On the use of the Serpent Monte Carlo code for few-group cross section generation

Abstract

Serpent is a recently developed 3D continuous-energy Monte Carlo (MC) reactor physics burnup calculation code. Serpent is specifically designed for lattice physics applications including generation of homogenized few-group constants for full-core core simulators. Currently in Serpent, the few-group constants are obtained from the infinite-lattice calculations with zero neutron current at the outer boundary. In this study, in order to account for the non-physical infinite-lattice approximation, B1 methodology, routinely used by deterministic lattice transport codes, was considered for generation of leakage-corrected few-group cross sections in the Serpent code. A preliminary assessment of the applicability of the B1 methodology for generation of few-group constants in the Serpent code was carried out according to the following steps. Initially, the two-group constants generated by Serpent were compared with those calculated by Helios deterministic lattice transport code. Then, a 3D analysis of a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) core was performed by the nodal diffusion code DYN3D employing two-group cross section sets generated by Serpent and Helios. At this stage thermal–hydraulic (T-H) feedback was neglected. The DYN3D results were compared with those obtained from the 3D full core Serpent MC calculations. Finally, the full core DYN3D calculations were repeated taking into account T-H feedback and assuming Hot Full Power (HFP) conditions. The B1 two-group cross sections and diffusion coefficients generated by the Serpent and Helios codes agree within less than 2.5%. The results of the DYN3D calculations with the Serpent B1 cross section sets agree very well with those of the Serpent full core MC calculations. The relative difference in k eff is below 300 pcm. The maximum and root mean square (RMS) difference in the radial power distribution is 2.7% and 1.1% respectively. The results of the DYN3D full core calculations with T-H feedback obtained with Helios and Serpent generated cross section libraries show an excellent agreement as well. The estimated critical boron concentration agrees within 5 ppm. The maximum and RMS difference in the core radial power peaking factors is 0.8% and 0.4% respectively. In this study, a Matlab script was used for calculation of the leakage-corrected few-group cross sections, however, the B1 methodology has recently been implemented directly in the Serpent code.