Temperature effects of resonance scattering for epithermal neutrons in MCNP

E. E. Sunny, F. B. Brown, B. C. Kiedrowski, W. R. Martin

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

19 Scopus citations

Abstract

Epithermal neutron elastic scattering can be significantly affected by the thermal motion of target nuclides. Since the 1950s continuous-energy Monte Carlo codes have generally accounted for the target motion using a free gas scattering model, with the assumption that the scattering cross-section is constant in energy. Recent work has shown the importance of resonance scattering, and several methods for an improved free-gas treatment have been developed. We have implemented a rejection-based sampling scheme in the MCNP free-gas treatment to account for cross-section variation. The modified MCNP code was used to investigate a number of practical concerns: results for an LWR Doppler defect benchmark; computational costs; and energy limits for the free-gas treatment. Additionally, the impact on a suite of ICSBEP criticality benchmark problems (at room temperature) was determined to be negligible, an important result since such problems are used extensively in testing and evaluating revisions to ENDF/B-VII nuclear data.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationInternational Conference on the Physics of Reactors 2012, PHYSOR 2012
Subtitle of host publicationAdvances in Reactor Physics
Pages803-811
Number of pages9
StatePublished - 2012
Externally publishedYes
EventInternational Conference on the Physics of Reactors 2012: Advances in Reactor Physics, PHYSOR 2012 - Knoxville, TN, United States
Duration: Apr 15 2012Apr 20 2012

Publication series

NameInternational Conference on the Physics of Reactors 2012, PHYSOR 2012: Advances in Reactor Physics
Volume1

Conference

ConferenceInternational Conference on the Physics of Reactors 2012: Advances in Reactor Physics, PHYSOR 2012
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityKnoxville, TN
Period04/15/1204/20/12

Keywords

  • Elastic scatter
  • Free gas
  • Monte Carlo

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