code

SAND2025-03756O The NSVA-3 Spectrum Adjustment Code performs a least-square spectrum adjustment on multiple neutron fields and provides a best-estimate neutron spectrum and associated uncertainty. The code was developed to perform a least-square spectrum adjustment for neutron benchmark fields. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.

Griffin, Patrick↗

ndi

The Nuclear Data Interface (NDI) is an application programming interface (API) that allows access to standard nuclear data parameters while hiding the underlying details of the data libraries and their storage. It allows access to multigroup transport data (neutron and gamma), thermonuclear burn data, dosimetry data, production/depletion chain data, radiochemistry data, and secondary neutron multiplicity data. The name NDI refers to both the code and data formats supported by the code.

Saller, Thomas↗

Sensitivity-based Similarity Metrics for New Experiment Design Optimization

The nuclear data used in advanced reactor simulations requires validation. Data from nuclear criticality experiments can provide this validation. New nuclear criticality experiment design requires extensive knowledge and expert judgement such that the experimental design parameters are selected in such a way to keep the experiment subcritical. To aide in this experimental design process, professionals can utilize sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis relies on matching new application experiments with currently existing benchmark experiments. Currently, there is functionality in the Whisper 1.1 software package to calculate a similarity metric based on neutron multiplication factor sensitivity coefficients between a new application designed by the user and existing International Criticality Safety Benchmark Experiment Project (ICSBEP) benchmarks. The Whisper 1.1 software package is included in Monte Carlo N-Particle ® Code Version 6.21 (MCNP ® 6.2). This work is geared toward expanding this capability to new similarity metrics based on beta-effective sensitivity coefficients and reactivity coefficient sensitivity coefficients. While the investigation of these sensitivity coefficients is presented in detail in separate works at this same conference, this work will be primarily focused on studying the similarity metrics in more detail. These similarity metrics will then be incorporated into the optimization algorithms used for experiment design in EUCLID (Experiments Underpinned by Computational Learning for Improvements in nuclear Data), which is a Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) project designed to constrain nuclear data of interest, such that adjustments can be made to possible inaccuracies. A more detailed optimization can be subsequently performed by breaking down these similarity metrics by isotope, reaction, and energy.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗