Title: Investigations on the iso-geometric analysis method applied to neutron transport calculations in two- and three-dimensional spatial domains

Authors: Matthias H. Nezondet; Riho Horita; Willem F.G. Van Rooijen

Addresses: Graduate School of Engineering, Advanced Interdisciplinary Science & Technology Course, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan ' Graduate School of Engineering, Nuclear Power and Energy Safety Course, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan; Nippon Electric Glass Co., Ltd. Tokyo, Japan ' Research Institute of Nuclear Engineering, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan

Abstract: A simulation method for the transport of neutrons in spatial domains of arbitrary shape is presented, using S_N neutron transport theory and the Iso-Geometric Analysis (IGA) method. IGA is a method to solve partial differential equations, such as the neutron transport equation, on spatial domains of arbitrary shape. A multi-group S_N transport code capable of simulating two- and three-dimensional spatial domains is developed. Examples of the code validation are presented, as well as examples of calculations of neutron transport in spatial domains of arbitrary shape. The result is that the IGA method allows to reach good accuracy, but in comparison to legacy codes based on the S_N method, the IGA method is expensive in terms of calculation time and memory footprint. The combination of S_N transport and the IGA method opens a possibility for reference calculations of neutron transport in complex spatial domains.

Keywords: neutron transport theory; IGA method; S_N method; numerical simulation; nuclear reactor analysis.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNEST.2021.122775

International Journal of Nuclear Energy Science and Technology, 2021 Vol.15 No.2, pp.172 - 199

Received: 09 Jun 2021
Accepted: 10 Nov 2021
Published online: 10 May 2022 *

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