Coupling between LOTUS and CTF with DYN3D within a multiscale and multiphysics software development

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Coupling of nuclear codes can be performed at several scale levels and is necessary to improve their reliability and sustainability. Mainly, the coupling of nuclear codes that use nodal expansion neutronics with channel thermal hydraulics has been carried out at the fuel assembly level while, only recently, the coupling of nuclear codes that use advanced neutronics, thermal hydraulics, and thermo-mechanics has been carried out at either the fuel pin or materials level. Meanwhile, in the UK, a multiscale and multi-physics software development between NURESIM and CASL is being developed, which includes a coupling software environment that enables the coupling of nuclear codes at several scale levels. Full coupled reactor physics at either the fuel pin or materials level can be obtained by coupling the transport code LOTUS, the subchannel code CTF, and the nodal code DYN3D. In this journal article, a multi ways coupling between LOTUS and CTF at either the fuel pin or materials levels with DYN3D at the fuel assembly level is compared to a multi ways coupling between DYN3D and CTF at the fuel pin level with DYN3D at the fuel assembly level and a multi ways coupling between Open MC and CTF at the materials level with DYN3D at the fuel assembly level. These comparisons have been carried out to present the coupled reactor physics verifications at either the fuel pin or materials levels. These show that the multi ways coupling between LOTUS and CTF at either the fuel pin or materials levels with DYN3D at the fuel assembly level outperforms the multi ways coupling between DYN3D and CTF at the fuel pin level with DYN3D at the fuel assembly level due to the application in the former of full neutron transport. Also, these show that the multi ways coupling between LOTUS and CTF at the materials level with DYN3D at the fuel assembly level agrees with the multi ways coupling between Open MC and CTF at the materials level with DYN3D at the fuel assembly level due to the application in both of full neutron transport.