Approximate techniques for representing nuclear data uncertainties

Computational tools are available to utilize sensitivity and uncertainty (S/U) methods for a wide variety of applications in reactor analysis and criticality safety. S/U analysis generally requires knowledge of the underlying uncertainties in evaluated nuclear data, as expressed by covariance matrices; however, only a few nuclides currently have covariance information available in ENDF/B-VII. Recently new covariance evaluations have become available for several important nuclides, but a complete set of uncertainties for all materials needed in nuclear applications is unlikely to be available for several years at least. Therefore if the potential power of S/U techniques is to be realized for near-term projects in advanced reactor design and criticality safety analysis, it is necessary to establish procedures for generating approximate covariance data. This paper discusses an approach to create applications-oriented covariance data by applying integral uncertainties to differential data within the corresponding energy range.