Development status of PROTEUS-MOC

Development Plan for NEAMS Neutronics Module

“…There is only a little direct funding plan to focus on building a dynamics tool that targets coupling on fully heterogeneous reactor systems as outlined in Table 5.1. Therefore, it is somewhat uncertain whether the current funding plan will involve any improvement of transport methods envisioned in PROTEUS-MOC [20] or the advanced first-order S N approach [21]. At the end of FY2015, capabilities and computational expense associated with PROTEUS-SN will be assessed and a decision will be made whether to implement high-fidelity kinetics and depletion capabilities and/or to improve transport methods.…”

An Accurate and Efficient S N Method for Multigroup Neutron Transport Equations in Slab Geometry

“…Furthermore, slab geometry is particularly useful in parametric studies for a quick exploration of different scenarios, facilitating investigations into the effects of various parameters and system configurations on neutron behavior. Finally, slab geometry methods often serve as axial solvers in more comprehensive 2D-1D and 3D neutron transport simulations [23,24,25,26,27,28], indicating their practical importance in modeling complex neutron systems.…”

“…However, as reactor designs become more complex, such as in scenarios with part-length rods and gray rods in boiling water reactors or enrichment zoning in pressurized water reactors, a more accurate treatment of the axial and radial leakages becomes crucial to capture the intricate relationship between the axial and radial solvers. To address these challenges, advanced methods like the S N based on discontinuous Galerkin finite element method [34,35] as seen in PROTEUS-MOC [27,28] and the Legendre polynomial expanded S N as used in MPACT [36] have been developed. These methods achieve high accuracy through the use of fine spatial 2 meshes or higher expansion orders, allowing for solutions to neutron transport problems in intricate geometries encountered in modern reactor designs.…”