Optimization and Utilization of Advanced Reactor Physics Calculations for Practical Applications in Transmutation and Burnup
The field of nuclear engineering is evolving rapidly. Ongoing advances in high-performance computing and simulation methods are allowing new and more complex problems to be solved but are also helping nuclear engineers re-investigate age-old problems, solving them more efficiently and with a much hi...
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| Format: | Dissertation |
| Language: | English |
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ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
01-01-2023
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| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | The field of nuclear engineering is evolving rapidly. Ongoing advances in high-performance computing and simulation methods are allowing new and more complex problems to be solved but are also helping nuclear engineers re-investigate age-old problems, solving them more efficiently and with a much higher degree of accuracy. In the spirit of helping to fuel this momentum, the research documented in this dissertation provides meaningful contributions to the field of nuclear engineering by solving well-established problems in transmutation and burnup using novel and efficient approaches made possible by high-performance computing systems. This is accomplished over the course of four projects. The first project optimizes the production of 135Xe for the University of Utah TRIGA Reactor (UUTR), and the second optimizes the production of 135Xe for the Washington State University TRIGA reactor. Both projects greatly improved the production of 135Xe gas standards for calibration and testing in the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) International Monitoring System (IMS). The third project presents the development of a novel computational method that utilizes adjoint transport to synthesize analog source terms in a known flux distribution. This method was shown to improve computational efficiency in neutral particle transport modeling applications. Finally, the fourth project presents computer codes that were developed in support of the burnup solver code BSOLVE. Two major codes, burnAMP: Burnup Adaptive Material Predictor and burnTCC: Burnup Time-Dependent Cross-Section Corrector, apply novel physics-based methods to improve the efficacy and accuracy of the BSOLVE code suite. BurnAMP automatically selects isotopes that are important to track during a burnup simulation based on user-set parameters and importance metrics tied to problem physics. BurnTCC applies mathematical corrections to microscopic cross-sections to account for changes in spatial and energy self-shielding caused by changes in isotopic assays as a burnup simulation progresses. All four projects demonstrate that, with the proper utilization of modern computing systems and novel analytical approaches, well-established nuclear engineering problems can be solved more accurately and more efficiently than ever before, freeing up time and resources for the industry to continue to evolve. |
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| ISBN: | 9798380126755 |