High-Performance Monte Carlo Methods for SAFEty Demonstration- From Proof of Concept to realistic Safety Analysis and Industry-like Applications

Projektinformationen

McSAFE

ID Finanzhilfevereinbarung: 755097

DOI

10.3030/755097

Projekt abgeschlossen

EK-Unterschriftsdatum 24 Mai 2017

Startdatum 1 September 2017

Enddatum 31 August 2020

Finanziert unter

• Euratom

Gesamtkosten

€ 3 140 393,75

EU-Beitrag

€ 2 981 592,23

Koordiniert durch

KARLSRUHER INSTITUT FUER TECHNOLOGIE
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - McSAFE (High-Performance Monte Carlo Methods for SAFEty Demonstration- From Proof of Concept to realistic Safety Analysis and Industry-like Applications)

Berichtszeitraum: 2019-03-01 bis 2020-08-31

Zusammenfassung vom Kontext und den Gesamtzielen des Projekts

This summary describes the main achievements of H2020 McSAFE project. The main achievements can be summarized as follows:

- First of the kind multi-physics Monte Carlo / thermal hydraulic coupled codes for the analysis of transients e.g. using Serpent2/SCF, Tripoli4/SCF.
- Novel and advanced multi-physics codes (e.g. Serpent2/SCF/TU) based on the ICoCo able to perform full core depletion calculation at pin level due to collision-based domain decomposition, improved memory management of TU, and optimized convergence.
- Two robust coupling methods:ICoCo and an internal master-sleeve at pin-level
- Massive use of HPC at KIT and in Europe paved the way for truly first-of-the-kind detailed simulations of full LWR-cores with square and hexagonal fuel assemblies at pin/subchannel level.
- The implementation of different variance reduction methods for both depletion and dynamic simulations to the reduction of the statistical noise and increasing the prediction accuracy
- McSAFE provided validated tools based on test data (SPERT-III E REA) and plant data PWR (square FA) and VVER-1000 Temelin (hexagonal FA)
- Innovations of Monte Carlos codes to facilitate the prediction of safety-relevant parameters with low statistical uncertainty and with few iterations, stable/robust schemes for depletion and criticality simulations e.g. proper variance reduction methods, optimal parallel execution, etc.
- McSAFE tools rerpresent a huge and significant step towards industry-like applications of the novel MC-based multiphysics tools for the safety assessments of LWR-cores.
- Inherent features of MC-codes to describe the geometrical details of cores have high potential for their application to other reactor designs e.g. of Generation III and research reactors
- Complementary expertise of the McSAFE-partners (universities: KIT, KTH), research centres (KIT, CEA, UJV, HZDR, VTT, JRC Karlsruhe), utilities (PEL, CEz and EdF), etc. were crucial for mastering the challenges.

Arbeit, die ab Beginn des Projekts bis zum Ende des durch den Bericht erfassten Berichtszeitraums geleistet wurde, und die wichtigsten bis dahin erzielten Ergebnisse

Main results of WP2:
- New depletion scheme for controlling the time steps of MC-burnup calculations
- Development and implementation of the collision based domain decomposition for Serpent
- Inprovement of the fission source convergence based on the response matrix importance solver to reduce the number of inactive cycles
- Optimization of the coupled MC /TH solvers to solve full real cores
- Demonstration of the new capabilities of the McSAFE-tools to perform depletion calculation considering N, TH and TM feebacks at pin level
Main results of WP3:
- Sucessful integration of Monte Carlo codes (SERPENT, TRIPOLI, MONK), and SCF and TRANSURANUS in SALOME
- Integration of Serpent/SCF into the SALOME platform
- Implementation of a modular and flexible coupling approach of MC, TH and TM codes based on the ICoCo-methodology
- Demonstration of the capability of the pre-processor of SCF generating very large models of full cores (square and hexagonal) for industry-like problems
Main Results of WP4:
- New coupled codes e.g. Serpent/SCF, Tripoli/SCF and MCNP/SCF developed for the analysis of transients
- Variance reduction methods for time-dependent MC-codes implemented for TRIPOLI to perform transient analysis with sufficient low statistical uncertainty
- A zero-variance schemes for time-dependent transport with SERPENT developed including contribution of precursors.
- The VR-technique "implicit branchless collision method" implemented in SERPENT.
- Implementation of efficient methods for parallel execution in massively parallel architecture.
- New capabilities demonstrated by solving a REA in a PWR minicore 3x3 FA.

Main results of WP5:
- The validation of the coupled code SERPENT/SCF/TU performed by using plant data of Pre-Konvoi and VVER 100 reactor.
- Comparison of critical boron, axial and radial power profiles predicted by the tools with the ones of the measurements show low deviations.
- Validation of dynamic MC-codes performed using SPERT III E REA. This are unique and first-of-the-kind results.
- McSAFE tools can solve industry-relevant problems such as a REA in a PWR UOX-MOX

Exploitation and dissemination:

- Creation of the McSAFE User Group for testing the McSAFE tools
- Successful training course with 28 participants
- Regular newsletters elaborated
- Three syntehsis reports written for public

Disseminaition of methods and tools done by means of:
- McSAFE public homepage
- Presentations national / international events, whorkshops (6),
- Conference papers (21), and
- Journal papers (17).

Fortschritte, die über den aktuellen Stand der Technik hinausgehen und voraussichtliche potenzielle Auswirkungen (einschließlich der bis dato erzielten sozioökonomischen Auswirkungen und weiter gefassten gesellschaftlichen Auswirkungen des Projekts)

The progress achieved in McSAFE considered as beyond state-of-the-art is listed below:
- Development of methods for stable depletion calculation, fission source acceleration and improved convergence behavior of MC/TH-solvers,
- Collision based domain decomposition for MC-codes to reduce the memory requirement of large depletion problems,
- Modular and flexible coupling methods based on ICoCo for neutronics, thermal-hydraulics and thermo-mechanics coupling using different geometries (square and hexagonal fuel assemblies),
- Optimized scalability of MC-codes when running in an HPC-environment
- Developed coupled codes facilitate the direct prediction of local safety parameters without approximations
- Dynamic capability of MC-codes coupled with subcahnnel codes paving the way for unique transient analysis and local safety parameters prediction
- First validation of transient capability of MC-based McSAFE tools using experimental data about a Rod Ejection Accident (SPERT III E REA)

The potential impacts of main outcomes of the McSAFE-projects can be summarized as follows:
• Impact on innovation capacity and integration of new knowledge within EU in the field of reactor safety:
- deliver novel numerical tools not available before for transient analysis;
- provide validated simulation tools which may serve as reference solutions to deterministic codes
- Pave the way for the use of MC-based multiphysics codes during the licensing process of different reactor designs
• Impact on interaction with civil society and stakeholders:
- MC-based McSAFE-tools can be used by nuclear community (regulators, utilities, manufacturers) to reduce conservatism and better predict safety margins.
• Impact on reinforcing the European leadership’s nuclear engineering by providing advanced methods to better assess the safety of NPP and make NPP operation more flexible while keeping high safety standards.
• Economic impact:
- EU-users will profit from the extended capabilities of the tools, which may lead to a decrease of conservatism of engineering factors and to better fuel exploitation and fuel cycle economy in general.
- European users of the McSAFE tools can take economical profit by using them to optimize and increase the performance of core designs
• Environmental impact:
- The McSAFE-tools contribute to better predict safety features of core designs and to reduce probability of accidents leading to a release of radioactivity, as well as to the EU goals pf low carbon economy.
• The societal impact of the project
- it is reflected by the fact that the risks of potential accidents is reduced by the use of novel McSAFE tools under development.

McSAFE: dynTRIPOLI Analysis of SPERT-III

McSAFE: Serpent/SCF/TU Depletion capability-DataVsCalculation

McSAFE: Serepent/SCF scalability in HPC

McSAFE:Serpent/SCF/ Validation of dynamic capability using SPERT-III E REA

McSAFE: Multiphysics Tools in the NURESIM Platform

McSAFE: Serpent/SCF:Demonstration of a REA analysis of a real PWR core

McSFE: T4/SCF Validation of Dynamic capability using SPERT-III E REA

McSAFE: Serpert/SCF/TU: Full PWR pin level solution

McSAFE: SCF Postprocessing Capabilities

McSAFE: Coupling of Sertpent, Subchanflow and Transuranus