High Performance Parallel Monte Carlo Transport Computations for ITER Fusion Neutronics Applications

Abstract

Large scale neutronics calculations for radiation safety and machine reliability are required to support design activities for the ITER fusion reactor which is currently in phase of construction. Its large size and complexity of diagnostics, control and heating systems and ports, and also channel penetrations inside the thick blanket shielding surrounding the 14 MeV D-T neutron source are essential challenges for neutronics calculations. In the ITER tokamak geometry, the Monte Carlo (MC) method is the preferred one for radiation transport calculations. Due to the independence of particle histories, their tracks can be processed in parallel. Parallel computations on high performance cluster computers substantially increase number of sampled particles and therefore allow reaching the desired statistical precision of the MC results using the MCNP5 code. The MCNP5 parallel performance was assessed on the HPC-FF supercomputer. Use of CAD-based approach with high spatial resolution improves systematic adequacy of the MC geometry modeling. These achievements are demonstrated on radiation transport calculations for designing the Blanket Shield Module and Auxiliary Shield of the ITER Electron Cyclotron Heating (ECH) upper launcher. The spatial distributions of nuclear heating were analysed by using the graphical representation of the MCNP5 mesh-tally results in 2D and 3D plots.