Simulation of Nuclear Reactor Kinetics by the Monte Carlo Method
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lation of Nuclear Reactor Kinetics by the Monte Carlo Method E. A. Gomin, V. D. Davidenko*, A. S. Zinchenko**, and I. K. Kharchenko National Research Center Kurchatov Institute, Moscow, 123182 Russia *e-mail: [email protected] **e-mail: [email protected] Received January 28, 2016
Abstract—The KIR computer code intended for calculations of nuclear reactor kinetics using the Monte Carlo method is described. The algorithm implemented in the code is described in detail. Some results of test calculations are given. Keywords: calculation, kinetics, nuclear reactor, algorithm, Monte Carlo method, supercomputer DOI: 10.1134/S1063778817080063
INTRODUCTION A nuclear reactor, if we consider only the process of neutron transport in it, can be defined as an analog multiprocessing mega-supercomputer in which • each neutron is a computing core; • the materials of the constructional components of the reactor act as the memory, which “save” the accumulated statistics; the same materials also provide communications between computing cores; • world constants provide the constant bank; • laws of the nature play the role of software; • the reactor core as a whole plays the role of a zero computing core, where all collected statistics are placed. It is recognized by the world academia that the equation of neutron transport in a reactor–supercomputer is solved by the analog Monte Carlo method. Generation of 1 W of power requires 3.2 × 1010 neutron-induced fissions per second [1]. The BN-600 (thermal power 1470 MW) and the BREST-300-OD (thermal power 700 MW) considered as mega-supercomputers trace histories of 4.7 × 1019 and 2.2 × 1019 neutrons per second, respectively. Assuming the lifetime of a neutron in the BN-600 is 0.5 μs, and its lifetime in BREST-300-OD is 0.6 μs, it is easy to calculate that one generation of reactor neutrons contains ~2.4 × 1013 and ~1.3 × 1013 neutrons in the BN-600 and BREST-300-OD, respectively. The number of storage locations in a reactor– mega-supercomputer coincides with the number of cores contained in all reactor materials; i.e., it is practically infinite. Moreover, this is operating storage,
and it is located on the hard disk with immediate access. Note that a nuclear reactor simulates neutron transport solving the problem with a set source since neutrons of each subsequent generation are generated by neutrons of the previous generation. The reactor “knows” the phase coordinates of locations of neutron generation, as well as the spatial distribution, and the time of generation of delayed neutron precursors. Presently, programs for solution of approximate equations of point or distributed kinetics are used to study kinetic and dynamic processes in nuclear reactors. At the same time, owing to rapid development of multiprocessing computer facilities [2], papers describing algorithms applying the Monte Carlo method for solution of the nonstationary neutron transport equation are more and more frequent [3–10]. 1. KIR CODE In 2013, we started to create the codes KIR (KInetics of Reactor) and KIR-P (KInetic
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