Title: MCNP6 and Serpent 2 results comparison in the neutronic modelling of aqueous homogeneous subcritical systems for medical isotope production

Authors: Liván Hernández Pardo; Daylen Milian Pérez; Daniel Milian Pérez; Daniel E. Milian Lorenzo; Carlos A. Brayner De Oliveira Lira

Addresses: Instituto Superior de Tecnologías y Ciencias Aplicadas (InSTEC), Universidad de La Habana, La Habana, Cuba ' Departamento de Energía Renovable y Eficiencia Energética, Cubaenergía, Playa, La Habana, Cuba ' Departamento de Energia Nuclear, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil ' Instituto Superior de Tecnologías y Ciencias Aplicadas (InSTEC), Universidad de La Habana, La Habana, Cuba ' Centro Regional de Ciências Nucleares (CRCN-NE/CNEN), Cidade Universitária, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

Abstract: In this paper, a computational model using Monte Carlo codes has been implemented for the modelling of an accelerator-driven Aqueous Homogeneous Subcritical Systems (AHSS) conceptual design for medical isotope production. It aims to contribute to the verification and validation of the computational model and the most up-to-date evaluated nuclear data libraries for the AHSS study. The calculation tasks performed were to compute and compare the AHSS neutronic parameters of interest using two widely used codes, MCNP6 and Serpent 2. The results section is divided into three main types of calculation: criticality calculations, fixed-source calculations and fuel depletion/burnup calculations. All percentage differences between the results of the codes are generally lower than 1% and agree within the statistical precision of the codes with a confidence level of 99.7%.

Keywords: AHSS; aqueous homogeneous subcritical systems; MCNP6; Serpent 2; ENDF/B; JEFF; medical isotopes.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNEST.2021.120145

International Journal of Nuclear Energy Science and Technology, 2021 Vol.15 No.1, pp.61 - 78

Received: 16 Jul 2021
Accepted: 23 Oct 2021
Published online: 07 Jan 2022 *