Reactor modeling is largely limited by the computational time required to perform accurate full core calculations. There are many different methods and techniques employed in different reactor simulation codes, but properly modeling all of the physics that takes place in the system requires extensive computational effort. The Coarse Mesh Finite...
Wachspress rational functions are ratios of polynomials having certain properties which make them good candidates for basis functions in finite element methods. In addition. it had been theorized that Wachspress rational weight functions should Provide a full-resolution discretization of the neutral particle transport equation in thick diffusive regions, but this...
The Adams-Larsen-Pomraning coupled transport model has been used to describe neutral particle transport in binary stochastic mixtures. Here, the mixing statistics are considered to be homogeneous Markovian processes. While the model is robust, the convergence behavior and efficiency of this coupled model have not been addressed. Countless iterative methods could...
Linear solvers are often used to solve neutron diffusion problems. These tools have two significant shortcomings. First, parallel implementations provide only a modest speedup. The operations cannot be divided cleanly between processors. Second, for large matrices they can be very slow. Our primary goal is to find a new method...
The objective of this thesis was to investigate the use of the Jacobian Free Newton Krylov Method (JFNK) with physics based preconditioning for solving coupled radiative transport and material energy balance. Modeling of these physics is important in inertial confinement fusion and other high energy density systems. In this thesis,...
Since the 1990s, researchers around the world have been creating antineutrino detectors for monitoring power reactors. These detectors have been deployed at light water reactors and are able to determine power levels and burn up throughout a fuel cycle. This technology could allow the IAEA to monitor LWRs remotely and...
Detection systems used to monitor reactor operations are of significant interest as tools for verification of operator declarations. Current reactor site safeguards are limited to visual inspections and intrusive monitoring systems. The recent development of antineutrino detectors may soon allow real-time monitoring from an unobtrusive location. Antineutrinos are produced through...
Adjoint-derived weight windowing is a hybrid deterministic/Monte Carlo method to simulate radiation transport. In adjoint-derived weight windowing, a deterministic adjoint solution is used to create weight windows for a Monte Carlo simulation. The intent of this work is to identify factors that reduce the Figure of Merit (FOM) of Monte...
Benchmark calculations are performed for neutron transport in a two material
(binary) stochastic multiplying medium. Spatial, angular, and energy dependence
are included. The problem considered is based on a fuel assembly of a common
pressurized water nuclear reactor. The mean chord length through the assembly is
determined and used as...
For over 30 years, the Implicit Monte Carlo (IMC) method has been used to
solve challenging problems in thermal radiative transfer. These problems are typically optically thick and di ffusive, as a consequence of the high degree of "pseudo-scattering" introduced to model the absorption and reemission of photons from a...
