Work

Applicability of the first-order adjoint-weighted perturbation method for estimating beta-effective sensitivity to nuclear data

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This study formulated equations in operator form using the first-order Adjoint-Weighted Perturbation (AWP) method. These equations are designed to calculate the relative change of reactor parameters—such as the multiplication factor ( k ), general reaction rates, and the effective delayed neutron fraction ( β eff )—in a perturbed system during a steady-state Monte Carlo eigenvalue calculation. A new module for calculating the relative change in β eff was specifically implemented in McCARD, a continuous-energy neutron transport Monte Carlo code. This module was applied to a two-group infinite homogeneous problem, as well as the GODIVA and KRUSTY problems from the ICSBEP benchmark suite, to verify its performance. The results obtained from the AWP method were compared with analytic solutions or those from the Direct Subtraction method to verify its applicability and limitations.

Source: Nuclear Engineering and Technology

DOI: 10.1016/j.net.2025.104055

Author: Sung Hoon Choi

Institution: Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute

Language: English

Topic: Nuclear reactor physics and engineering

Subfield: Aerospace Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $200

Funders: National Research Council of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea