Development of SD-HACNEM neutron noise simulator based on high order nodal expansion method for rectangular geometry

Abstract

In this study, the SD-HACNEM (Sharif Dynamic - High order Average Current Nodal Expansion Method) neutron noise simulator in two energy groups using a second-order flux expansion method for two-dimensional rectangular X Y-geometry has been developed. In the first step, the calculations were performed for the steady state and results of ACNEM (Average Current Nodal Expansion Method) and HACNEM (High order Average Current Nodal Expansion Method) were examined and compared. To solve the problem, the power iteration algorithm has been used to calculate the distribution of neutron flux and neutron multiplication factor by considering the coarse-mesh (each fuel assembly one node). To validate the steady state calculations, the results were compared with the western nuclear reactor BIBLIS-2D (reference model). In the next step, dynamic calculations were performed in the frequency domain. For this purpose, after discretizing the neutron noise equations by the high-order average current nodal expansion method (NEM), a neutron noise source of absorber with variable strength was simulated. The results were verified by performing simulation at zero frequency and adjoint calculations. Then, the distribution of neutron noise for Inadvertent Loading and Operation of a Fuel Assembly in an Improper Position (ILOFAIP) is obtained. The numerical results showed that the use of HACNEM compared with ACNEM, without reducing the size of the meshes in neutron noise simulation, presented more accurate.