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Sample records for monte carlo mcnp

  1. Parallel MCNP Monte Carlo transport calculations with MPI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wagner, J.C.; Haghighat, A.

    1996-01-01

    The steady increase in computational performance has made Monte Carlo calculations for large/complex systems possible. However, in order to make these calculations practical, order of magnitude increases in performance are necessary. The Monte Carlo method is inherently parallel (particles are simulated independently) and thus has the potential for near-linear speedup with respect to the number of processors. Further, the ever-increasing accessibility of parallel computers, such as workstation clusters, facilitates the practical use of parallel Monte Carlo. Recognizing the nature of the Monte Carlo method and the trends in available computing, the code developers at Los Alamos National Laboratory implemented the message-passing general-purpose Monte Carlo radiation transport code MCNP (version 4A). The PVM package was chosen by the MCNP code developers because it supports a variety of communication networks, several UNIX platforms, and heterogeneous computer systems. This PVM version of MCNP has been shown to produce speedups that approach the number of processors and thus, is a very useful tool for transport analysis. Due to software incompatibilities on the local IBM SP2, PVM has not been available, and thus it is not possible to take advantage of this useful tool. Hence, it became necessary to implement an alternative message-passing library package into MCNP. Because the message-passing interface (MPI) is supported on the local system, takes advantage of the high-speed communication switches in the SP2, and is considered to be the emerging standard, it was selected

  2. MCNP trademark Monte Carlo: A precis of MCNP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adams, K.J.

    1996-01-01

    MCNP trademark is a general purpose three-dimensional time-dependent neutron, photon, and electron transport code. It is highly portable and user-oriented, and backed by stringent software quality assurance practices and extensive experimental benchmarks. The cross section database is based upon the best evaluations available. MCNP incorporates state-of-the-art analog and adaptive Monte Carlo techniques. The code is documented in a 600 page manual which is augmented by numerous Los Alamos technical reports which detail various aspects of the code. MCNP represents over a megahour of development and refinement over the past 50 years and an ongoing commitment to excellence

  3. MCNP-REN a Monte Carlo tool for neutron detector design

    CERN Document Server

    Abhold, M E

    2002-01-01

    The development of neutron detectors makes extensive use of the predictions of detector response through the use of Monte Carlo techniques in conjunction with the point reactor model. Unfortunately, the point reactor model fails to accurately predict detector response in common applications. For this reason, the general Monte Carlo code developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP), was modified to simulate the pulse streams that would be generated by a neutron detector and normally analyzed by a shift register. This modified code, MCNP-Random Exponentially Distributed Neutron Source (MCNP-REN), along with the Time Analysis Program, predicts neutron detector response without using the point reactor model, making it unnecessary for the user to decide whether or not the assumptions of the point model are met for their application. MCNP-REN is capable of simulating standard neutron coincidence counting as well as neutron multiplicity counting. Measurements of mixed oxide fresh fuel w...

  4. A Monte Carlo burnup code linking MCNP and REBUS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hanan, N.A.; Olson, A.P.; Pond, R.B.; Matos, J.E.

    1998-01-01

    The REBUS-3 burnup code, used in the anl RERTR Program, is a very general code that uses diffusion theory (DIF3D) to obtain the fluxes required for reactor burnup analyses. Diffusion theory works well for most reactors. However, to include the effects of exact geometry and strong absorbers that are difficult to model using diffusion theory, a Monte Carlo method is required. MCNP, a general-purpose, generalized-geometry, time-dependent, Monte Carlo transport code, is the most widely used Monte Carlo code. This paper presents a linking of the MCNP code and the REBUS burnup code to perform these difficult analyses. The linked code will permit the use of the full capabilities of REBUS which include non-equilibrium and equilibrium burnup analyses. Results of burnup analyses using this new linked code are also presented. (author)

  5. A Monte Carlo burnup code linking MCNP and REBUS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hanan, N. A.

    1998-01-01

    The REBUS-3 burnup code, used in the ANL RERTR Program, is a very general code that uses diffusion theory (DIF3D) to obtain the fluxes required for reactor burnup analyses. Diffusion theory works well for most reactors. However, to include the effects of exact geometry and strong absorbers that are difficult to model using diffusion theory, a Monte Carlo method is required. MCNP, a general-purpose, generalized-geometry, time-dependent, Monte Carlo transport code, is the most widely used Monte Carlo code. This paper presents a linking of the MCNP code and the REBUS burnup code to perform these difficult burnup analyses. The linked code will permit the use of the full capabilities of REBUS which include non-equilibrium and equilibrium burnup analyses. Results of burnup analyses using this new linked code are also presented

  6. Wielandt acceleration for MCNP5 Monte Carlo eigenvalue calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, F.

    2007-01-01

    Monte Carlo criticality calculations use the power iteration method to determine the eigenvalue (k eff ) and eigenfunction (fission source distribution) of the fundamental mode. A recently proposed method for accelerating convergence of the Monte Carlo power iteration using Wielandt's method has been implemented in a test version of MCNP5. The method is shown to provide dramatic improvements in convergence rates and to greatly reduce the possibility of false convergence assessment. The method is effective and efficient, improving the Monte Carlo figure-of-merit for many problems. In addition, the method should eliminate most of the underprediction bias in confidence intervals for Monte Carlo criticality calculations. (authors)

  7. MCNP-REN: a Monte Carlo tool for neutron detector design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abhold, M.E.; Baker, M.C.

    2002-01-01

    The development of neutron detectors makes extensive use of the predictions of detector response through the use of Monte Carlo techniques in conjunction with the point reactor model. Unfortunately, the point reactor model fails to accurately predict detector response in common applications. For this reason, the general Monte Carlo code developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP), was modified to simulate the pulse streams that would be generated by a neutron detector and normally analyzed by a shift register. This modified code, MCNP-Random Exponentially Distributed Neutron Source (MCNP-REN), along with the Time Analysis Program, predicts neutron detector response without using the point reactor model, making it unnecessary for the user to decide whether or not the assumptions of the point model are met for their application. MCNP-REN is capable of simulating standard neutron coincidence counting as well as neutron multiplicity counting. Measurements of mixed oxide fresh fuel were taken with the Underwater Coincidence Counter, and measurements of highly enriched uranium reactor fuel were taken with the active neutron interrogation Research Reactor Fuel Counter and compared to calculation. Simulations completed for other detector design applications are described. The method used in MCNP-REN is demonstrated to be fundamentally sound and shown to eliminate the need to use the point model for detector performance predictions

  8. Monte Carlo parameter studies and uncertainty analyses with MCNP5

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, F. B.; Sweezy, J. E.; Hayes, R.

    2004-01-01

    A software tool called mcnp p study has been developed to automate the setup, execution, and collection of results from a series of MCNP5 Monte Carlo calculations. This tool provides a convenient means of performing parameter studies, total uncertainty analyses, parallel job execution on clusters, stochastic geometry modeling, and other types of calculations where a series of MCNP5 jobs must be performed with varying problem input specifications. (authors)

  9. Systems guide to MCNP (Monte Carlo Neutron and Photon Transport Code)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kirk, B.L.; West, J.T.

    1984-06-01

    The subject of this report is the implementation of the Los Alamos National Laboratory Monte Carlo Neutron and Photon Transport Code - Version 3 (MCNP) on the different types of computer systems, especially the IBM MVS system. The report supplements the documentation of the RSIC computer code package CCC-200/MCNP. Details of the procedure to follow in executing MCNP on the IBM computers, either in batch mode or interactive mode, are provided

  10. A review of radiation dosimetry applications using the MCNP Monte Carlo code

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Solberg, T.D.; DeMarco, J.J.; Chetty, I.J.; Mesa, A.V.; Cagnon, C.H.; Li, A.N.; Mather, K.K.; Medin, P.M.; Arellano, A.R.; Smathers, J.B. [California Univ., Los Angeles, CA (United States). Dept. of Radiation Oncology

    2001-07-01

    The Monte Carlo code MCNP (Monte Carlo N-Particle) has a significant history dating to the early years of the Manhattan Project. More recently, MCNP has been used successfully to solve many problems in the field of medical physics. In radiotherapy applications MCNP has been used successfully to calculate the bremsstrahlung spectra from medical linear accelerators, for modeling the dose distributions around high dose rate brachytherapy sources, and for evaluating the dosimetric properties of new radioactive sources used in intravascular irradiation for prevention of restenosis following angioplasty. MCNP has also been used for radioimmunotherapy and boron neutron capture therapy applications. It has been used to predict fast neutron activation of shielding and biological materials. One area that holds tremendous clinical promise is that of radiotherapy treatment planning. In diagnostic applications, MCNP has been used to model X-ray computed tomography and positron emission tomography scanners, to compute the dose delivered from CT procedures, and to determine detector characteristics of nuclear medicine devices. MCNP has been used to determine particle fluxes around radiotherapy treatment devices and to perform shielding calculations in radiotherapy treatment rooms. This manuscript is intended to provide to the reader a comprehensive summary of medical physics applications of the MCNP code. (orig.)

  11. A review of radiation dosimetry applications using the MCNP Monte Carlo code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Solberg, T.D.; DeMarco, J.J.; Chetty, I.J.; Mesa, A.V.; Cagnon, C.H.; Li, A.N.; Mather, K.K.; Medin, P.M.; Arellano, A.R.; Smathers, J.B.

    2002-01-01

    The Monte Carlo code MCNP (Monte Carlo N-Particle) has a significant history dating to the early years of the Manhattan Project. More recently, MCNP has been used successfully to solve many problems in the field of medical physics. In radiotherapy applications MCNP has been used successfully to calculate the bremsstrahlung spectra from medical linear accelerators, for modeling the dose distributions around high dose rate brachytherapy sources, and for evaluating the dosimetric properties of new radioactive sources used in intravascular irradiation for prevention of restenosis following angioplasty. MCNP has also been used for radioimmunotherapy and boron neutron capture therapy applications. It has been used to predict fast neutron activation of shielding and biological materials. One area that holds tremendous clinical promise is that of radiotherapy treatment planning. In diagnostic applications, MCNP has been used to model X-ray computed tomography and positron emission tomography scanners, to compute the dose delivered from CT procedures, and to determine detector characteristics of nuclear medicine devices. MCNP has been used to determine particle fluxes around radiotherapy treatment devices and to perform shielding calculations in radiotherapy treatment rooms. This manuscript is intended to provide to the reader a comprehensive summary of medical physics applications of the MCNP code. (author)

  12. MCNP: a general Monte Carlo code for neutron and photon transport. Version 3A. Revision 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Briesmeister, J.F.

    1986-09-01

    This manual is a practical guide for the use of our general-purpose Monte Carlo code MCNP. The first chapter is a primer for the novice user. The second chapter describes the mathematics, data, physics, and Monte Carlo simulation found in MCNP. This discussion is not meant to be exhaustive - details of the particular techniques and of the Monte Carlo method itself will have to be found elsewhere. The third chapter shows the user how to prepare input for the code. The fourth chapter contains several examples, and the fifth chapter explains the output. The appendices show how to use MCNP on particular computer systems at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and also give details about some of the code internals that those who wish to modify the code may find useful. 57 refs

  13. Monte Carlo importance sampling for the MCNP trademark general source

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lichtenstein, H.

    1996-01-01

    Research was performed to develop an importance sampling procedure for a radiation source. The procedure was developed for the MCNP radiation transport code, but the approach itself is general and can be adapted to other Monte Carlo codes. The procedure, as adapted to MCNP, relies entirely on existing MCNP capabilities. It has been tested for very complex descriptions of a general source, in the context of the design of spent-reactor-fuel storage casks. Dramatic improvements in calculation efficiency have been observed in some test cases. In addition, the procedure has been found to provide an acceleration to acceptable convergence, as well as the benefit of quickly identifying user specified variance-reduction in the transport that effects unstable convergence

  14. Considerations of MCNP Monte Carlo code to be used as a radiotherapy treatment planning tool.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juste, B; Miro, R; Gallardo, S; Verdu, G; Santos, A

    2005-01-01

    The present work has simulated the photon and electron transport in a Theratron 780® (MDS Nordion)60Co radiotherapy unit, using the Monte Carlo transport code, MCNP (Monte Carlo N-Particle). This project explains mainly the different methodologies carried out to speedup calculations in order to apply this code efficiently in radiotherapy treatment planning.

  15. Modification to the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) Visual Editor (MCNPVised) to Read in Computer Aided Design (CAD) Files

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Randolph Schwarz; Leland L. Carter; Alysia Schwarz

    2005-01-01

    Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code (MCNP) is the code of choice for doing complex neutron/photon/electron transport calculations for the nuclear industry and research institutions. The Visual Editor for Monte Carlo N-Particle is internationally recognized as the best code for visually creating and graphically displaying input files for MCNP. The work performed in this grant was used to enhance the capabilities of the MCNP Visual Editor to allow it to read in both 2D and 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD) files, allowing the user to electronically generate a valid MCNP input geometry

  16. Monte Carlo codes and Monte Carlo simulator program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Higuchi, Kenji; Asai, Kiyoshi; Suganuma, Masayuki.

    1990-03-01

    Four typical Monte Carlo codes KENO-IV, MORSE, MCNP and VIM have been vectorized on VP-100 at Computing Center, JAERI. The problems in vector processing of Monte Carlo codes on vector processors have become clear through the work. As the result, it is recognized that these are difficulties to obtain good performance in vector processing of Monte Carlo codes. A Monte Carlo computing machine, which processes the Monte Carlo codes with high performances is being developed at our Computing Center since 1987. The concept of Monte Carlo computing machine and its performance have been investigated and estimated by using a software simulator. In this report the problems in vectorization of Monte Carlo codes, Monte Carlo pipelines proposed to mitigate these difficulties and the results of the performance estimation of the Monte Carlo computing machine by the simulator are described. (author)

  17. Convergence testing for MCNP5 Monte Carlo eigenvalue calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, F.; Nease, B.; Cheatham, J.

    2007-01-01

    Determining convergence of Monte Carlo criticality problems is complicated by the statistical noise inherent in the random, walks of the neutrons in each generation. The latest version of MCNP5 incorporates an important new tool for assessing convergence: the Shannon entropy of the fission source distribution, H src . Shannon entropy is a well-known concept from information theory and provides a single number for each iteration to help characterize convergence trends for the fission source distribution. MCNP5 computes H src for each iteration, and these values may be plotted to examine convergence trends. Convergence testing should include both k eff and H src , since the fission distribution will converge more slowly than k eff , especially when the dominance ratio is close to 1.0. (authors)

  18. A Monte-Carlo Benchmark of TRIPOLI-4® and MCNP on ITER neutronics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blanchet, David; Pénéliau, Yannick; Eschbach, Romain; Fontaine, Bruno; Cantone, Bruno; Ferlet, Marc; Gauthier, Eric; Guillon, Christophe; Letellier, Laurent; Proust, Maxime; Mota, Fernando; Palermo, Iole; Rios, Luis; Guern, Frédéric Le; Kocan, Martin; Reichle, Roger

    2017-09-01

    Radiation protection and shielding studies are often based on the extensive use of 3D Monte-Carlo neutron and photon transport simulations. ITER organization hence recommends the use of MCNP-5 code (version 1.60), in association with the FENDL-2.1 neutron cross section data library, specifically dedicated to fusion applications. The MCNP reference model of the ITER tokamak, the `C-lite', is being continuously developed and improved. This article proposes to develop an alternative model, equivalent to the 'C-lite', but for the Monte-Carlo code TRIPOLI-4®. A benchmark study is defined to test this new model. Since one of the most critical areas for ITER neutronics analysis concerns the assessment of radiation levels and Shutdown Dose Rates (SDDR) behind the Equatorial Port Plugs (EPP), the benchmark is conducted to compare the neutron flux through the EPP. This problem is quite challenging with regard to the complex geometry and considering the important neutron flux attenuation ranging from 1014 down to 108 n•cm-2•s-1. Such code-to-code comparison provides independent validation of the Monte-Carlo simulations, improving the confidence in neutronic results.

  19. Verification and Validation of Monte Carlo n-Particle Code 6 (MCNP6) with Neutron Protection Factor Measurements of an Iron Box

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-03-27

    Vehicle Code System (VCS), the Monte Carlo Adjoint SHielding (MASH), and the Monte Carlo n- Particle ( MCNP ) code. Of the three, the oldest and still most...widely utilized radiation transport code is MCNP . First created at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in 1957, the code simulated neutral...particle types, and previous versions of MCNP were repeatedly validated using both simple and complex 10 geometries [12, 13]. Much greater discussion and

  20. Parallel processing of Monte Carlo code MCNP for particle transport problem

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Higuchi, Kenji; Kawasaki, Takuji

    1996-06-01

    It is possible to vectorize or parallelize Monte Carlo codes (MC code) for photon and neutron transport problem, making use of independency of the calculation for each particle. Applicability of existing MC code to parallel processing is mentioned. As for parallel computer, we have used both vector-parallel processor and scalar-parallel processor in performance evaluation. We have made (i) vector-parallel processing of MCNP code on Monte Carlo machine Monte-4 with four vector processors, (ii) parallel processing on Paragon XP/S with 256 processors. In this report we describe the methodology and results for parallel processing on two types of parallel or distributed memory computers. In addition, we mention the evaluation of parallel programming environments for parallel computers used in the present work as a part of the work developing STA (Seamless Thinking Aid) Basic Software. (author)

  1. Installation of Monte Carlo neutron and photon transport code system MCNP4

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takano, Makoto; Sasaki, Mikio; Kaneko, Toshiyuki; Yamazaki, Takao.

    1993-03-01

    The continuous energy Monte Carlo code MCNP-4 including its graphic functions has been installed on the Sun-4 sparc-2 work station with minor corrections. In order to validate the installed MCNP-4 code, 25 sample problems have been executed on the work station and these results have been compared with the original ones. And, the most of the graphic functions have been demonstrated by using 3 sample problems. Further, additional 14 nuclides have been included to the continuous cross section library edited from JENDL-3. (author)

  2. Introduction to the simulation with MCNP Monte Carlo code and its applications in Medical Physics; Introduccion a la simulacion con el codigo de Monte Carlo MCNP y sus aplicaciones en Fisica Medica

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Parreno Z, F.; Paucar J, R.; Picon C, C. [Instituto Peruano de Energia Nuclear, Av. Canada 1470, San Borja, Lima 41 (Peru)

    1998-12-31

    The simulation by Monte Carlo is tool which Medical Physics counts with it for the development of its research, the interest by this tool is growing, as we may observe in the main scientific journals for the years 1995-1997 where more than 27 % of the papers treat over Monte Carlo and/or its applications in the radiation transport.In the Peruvian Institute of Nuclear Energy we are implementing and making use of the MCNP4 and EGS4 codes. In this work are presented the general features of the Monte Carlo method and its more useful applications in Medical Physics. Likewise, it is made a simulation of the calculation of isodose curves in an interstitial treatment with Ir-192 wires in a mammary gland carcinoma. (Author)

  3. EchoSeed Model 6733 Iodine-125 brachytherapy source: Improved dosimetric characterization using the MCNP5 Monte Carlo code

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mosleh-Shirazi, M. A.; Hadad, K.; Faghihi, R.; Baradaran-Ghahfarokhi, M.; Naghshnezhad, Z.; Meigooni, A. S. [Center for Research in Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering and Physics Unit, Radiotherapy Department, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 71936-13311 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Radiation Research Center and Medical Radiation Department, School of Engineering, Shiraz University, Shiraz 71936-13311 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Comprehensive Cancer Center of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada 89169 (United States)

    2012-08-15

    This study primarily aimed to obtain the dosimetric characteristics of the Model 6733 {sup 125}I seed (EchoSeed) with improved precision and accuracy using a more up-to-date Monte-Carlo code and data (MCNP5) compared to previously published results, including an uncertainty analysis. Its secondary aim was to compare the results obtained using the MCNP5, MCNP4c2, and PTRAN codes for simulation of this low-energy photon-emitting source. The EchoSeed geometry and chemical compositions together with a published {sup 125}I spectrum were used to perform dosimetric characterization of this source as per the updated AAPM TG-43 protocol. These simulations were performed in liquid water material in order to obtain the clinically applicable dosimetric parameters for this source model. Dose rate constants in liquid water, derived from MCNP4c2 and MCNP5 simulations, were found to be 0.993 cGyh{sup -1} U{sup -1} ({+-}1.73%) and 0.965 cGyh{sup -1} U{sup -1} ({+-}1.68%), respectively. Overall, the MCNP5 derived radial dose and 2D anisotropy functions results were generally closer to the measured data (within {+-}4%) than MCNP4c and the published data for PTRAN code (Version 7.43), while the opposite was seen for dose rate constant. The generally improved MCNP5 Monte Carlo simulation may be attributed to a more recent and accurate cross-section library. However, some of the data points in the results obtained from the above-mentioned Monte Carlo codes showed no statistically significant differences. Derived dosimetric characteristics in liquid water are provided for clinical applications of this source model.

  4. Introduction to the simulation with MCNP Monte Carlo code and its applications in Medical Physics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parreno Z, F.; Paucar J, R.; Picon C, C.

    1998-01-01

    The simulation by Monte Carlo is tool which Medical Physics counts with it for the development of its research, the interest by this tool is growing, as we may observe in the main scientific journals for the years 1995-1997 where more than 27 % of the papers treat over Monte Carlo and/or its applications in the radiation transport.In the Peruvian Institute of Nuclear Energy we are implementing and making use of the MCNP4 and EGS4 codes. In this work are presented the general features of the Monte Carlo method and its more useful applications in Medical Physics. Likewise, it is made a simulation of the calculation of isodose curves in an interstitial treatment with Ir-192 wires in a mammary gland carcinoma. (Author)

  5. MCNP: a general Monte Carlo code for neutron and photon transport

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1979-11-01

    The general-purpose Monte Carlo code MCNP ca be used for neutron, photon, or coupled neutron-photon transport, including the capability to calculate eigenvalues for critical systems. The code treats an arbitrary three-dimensional configuration of materials in geometric cells bounded by first- and second-degree surfaces and some special fourth-degree surfaces (elliptical tori). Pointwise cross-section data are used. For neutrons, all reactions given in a particular cross-section evaluation are accounted for. Thermal neutrons are described by both the free-gas and S(α,β) models. For photons, the code takes account of incoherent and coherent scattering, the possibility of fluorescent emission following photoelectric absorption, and absorption in pair production with local emission of annihilation radiation. MCNP includes an elaborate, interactive plotting capability that allows the user to view his input geometry to help check for setup errors. Standard features which are available to improve computational efficiency include geometry splitting and Russian roulette, weight cutoff with Russian roulette, correlated sampling, analog capture or capture by weight reduction, the exponential transformation, energy splitting, forced collisions in designated cells, flux estimates at point or ring detectors, deterministically transporting pseudo-particles to designated regions, track-length estimators, source biasing, and several parameter cutoffs. Extensive summary information is provided to help the user better understand the physics and Monte Carlo simulation of his problem. The standard, user-defined output of MCNP includes two-way current as a function of direction across any set of surfaces or surface segments in the problem. Flux across any set of surfaces or surface segments is available. 58 figures, 28 tables

  6. MCNP-DSP, Monte Carlo Neutron-Particle Transport Code with Digital Signal Processing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2002-01-01

    1 - Description of program or function: MCNP-DSP is recommended only for experienced MCNP users working with subcritical measurements. It is a modification of the Los Alamos National Laboratory's Monte Carlo code MCNP4a that is used to simulate a variety of subcritical measurements. The DSP version was developed to simulate frequency analysis measurements, correlation (Rossi-) measurements, pulsed neutron measurements, Feynman variance measurements, and multiplicity measurements. CCC-700/MCNP4C is recommended for general purpose calculations. 2 - Methods:MCNP-DSP performs calculations very similarly to MCNP and uses the same generalized geometry capabilities of MCNP. MCNP-DSP can only be used with the continuous-energy cross-section data. A variety of source and detector options are available. However, unlike standard MCNP, the source and detector options are limited to those described in the manual because these options are specified in the MCNP-DSP extra data file. MCNP-DSP is used to obtain the time-dependent response of detectors that are modeled in the simulation geometry. The detectors represent actual detectors used in measurements. These time-dependent detector responses are used to compute a variety of quantities such as frequency analysis signatures, correlation signatures, multiplicity signatures, etc., between detectors or sources and detectors. Energy ranges are 0-60 MeV for neutrons (data generally only available up to 20 MeV) and 1 keV - 1 GeV for photons and electrons. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: None noted

  7. Extensions of the MCNP5 and TRIPOLI4 Monte Carlo Codes for Transient Reactor Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoogenboom, J. Eduard; Sjenitzer, Bart L.

    2014-06-01

    To simulate reactor transients for safety analysis with the Monte Carlo method the generation and decay of delayed neutron precursors is implemented in the MCNP5 and TRIPOLI4 general purpose Monte Carlo codes. Important new variance reduction techniques like forced decay of precursors in each time interval and the branchless collision method are included to obtain reasonable statistics for the power production per time interval. For simulation of practical reactor transients also the feedback effect from the thermal-hydraulics must be included. This requires coupling of the Monte Carlo code with a thermal-hydraulics (TH) code, providing the temperature distribution in the reactor, which affects the neutron transport via the cross section data. The TH code also provides the coolant density distribution in the reactor, directly influencing the neutron transport. Different techniques for this coupling are discussed. As a demonstration a 3x3 mini fuel assembly with a moving control rod is considered for MCNP5 and a mini core existing of 3x3 PWR fuel assemblies with control rods and burnable poisons for TRIPOLI4. Results are shown for reactor transients due to control rod movement or withdrawal. The TRIPOLI4 transient calculation is started at low power and includes thermal-hydraulic feedback. The power rises about 10 decades and finally stabilises the reactor power at a much higher level than initial. The examples demonstrate that the modified Monte Carlo codes are capable of performing correct transient calculations, taking into account all geometrical and cross section detail.

  8. Extensions of the MCNP5 and TRIPOLI4 Monte Carlo codes for transient reactor analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoogenboom, J.E.

    2013-01-01

    To simulate reactor transients for safety analysis with the Monte Carlo method the generation and decay of delayed neutron precursors is implemented in the MCNP5 and TRIPOLI4 general purpose Monte Carlo codes. Important new variance reduction techniques like forced decay of precursors in each time interval and the branch-less collision method are included to obtain reasonable statistics for the power production per time interval. For simulation of practical reactor transients also the feedback effect from the thermal-hydraulics must be included. This requires the coupling of the Monte Carlo code with a thermal-hydraulics (TH) code, providing the temperature distribution in the reactor, which affects the neutron transport via the cross section data. The TH code also provides the coolant density distribution in the reactor, directly influencing the neutron transport. Different techniques for this coupling are discussed. As a demonstration a 3*3 mini fuel assembly with a moving control rod is considered for MCNP5 and a mini core existing of 3*3 PWR fuel assemblies with control rods and burnable poisons for TRIPOLI4. Results are shown for reactor transients due to control rod movement or withdrawal. The TRIPOLI4 transient calculation is started at low power and includes thermal-hydraulic feedback. The power rises about 10 decades and finally stabilises the reactor power at a much higher level than initial. The examples demonstrate that the modified Monte Carlo codes are capable of performing correct transient calculations, taking into account all geometrical and cross section detail. (authors)

  9. Improvement of Monte Carlo code A3MCNP for large-scale shielding problems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miyake, Y.; Ohmura, M.; Hasegawa, T.; Ueki, K.; Sato, O.; Haghighat, A.; Sjoden, G.E.

    2004-01-01

    A 3 MCNP (Automatic Adjoint Accelerated MCNP) is a revised version of the MCNP Monte Carlo code, that automatically prepares variance reduction parameters for the CADIS (Consistent Adjoint Driven Importance Sampling) methodology. Using a deterministic 'importance' (or adjoint) function, CADIS performs source and transport biasing within the weight-window technique. The current version of A 3 MCNP uses the 3-D Sn transport TORT code to determine a 3-D importance function distribution. Based on simulation of several real-life problems, it is demonstrated that A 3 MCNP provides precise calculation results with a remarkably short computation time by using the proper and objective variance reduction parameters. However, since the first version of A 3 MCNP provided only a point source configuration option for large-scale shielding problems, such as spent-fuel transport casks, a large amount of memory may be necessary to store enough points to properly represent the source. Hence, we have developed an improved version of A 3 MCNP (referred to as A 3 MCNPV) which has a volumetric source configuration option. This paper describes the successful use of A 3 MCNPV for a concrete cask streaming problem and a PWR dosimetry problem. (author)

  10. A parallelization study of the general purpose Monte Carlo code MCNP4 on a distributed memory highly parallel computer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamazaki, Takao; Fujisaki, Masahide; Okuda, Motoi; Takano, Makoto; Masukawa, Fumihiro; Naito, Yoshitaka

    1993-01-01

    The general purpose Monte Carlo code MCNP4 has been implemented on the Fujitsu AP1000 distributed memory highly parallel computer. Parallelization techniques developed and studied are reported. A shielding analysis function of the MCNP4 code is parallelized in this study. A technique to map a history to each processor dynamically and to map control process to a certain processor was applied. The efficiency of parallelized code is up to 80% for a typical practical problem with 512 processors. These results demonstrate the advantages of a highly parallel computer to the conventional computers in the field of shielding analysis by Monte Carlo method. (orig.)

  11. Monte Carlo Techniques for Nuclear Systems - Theory Lectures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, Forrest B.; Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

    2016-01-01

    These are lecture notes for a Monte Carlo class given at the University of New Mexico. The following topics are covered: course information; nuclear eng. review & MC; random numbers and sampling; computational geometry; collision physics; tallies and statistics; eigenvalue calculations I; eigenvalue calculations II; eigenvalue calculations III; variance reduction; parallel Monte Carlo; parameter studies; fission matrix and higher eigenmodes; doppler broadening; Monte Carlo depletion; HTGR modeling; coupled MC and T/H calculations; fission energy deposition. Solving particle transport problems with the Monte Carlo method is simple - just simulate the particle behavior. The devil is in the details, however. These lectures provide a balanced approach to the theory and practice of Monte Carlo simulation codes. The first lectures provide an overview of Monte Carlo simulation methods, covering the transport equation, random sampling, computational geometry, collision physics, and statistics. The next lectures focus on the state-of-the-art in Monte Carlo criticality simulations, covering the theory of eigenvalue calculations, convergence analysis, dominance ratio calculations, bias in Keff and tallies, bias in uncertainties, a case study of a realistic calculation, and Wielandt acceleration techniques. The remaining lectures cover advanced topics, including HTGR modeling and stochastic geometry, temperature dependence, fission energy deposition, depletion calculations, parallel calculations, and parameter studies. This portion of the class focuses on using MCNP to perform criticality calculations for reactor physics and criticality safety applications. It is an intermediate level class, intended for those with at least some familiarity with MCNP. Class examples provide hands-on experience at running the code, plotting both geometry and results, and understanding the code output. The class includes lectures & hands-on computer use for a variety of Monte Carlo calculations

  12. Monte Carlo Techniques for Nuclear Systems - Theory Lectures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brown, Forrest B. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States). Monte Carlo Methods, Codes, and Applications Group; Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States). Nuclear Engineering Dept.

    2016-11-29

    These are lecture notes for a Monte Carlo class given at the University of New Mexico. The following topics are covered: course information; nuclear eng. review & MC; random numbers and sampling; computational geometry; collision physics; tallies and statistics; eigenvalue calculations I; eigenvalue calculations II; eigenvalue calculations III; variance reduction; parallel Monte Carlo; parameter studies; fission matrix and higher eigenmodes; doppler broadening; Monte Carlo depletion; HTGR modeling; coupled MC and T/H calculations; fission energy deposition. Solving particle transport problems with the Monte Carlo method is simple - just simulate the particle behavior. The devil is in the details, however. These lectures provide a balanced approach to the theory and practice of Monte Carlo simulation codes. The first lectures provide an overview of Monte Carlo simulation methods, covering the transport equation, random sampling, computational geometry, collision physics, and statistics. The next lectures focus on the state-of-the-art in Monte Carlo criticality simulations, covering the theory of eigenvalue calculations, convergence analysis, dominance ratio calculations, bias in Keff and tallies, bias in uncertainties, a case study of a realistic calculation, and Wielandt acceleration techniques. The remaining lectures cover advanced topics, including HTGR modeling and stochastic geometry, temperature dependence, fission energy deposition, depletion calculations, parallel calculations, and parameter studies. This portion of the class focuses on using MCNP to perform criticality calculations for reactor physics and criticality safety applications. It is an intermediate level class, intended for those with at least some familiarity with MCNP. Class examples provide hands-on experience at running the code, plotting both geometry and results, and understanding the code output. The class includes lectures & hands-on computer use for a variety of Monte Carlo calculations

  13. Suitability study of MCNP Monte Carlo program for use in medical physics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeraj, R.

    1998-01-01

    MCNP is widely used Monte Carlo program in reactor and nuclear physics. However, an option of simulating electrons was added into the code a few years ago. With this extension MCNP became a code, potentially applicable for applications in medical physics. In 1997, a new version of the code, named MCNP4B was released, which contains several improvements in electron transport modeling. To test suitability of the code, several important issues were considered and examined. Default sampling in MCNP electron transport was found to be inappropriate, because it gives wrong depth dose curves for electron energies of interest in radiotherapy (Me V range). The problem can be solved if ITS-style energy sampling is used instead. One of the most difficult problems in electron transport is simulation of electron backscattering, which MCNP predicts well for all, low and high Z materials. One of the potential drawbacks, if somebody wanted to use MCNP for dosimetry on real patient geometries is that MCNP lattice calculation (e.g. when calculating dose distributions) becomes very slow for large number of scoring voxels. However, if just one scoring voxel is used, the number of geometry voxels only slightly affects the speed. In the study it was found that MCNP could be reliability used for many applications in medical physics. However, the established limitations should be taken into account when MCNP is used for a particular application.(author)

  14. Implementation of 3D models in the Monte Carlo code MCNP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lopes, Vivaldo; Millian, Felix M.; Guevara, Maria Victoria M.; Garcia, Fermin; Sena, Isaac; Menezes, Hugo

    2009-01-01

    On the area of numerical dosimetry Applied to medical physics, the scientific community focuses on the elaboration of new hybrids models based on 3D models. But different steps of the process of simulation with 3D models needed improvement and optimization in order to expedite the calculations and accuracy using this methodology. This project was developed with the aim of optimize the process of introduction of 3D models within the simulation code of radiation transport by Monte Carlo (MCNP). The fast implementation of these models on the simulation code allows the estimation of the dose deposited on the patient organs on a more personalized way, increasing the accuracy with this on the estimates and reducing the risks to health, caused by ionizing radiations. The introduction o these models within the MCNP was made through a input file, that was constructed through a sequence of images, bi-dimensional in the 3D model, generated using the program '3DSMAX', imported by the program 'TOMO M C' and thus, introduced as INPUT FILE of the MCNP code. (author)

  15. Accuracy estimation for intermediate and low energy neutron transport calculation with Monte Carlo code MCNP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kotegawa, Hiroshi; Sasamoto, Nobuo; Tanaka, Shun-ichi

    1987-02-01

    Both ''measured radioactive inventory due to neutron activation in the shield concrete of JPDR'' and ''measured intermediate and low energy neutron spectra penetrating through a graphite sphere'' are analyzed using a continuous energy model Monte Carlo code MCNP so as to estimate calculational accuracy of the code for neutron transport in thermal and epithermal energy regions. Analyses reveal that MCNP calculates thermal neutron spectra fairly accurately, while it apparently over-estimates epithermal neutron spectra (of approximate 1/E distribution) as compared with the measurements. (author)

  16. Development of a consistent Monte Carlo-deterministic transport methodology based on the method of characteristics and MCNP5

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karriem, Z.; Ivanov, K.; Zamonsky, O.

    2011-01-01

    This paper presents work that has been performed to develop an integrated Monte Carlo- Deterministic transport methodology in which the two methods make use of exactly the same general geometry and multigroup nuclear data. The envisioned application of this methodology is in reactor lattice physics methods development and shielding calculations. The methodology will be based on the Method of Long Characteristics (MOC) and the Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport code MCNP5. Important initial developments pertaining to ray tracing and the development of an MOC flux solver for the proposed methodology are described. Results showing the viability of the methodology are presented for two 2-D general geometry transport problems. The essential developments presented is the use of MCNP as geometry construction and ray tracing tool for the MOC, verification of the ray tracing indexing scheme that was developed to represent the MCNP geometry in the MOC and the verification of the prototype 2-D MOC flux solver. (author)

  17. Implementation of a Monte Carlo based inverse planning model for clinical IMRT with MCNP code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    He, Tongming Tony

    2003-01-01

    Inaccurate dose calculations and limitations of optimization algorithms in inverse planning introduce systematic and convergence errors to treatment plans. This work was to implement a Monte Carlo based inverse planning model for clinical IMRT aiming to minimize the aforementioned errors. The strategy was to precalculate the dose matrices of beamlets in a Monte Carlo based method followed by the optimization of beamlet intensities. The MCNP 4B (Monte Carlo N-Particle version 4B) code was modified to implement selective particle transport and dose tallying in voxels and efficient estimation of statistical uncertainties. The resulting performance gain was over eleven thousand times. Due to concurrent calculation of multiple beamlets of individual ports, hundreds of beamlets in an IMRT plan could be calculated within a practical length of time. A finite-sized point source model provided a simple and accurate modeling of treatment beams. The dose matrix calculations were validated through measurements in phantoms. Agreements were better than 1.5% or 0.2 cm. The beamlet intensities were optimized using a parallel platform based optimization algorithm that was capable of escape from local minima and preventing premature convergence. The Monte Carlo based inverse planning model was applied to clinical cases. The feasibility and capability of Monte Carlo based inverse planning for clinical IMRT was demonstrated. Systematic errors in treatment plans of a commercial inverse planning system were assessed in comparison with the Monte Carlo based calculations. Discrepancies in tumor doses and critical structure doses were up to 12% and 17%, respectively. The clinical importance of Monte Carlo based inverse planning for IMRT was demonstrated

  18. Tally and geometry definition influence on the computing time in radiotherapy treatment planning with MCNP Monte Carlo code.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juste, B; Miro, R; Gallardo, S; Santos, A; Verdu, G

    2006-01-01

    The present work has simulated the photon and electron transport in a Theratron 780 (MDS Nordion) (60)Co radiotherapy unit, using the Monte Carlo transport code, MCNP (Monte Carlo N-Particle), version 5. In order to become computationally more efficient in view of taking part in the practical field of radiotherapy treatment planning, this work is focused mainly on the analysis of dose results and on the required computing time of different tallies applied in the model to speed up calculations.

  19. Comparison of EGS4 and MCNP Monte Carlo codes when calculating radiotherapy depth doses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Love, P A; Lewis, D G; Al-Affan, I A; Smith, C W

    1998-05-01

    The Monte Carlo codes EGS4 and MCNP have been compared when calculating radiotherapy depth doses in water. The aims of the work were to study (i) the differences between calculated depth doses in water for a range of monoenergetic photon energies and (ii) the relative efficiency of the two codes for different electron transport energy cut-offs. The depth doses from the two codes agree with each other within the statistical uncertainties of the calculations (1-2%). The relative depth doses also agree with data tabulated in the British Journal of Radiology Supplement 25. A discrepancy in the dose build-up region may by attributed to the different electron transport algorithims used by EGS4 and MCNP. This discrepancy is considerably reduced when the improved electron transport routines are used in the latest (4B) version of MCNP. Timing calculations show that EGS4 is at least 50% faster than MCNP for the geometries used in the simulations.

  20. Monte Carlo simulation of x-ray spectra in diagnostic radiology and mammography using MCNP4C

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ay, M R [Department of Physics and Nuclear Sciences, AmirKabir University of Technology, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Shahriari, M [Department of Nuclear Engineering, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Sarkar, S [Department of Medical Physics, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Adib, M [TPP Co., GE Medical Systems, Iran Authorized Distributor, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Zaidi, H [Division of Nuclear Medicine, Geneva University Hospital, 1211 Geneva (Switzerland)

    2004-11-07

    The general purpose Monte Carlo N-particle radiation transport computer code (MCNP4C) was used for the simulation of x-ray spectra in diagnostic radiology and mammography. The electrons were transported until they slow down and stop in the target. Both bremsstrahlung and characteristic x-ray production were considered in this work. We focus on the simulation of various target/filter combinations to investigate the effect of tube voltage, target material and filter thickness on x-ray spectra in the diagnostic radiology and mammography energy ranges. The simulated x-ray spectra were compared with experimental measurements and spectra calculated by IPEM report number 78. In addition, the anode heel effect and off-axis x-ray spectra were assessed for different anode angles and target materials and the results were compared with EGS4-based Monte Carlo simulations and measured data. Quantitative evaluation of the differences between our Monte Carlo simulated and comparison spectra was performed using student's t-test statistical analysis. Generally, there is a good agreement between the simulated x-ray and comparison spectra, although there are systematic differences between the simulated and reference spectra especially in the K-characteristic x-rays intensity. Nevertheless, no statistically significant differences have been observed between IPEM spectra and the simulated spectra. It has been shown that the difference between MCNP simulated spectra and IPEM spectra in the low energy range is the result of the overestimation of characteristic photons following the normalization procedure. The transmission curves produced by MCNP4C have good agreement with the IPEM report especially for tube voltages of 50 kV and 80 kV. The systematic discrepancy for higher tube voltages is the result of systematic differences between the corresponding spectra.

  1. Monte Carlo simulation of x-ray spectra in diagnostic radiology and mammography using MCNP4C

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ay, M. R.; Shahriari, M.; Sarkar, S.; Adib, M.; Zaidi, H.

    2004-11-01

    The general purpose Monte Carlo N-particle radiation transport computer code (MCNP4C) was used for the simulation of x-ray spectra in diagnostic radiology and mammography. The electrons were transported until they slow down and stop in the target. Both bremsstrahlung and characteristic x-ray production were considered in this work. We focus on the simulation of various target/filter combinations to investigate the effect of tube voltage, target material and filter thickness on x-ray spectra in the diagnostic radiology and mammography energy ranges. The simulated x-ray spectra were compared with experimental measurements and spectra calculated by IPEM report number 78. In addition, the anode heel effect and off-axis x-ray spectra were assessed for different anode angles and target materials and the results were compared with EGS4-based Monte Carlo simulations and measured data. Quantitative evaluation of the differences between our Monte Carlo simulated and comparison spectra was performed using student's t-test statistical analysis. Generally, there is a good agreement between the simulated x-ray and comparison spectra, although there are systematic differences between the simulated and reference spectra especially in the K-characteristic x-rays intensity. Nevertheless, no statistically significant differences have been observed between IPEM spectra and the simulated spectra. It has been shown that the difference between MCNP simulated spectra and IPEM spectra in the low energy range is the result of the overestimation of characteristic photons following the normalization procedure. The transmission curves produced by MCNP4C have good agreement with the IPEM report especially for tube voltages of 50 kV and 80 kV. The systematic discrepancy for higher tube voltages is the result of systematic differences between the corresponding spectra.

  2. Physics and Algorithm Enhancements for a Validated MCNP/X Monte Carlo Simulation Tool, Phase VII

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McKinney, Gregg W.

    2012-01-01

    Currently the US lacks an end-to-end (i.e., source-to-detector) radiation transport simulation code with predictive capability for the broad range of DHS nuclear material detection applications. For example, gaps in the physics, along with inadequate analysis algorithms, make it difficult for Monte Carlo simulations to provide a comprehensive evaluation, design, and optimization of proposed interrogation systems. With the development and implementation of several key physics and algorithm enhancements, along with needed improvements in evaluated data and benchmark measurements, the MCNP/X Monte Carlo codes will provide designers, operators, and systems analysts with a validated tool for developing state-of-the-art active and passive detection systems. This project is currently in its seventh year (Phase VII). This presentation will review thirty enhancements that have been implemented in MCNPX over the last 3 years and were included in the 2011 release of version 2.7.0. These improvements include 12 physics enhancements, 4 source enhancements, 8 tally enhancements, and 6 other enhancements. Examples and results will be provided for each of these features. The presentation will also discuss the eight enhancements that will be migrated into MCNP6 over the upcoming year.

  3. Monte Carlo Simulation of Electron Beams for Radiotherapy - EGS4, MCNP4b and GEANT3 Intercomparison

    CERN Document Server

    Trindade, A; Alves, C M; Chaves, A; Lopes, C; Oliveira, C; Peralta, L

    2000-01-01

    In medical radiation physics, an increasing number of Monte Carlo codes are being used, which requires intercomparison between them to evaluated the accuracy of the simulated results against benchmark experiments. The Monte Carlo code EGS4, commonly used to simulate electron beams from medical linear accelerators, was compared with GEANT3 and MCNP4b. Intercomparison of electron energy spectra, angular and spatial distribution were carried out for the Siemens KD2 linear accelerator, at beam energies of 10 and 15 MeV for a field size of 10x10 cm2. Indirect validation was performed against electron depth doses curves and beam profiles measured in a MP3-PTW water phantom using a Markus planar chamber. Monte Carlo isodose lines were reconstructed and compared to those from commercial treatment planning systems (TPS's) and with experimental data.

  4. Monte Carlo simulation using MCNP4B for an optimal shielding design of a 252 Cf source

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silva, Ademir X. da; Crispim, Verginia R.

    2001-01-01

    This study aim to investigate an optimum shielding design against neutrons and gamma-rays from a source of 252 Cf, using Monte Carlo simulation. The shielding materials studied were: borated polyethylene, borated-lead polyethylene and stainless steel. The Monte Carlo code MCNP, version 4B, was used to design shielding for 252 Cf based neutron irradiator systems. By normalizing the dose equivalent rate values presented to the neutron production rate of the source, the resulting calculations are independents of the intensity of actual 252 Cf source. The results shown what the total dose equivalent rates were reduced significantly by the shielding system optimization. (author)

  5. Performance of the improved version of Monte Carlo Code A3MCNP for cask shielding design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hasegawa, T.; Ueki, K.; Sato, O.; Sjoden, G.E.; Miyake, Y.; Ohmura, M.; Haghighat, A.

    2004-01-01

    A 3 MCNP (Automatic Adjoint Accelerated MCNP) is a revised version of the MCNP Monte Carlo code, that automatically prepares variance reduction parameters for the CADIS (Consistent Adjoint Driven Importance Sampling) methodology. Using a deterministic ''importance'' (or adjoint) function, CADIS performs source and transport biasing within the weight-window technique. The current version of A 3 MCNP uses the 3-D Sn transport TORT code to determine a 3-D importance function distribution. Based on simulation of several real-life problems, it is demonstrated that A3MCNP provides precise calculation results with a remarkably short computation time by using the proper and objective variance reduction parameters. However, since the first version of A 3 MCNP provided only a point source configuration option for large-scale shielding problems, such as spent-fuel transport casks, a large amount of memory may be necessary to store enough points to properly represent the source. Hence, we have developed an improved version of A 3 MCNP (referred to as A 3 MCNPV) which has a volumetric source configuration option. This paper describes the successful use of A 3 MCNPV for cask neutron and gamma-ray shielding problem

  6. Monte Carlo MCNP-4B-based absorbed dose distribution estimates for patient-specific dosimetry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoriyaz, H; Stabin, M G; dos Santos, A

    2001-04-01

    This study was intended to verify the capability of the Monte Carlo MCNP-4B code to evaluate spatial dose distribution based on information gathered from CT or SPECT. A new three-dimensional (3D) dose calculation approach for internal emitter use in radioimmunotherapy (RIT) was developed using the Monte Carlo MCNP-4B code as the photon and electron transport engine. It was shown that the MCNP-4B computer code can be used with voxel-based anatomic and physiologic data to provide 3D dose distributions. This study showed that the MCNP-4B code can be used to develop a treatment planning system that will provide such information in a time manner, if dose reporting is suitably optimized. If each organ is divided into small regions where the average energy deposition is calculated with a typical volume of 0.4 cm(3), regional dose distributions can be provided with reasonable central processing unit times (on the order of 12-24 h on a 200-MHz personal computer or modest workstation). Further efforts to provide semiautomated region identification (segmentation) and improvement of marrow dose calculations are needed to supply a complete system for RIT. It is envisioned that all such efforts will continue to develop and that internal dose calculations may soon be brought to a similar level of accuracy, detail, and robustness as is commonly expected in external dose treatment planning. For this study we developed a code with a user-friendly interface that works on several nuclear medicine imaging platforms and provides timely patient-specific dose information to the physician and medical physicist. Future therapy with internal emitters should use a 3D dose calculation approach, which represents a significant advance over dose information provided by the standard geometric phantoms used for more than 20 y (which permit reporting of only average organ doses for certain standardized individuals)

  7. DXRaySMCS: a user-friendly interface developed for prediction of diagnostic radiology X-ray spectra produced by Monte Carlo (MCNP-4C) simulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bahreyni Toossi, M T; Moradi, H; Zare, H

    2008-01-01

    In this work, the general purpose Monte Carlo N-particle radiation transport computer code (MCNP-4C) was used for the simulation of X-ray spectra in diagnostic radiology. The electron's path in the target was followed until its energy was reduced to 10 keV. A user-friendly interface named 'diagnostic X-ray spectra by Monte Carlo simulation (DXRaySMCS)' was developed to facilitate the application of MCNP-4C code for diagnostic radiology spectrum prediction. The program provides a user-friendly interface for: (i) modifying the MCNP input file, (ii) launching the MCNP program to simulate electron and photon transport and (iii) processing the MCNP output file to yield a summary of the results (relative photon number per energy bin). In this article, the development and characteristics of DXRaySMCS are outlined. As part of the validation process, output spectra for 46 diagnostic radiology system settings produced by DXRaySMCS were compared with the corresponding IPEM78. Generally, there is a good agreement between the two sets of spectra. No statistically significant differences have been observed between IPEM78 reported spectra and the simulated spectra generated in this study.

  8. MCNP-X Monte Carlo Code Application for Mass Attenuation Coefficients of Concrete at Different Energies by Modeling 3 × 3 Inch NaI(Tl Detector and Comparison with XCOM and Monte Carlo Data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huseyin Ozan Tekin

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Gamma-ray measurements in various research fields require efficient detectors. One of these research fields is mass attenuation coefficients of different materials. Apart from experimental studies, the Monte Carlo (MC method has become one of the most popular tools in detector studies. An NaI(Tl detector has been modeled, and, for a validation study of the modeled NaI(Tl detector, the absolute efficiency of 3 × 3 inch cylindrical NaI(Tl detector has been calculated by using the general purpose Monte Carlo code MCNP-X (version 2.4.0 and compared with previous studies in literature in the range of 661–2620 keV. In the present work, the applicability of MCNP-X Monte Carlo code for mass attenuation of concrete sample material as building material at photon energies 59.5 keV, 80 keV, 356 keV, 661.6 keV, 1173.2 keV, and 1332.5 keV has been tested by using validated NaI(Tl detector. The mass attenuation coefficients of concrete sample have been calculated. The calculated results agreed well with experimental and some other theoretical results. The results specify that this process can be followed to determine the data on the attenuation of gamma-rays with other required energies in other materials or in new complex materials. It can be concluded that data from Monte Carlo is a strong tool not only for efficiency studies but also for mass attenuation coefficients calculations.

  9. Applications guide to the RSIC-distributed version of the MCNP code (coupled Monte Carlo neutron-photon Code)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cramer, S.N.

    1985-09-01

    An overview of the RSIC-distributed version of the MCNP code (a soupled Monte Carlo neutron-photon code) is presented. All general features of the code, from machine hardware requirements to theoretical details, are discussed. The current nuclide cross-section and other libraries available in the standard code package are specified, and a realistic example of the flexible geometry input is given. Standard and nonstandard source, estimator, and variance-reduction procedures are outlined. Examples of correct usage and possible misuse of certain code features are presented graphically and in standard output listings. Finally, itemized summaries of sample problems, various MCNP code documentation, and future work are given

  10. Status of Monte Carlo at Los Alamos

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thompson, W.L.; Cashwell, E.D.

    1980-01-01

    At Los Alamos the early work of Fermi, von Neumann, and Ulam has been developed and supplemented by many followers, notably Cashwell and Everett, and the main product today is the continuous-energy, general-purpose, generalized-geometry, time-dependent, coupled neutron-photon transport code called MCNP. The Los Alamos Monte Carlo research and development effort is concentrated in Group X-6. MCNP treats an arbitrary three-dimensional configuration of arbitrary materials in geometric cells bounded by first- and second-degree surfaces and some fourth-degree surfaces (elliptical tori). Monte Carlo has evolved into perhaps the main method for radiation transport calculations at Los Alamos. MCNP is used in every technical division at the Laboratory by over 130 users about 600 times a month accounting for nearly 200 hours of CDC-7600 time

  11. Coupling the MCNP Monte Carlo code and the FISPACT activation code with automatic visualization of the results of simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bourauel, Peter; Nabbi, Rahim; Biel, Wolfgang; Forrest, Robin

    2009-01-01

    The MCNP 3D Monte Carlo computer code is used not only for criticality calculations of nuclear systems but also to simulate transports of radiation and particles. The findings so obtained about neutron flux distribution and the associated spectra allow information about materials activation, nuclear heating, and radiation damage to be obtained by means of activation codes such as FISPACT. The stochastic character of particle and radiation transport processes normally links findings to the materials cells making up the geometry model of MCNP. Where high spatial resolution is required for the activation calculations with FISPACT, fine segmentation of the MCNP geometry becomes compulsory, which implies considerable expense for the modeling process. For this reason, an alternative simulation technique has been developed in an effort to automate and optimize data transfer between MCNP and FISPACT. (orig.)

  12. Parallelization of MCNP Monte Carlo neutron and photon transport code in parallel virtual machine and message passing interface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deng Li; Xie Zhongsheng

    1999-01-01

    The coupled neutron and photon transport Monte Carlo code MCNP (version 3B) has been parallelized in parallel virtual machine (PVM) and message passing interface (MPI) by modifying a previous serial code. The new code has been verified by solving sample problems. The speedup increases linearly with the number of processors and the average efficiency is up to 99% for 12-processor. (author)

  13. Performance of the improved version of Monte Carlo code A 3MCNP for large-scale shielding problems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Omura, M.; Miyake, Y.; Hasegawa, T.; Ueki, K.; Sato, O.; Haghighat, A.; Sjoden, G. E.

    2005-01-01

    A 3MCNP (Automatic Adjoint Accelerated MCNP) is a revised version of the MCNP Monte Carlo code, which automatically prepares variance reduction parameters for the CADIS (Consistent Adjoint Driven Importance Sampling) methodology. Using a deterministic 'importance' (or adjoint) function, CADIS performs source and transport biasing within the weight-window technique. The current version of A 3MCNP uses the three-dimensional (3-D) Sn transport TORT code to determine a 3-D importance function distribution. Based on simulation of several real-life problems, it is demonstrated that A 3MCNP provides precise calculation results with a remarkably short computation time by using the proper and objective variance reduction parameters. However, since the first version of A 3MCNP provided only a point source configuration option for large-scale shielding problems, such as spent-fuel transport casks, a large amount of memory may be necessary to store enough points to properly represent the source. Hence, we have developed an improved version of A 3MCNP (referred to as A 3MCNPV) which has a volumetric source configuration option. This paper describes the successful use of A 3MCNPV for a concrete cask neutron and gamma-ray shielding problem, and a PWR dosimetry problem. (authors)

  14. Monte Carlo modelling of large scale NORM sources using MCNP.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wallace, J D

    2013-12-01

    The representative Monte Carlo modelling of large scale planar sources (for comparison to external environmental radiation fields) is undertaken using substantial diameter and thin profile planar cylindrical sources. The relative impact of source extent, soil thickness and sky-shine are investigated to guide decisions relating to representative geometries. In addition, the impact of source to detector distance on the nature of the detector response, for a range of source sizes, has been investigated. These investigations, using an MCNP based model, indicate a soil cylinder of greater than 20 m diameter and of no less than 50 cm depth/height, combined with a 20 m deep sky section above the soil cylinder, are needed to representatively model the semi-infinite plane of uniformly distributed NORM sources. Initial investigation of the effect of detector placement indicate that smaller source sizes may be used to achieve a representative response at shorter source to detector distances. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. A new effective Monte Carlo Midway coupling method in MCNP applied to a well logging problem

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Serov, I.V.; John, T.M.; Hoogenboom, J.E

    1998-12-01

    The background of the Midway forward-adjoint coupling method including the black absorber technique for efficient Monte Carlo determination of radiation detector responses is described. The method is implemented in the general purpose MCNP Monte Carlo code. The utilization of the method is fairly straightforward and does not require any substantial extra expertise. The method was applied to a standard neutron well logging porosity tool problem. The results exhibit reliability and high efficiency of the Midway method. For the studied problem the efficiency gain is considerably higher than for a normal forward calculation, which is already strongly optimized by weight-windows. No additional effort is required to adjust the Midway model if the position of the detector or the porosity of the formation is changed. Additionally, the Midway method can be used with other variance reduction techniques if extra gain in efficiency is desired.

  16. Monte Carlo radiation transport: A revolution in science

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hendricks, J.

    1993-01-01

    When Enrico Fermi, Stan Ulam, Nicholas Metropolis, John von Neuman, and Robert Richtmyer invented the Monte Carlo method fifty years ago, little could they imagine the far-flung consequences, the international applications, and the revolution in science epitomized by their abstract mathematical method. The Monte Carlo method is used in a wide variety of fields to solve exact computational models approximately by statistical sampling. It is an alternative to traditional physics modeling methods which solve approximate computational models exactly by deterministic methods. Modern computers and improved methods, such as variance reduction, have enhanced the method to the point of enabling a true predictive capability in areas such as radiation or particle transport. This predictive capability has contributed to a radical change in the way science is done: design and understanding come from computations built upon experiments rather than being limited to experiments, and the computer codes doing the computations have become the repository for physics knowledge. The MCNP Monte Carlo computer code effort at Los Alamos is an example of this revolution. Physicians unfamiliar with physics details can design cancer treatments using physics buried in the MCNP computer code. Hazardous environments and hypothetical accidents can be explored. Many other fields, from underground oil well exploration to aerospace, from physics research to energy production, from safety to bulk materials processing, benefit from MCNP, the Monte Carlo method, and the revolution in science

  17. A graphical user interface for diagnostic radiology dosimetry using Monte Carlo (MCNP) simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Collins, P.J.; Gorbatkov, D.; Schultz, F.W.

    2000-01-01

    Monte Carlo methods (for example, MCNP, EGGS4) are the 'gold standard' for both external and internal dosimetry in humans. These powerful simulation tools are, however, general-purpose codes and consequently do not provide a simple user interface for specific dosimetry tasks. We have developed a graphical user interface, for external radiation dosimetry (diagnostic radiology) using MCNP and an anthropomorphic mathematical phantom (Adam/Eva), which enables convenient modification and processing of the MCNP input and output files. The input form displays a colour coded, 3D representation of the phantom with a superimposed 'beam' for the required x-ray projection. The phantom can be rotated through 360 degrees and a transverse section at the level of the mid-point of the beam is also displayed. Text fields enable entry of input data (beam dimensions, source position, kVp, total filtration, focus-to-skin distance). A pull-down menu enables the user to select from 22 standard radiographic views. A standard projection can be modified, or new projection data entered if required. The input program modifies the MCNP input file and initiates processing. An output form displays the organ doses, normalised to unit skin entrance dose (with backscatter) (SED). The user can also enter the SED (calculated or measured) for a particular machine, to obtain the effective dose. To validate the program, the results for a PA Chest study (80 kVp, 2.5 mm Al total filtration) were compared with NRPB data (Jones and Wall, 1985). In conclusion, a convenient and reliable graphical user interface has been developed for MCNP, which enables dosimetry calculation for a full range of diagnostic radiological studies. (author)

  18. Benchmarking the MCNP code for Monte Carlo modelling of an in vivo neutron activation analysis system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Natto, S A; Lewis, D G; Ryde, S J

    1998-01-01

    The Monte Carlo computer code MCNP (version 4A) has been used to develop a personal computer-based model of the Swansea in vivo neutron activation analysis (IVNAA) system. The model included specification of the neutron source (252Cf), collimators, reflectors and shielding. The MCNP model was 'benchmarked' against fast neutron and thermal neutron fluence data obtained experimentally from the IVNAA system. The Swansea system allows two irradiation geometries using 'short' and 'long' collimators, which provide alternative dose rates for IVNAA. The data presented here relate to the short collimator, although results of similar accuracy were obtained using the long collimator. The fast neutron fluence was measured in air at a series of depths inside the collimator. The measurements agreed with the MCNP simulation within the statistical uncertainty (5-10%) of the calculations. The thermal neutron fluence was measured and calculated inside the cuboidal water phantom. The depth of maximum thermal fluence was 3.2 cm (measured) and 3.0 cm (calculated). The width of the 50% thermal fluence level across the phantom at its mid-depth was found to be the same by both MCNP and experiment. This benchmarking exercise has given us a high degree of confidence in MCNP as a tool for the design of IVNAA systems.

  19. DXRaySMCS. First user friendly interface developed for prediction of diagnostic radiology X-ray spectra produced by Monte Carlo (MCNP-4C) simulation in Iran

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bahreyni Toossi, M.T.; Zare, H.; Moradi Faradanbe, H.

    2008-01-01

    An accurate knowledge of the output energy spectra of an x-ray tube is essential in many areas of radiological studies. It forms the basis of almost all image quality simulations and enable system designers to predict patient dose more accurately. Many radiological physics problems that can be solved by Monte Carlo simulation methods require an x-ray spectra as input data. Computer simulation of x-ray spectra is one of the most important tools for investigation of patient dose and image quality in diagnostic radiology systems. In this work the general purpose Monte Carlo N-particle radiation transport computer code (MCNP-4C) was used for the simulation of x-ray spectra in diagnostic radiology, Electron's path in the target was followed until it's energy was reduced to 10 keV. A user friendly interface named 'Diagnostic X-ray Spectra by Monte Carlo Simulation (DXRaySMCS)' was developed to facilitate the application of MCNP-4C code for diagnostic radiology spectrum prediction. The program provides a user friendly interface for modifying the MCNP input file, launching the MCNP program to simulate electron and photon transport and processing the MCNP output file to yield a summary of the results (Relative Photon Number per Energy Bin). In this article the development and characteristics of DXRaySMCS are outlined. As part of the validation process, out put spectra for 46 diagnostic radiology system settings produced by DXRaySMCS were compared with the corresponding IPEM78. Generally, there is a good agreement between the two sets of spectra. No statistically significant differences have been observed between IPEM78 reported spectra and the simulated spectra generated in this study. (author)

  20. Monte Carlo simulation applied to radiosurgery narrow beams using MCNP-4C

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chaves, A.; Lopes, M.C.; Oliveira, C.

    2001-01-01

    Dose measurements for the narrow photon beams used in radiosurgery are complicated by the lack of electron equilibrium which is a requirement namely for ionometric methods. To overcome this difficulty the use of different dosimetric supports is strongly recommended in order to appreciate the influence of each type of detector. Monte Carlo simulation is another kind of tool to assess the details of the energy deposition phenomena in such narrow photon beams. In this study output factors and depth dose calculated by the Monte Carlo MCNP-4C code are presented and compared with experimental data measured with a diode, a Markus chamber, a 0.125 cc thimble chamber and a Pinpoint chamber. Simulated energy spectra for narrow beams are also presented in order to compare them with the reference 10 cm x 10 cm beam field size and thus discuss the different contributions of the absorbed energy in water, in each case. A detailed analysis on the photon energy spectra showed a slight decrease on the photon mean energy that can be explained by the increased scattering inside the additional collimators. Calculated and measured depth doses curves are in good agreement for most of the collimators. For the two smallest collimators some differences have been pointed and explained according to the characteristics of the detectors (author)

  1. Monte Carlo electron/photon transport

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mack, J.M.; Morel, J.E.; Hughes, H.G.

    1985-01-01

    A review of nonplasma coupled electron/photon transport using Monte Carlo method is presented. Remarks are mainly restricted to linerarized formalisms at electron energies from 1 keV to 1000 MeV. Applications involving pulse-height estimation, transport in external magnetic fields, and optical Cerenkov production are discussed to underscore the importance of this branch of computational physics. Advances in electron multigroup cross-section generation is reported, and its impact on future code development assessed. Progress toward the transformation of MCNP into a generalized neutral/charged-particle Monte Carlo code is described. 48 refs

  2. Status of Monte Carlo at Los Alamos

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thompson, W.L.; Cashwell, E.D.; Godfrey, T.N.K.; Schrandt, R.G.; Deutsch, O.L.; Booth, T.E.

    1980-05-01

    Four papers were presented by Group X-6 on April 22, 1980, at the Oak Ridge Radiation Shielding Information Center (RSIC) Seminar-Workshop on Theory and Applications of Monte Carlo Methods. These papers are combined into one report for convenience and because they are related to each other. The first paper (by Thompson and Cashwell) is a general survey about X-6 and MCNP and is an introduction to the other three papers. It can also serve as a resume of X-6. The second paper (by Godfrey) explains some of the details of geometry specification in MCNP. The third paper (by Cashwell and Schrandt) illustrates calculating flux at a point with MCNP; in particular, the once-more-collided flux estimator is demonstrated. Finally, the fourth paper (by Thompson, Deutsch, and Booth) is a tutorial on some variance-reduction techniques. It should be required for a fledging Monte Carlo practitioner

  3. Guideline of Monte Carlo calculation. Neutron/gamma ray transport simulation by Monte Carlo method

    CERN Document Server

    2002-01-01

    This report condenses basic theories and advanced applications of neutron/gamma ray transport calculations in many fields of nuclear energy research. Chapters 1 through 5 treat historical progress of Monte Carlo methods, general issues of variance reduction technique, cross section libraries used in continuous energy Monte Carlo codes. In chapter 6, the following issues are discussed: fusion benchmark experiments, design of ITER, experiment analyses of fast critical assembly, core analyses of JMTR, simulation of pulsed neutron experiment, core analyses of HTTR, duct streaming calculations, bulk shielding calculations, neutron/gamma ray transport calculations of the Hiroshima atomic bomb. Chapters 8 and 9 treat function enhancements of MCNP and MVP codes, and a parallel processing of Monte Carlo calculation, respectively. An important references are attached at the end of this report.

  4. Igo - A Monte Carlo Code For Radiotherapy Planning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goldstein, M.; Regev, D.

    1999-01-01

    The goal of radiation therapy is to deliver a lethal dose to the tumor, while minimizing the dose to normal tissues and vital organs. To carry out this task, it is critical to calculate correctly the 3-D dose delivered. Monte Carlo transport methods (especially the Adjoint Monte Carlo have the potential to provide more accurate predictions of the 3-D dose the currently used methods. IG0 is a Monte Carlo code derived from the general Monte Carlo Program - MCNP, tailored specifically for calculating the effects of radiation therapy. This paper describes the IG0 transport code, the PIG0 interface and some preliminary results

  5. Monte Carlo modeling of ion chamber performance using MCNP.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wallace, J D

    2012-12-01

    Ion Chambers have a generally flat energy response with some deviations at very low (2 MeV) energies. Some improvements in the low energy response can be achieved through use of high atomic number gases, such as argon and xenon, and higher chamber pressures. This work looks at the energy response of high pressure xenon-filled ion chambers using the MCNP Monte Carlo package to develop geometric models of a commercially available high pressure ion chamber (HPIC). The use of the F6 tally as an estimator of the energy deposited in a region of interest per unit mass, and the underlying assumptions associated with its use are described. The effect of gas composition, chamber gas pressure, chamber wall thickness, and chamber holder wall thicknesses on energy response are investigated and reported. The predicted energy response curve for the HPIC was found to be similar to that reported by other investigators. These investigations indicate that improvements to flatten the overall energy response of the HPIC down to 70 keV could be achieved through use of 3 mm-thick stainless steel walls for the ion chamber.

  6. Contributon Monte Carlo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dubi, A.; Gerstl, S.A.W.

    1979-05-01

    The contributon Monte Carlo method is based on a new recipe to calculate target responses by means of volume integral of the contributon current in a region between the source and the detector. A comprehensive description of the method, its implementation in the general-purpose MCNP code, and results of the method for realistic nonhomogeneous, energy-dependent problems are presented. 23 figures, 10 tables

  7. Voxel2MCNP: a framework for modeling, simulation and evaluation of radiation transport scenarios for Monte Carlo codes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pölz, Stefan; Laubersheimer, Sven; Eberhardt, Jakob S; Harrendorf, Marco A; Keck, Thomas; Benzler, Andreas; Breustedt, Bastian

    2013-01-01

    The basic idea of Voxel2MCNP is to provide a framework supporting users in modeling radiation transport scenarios using voxel phantoms and other geometric models, generating corresponding input for the Monte Carlo code MCNPX, and evaluating simulation output. Applications at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology are primarily whole and partial body counter calibration and calculation of dose conversion coefficients. A new generic data model describing data related to radiation transport, including phantom and detector geometries and their properties, sources, tallies and materials, has been developed. It is modular and generally independent of the targeted Monte Carlo code. The data model has been implemented as an XML-based file format to facilitate data exchange, and integrated with Voxel2MCNP to provide a common interface for modeling, visualization, and evaluation of data. Also, extensions to allow compatibility with several file formats, such as ENSDF for nuclear structure properties and radioactive decay data, SimpleGeo for solid geometry modeling, ImageJ for voxel lattices, and MCNPX’s MCTAL for simulation results have been added. The framework is presented and discussed in this paper and example workflows for body counter calibration and calculation of dose conversion coefficients is given to illustrate its application. (paper)

  8. Comparative Criticality Analysis of Two Monte Carlo Codes on Centrifugal Atomizer: MCNPS and SCALE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, H-S; Jang, M-S; Kim, S-R; Park, J-M; Kim, K-N

    2015-01-01

    There are two well-known Monte Carlo codes for criticality analysis, MCNP5 and SCALE. MCNP5 is a general-purpose Monte Carlo N-Particle code that can be used for neutron, photon, electron or coupled neutron / photon / electron transport, including the capability to calculate eigenvalues for critical system as a main analysis code. SCALE provides a comprehensive, verified and validated, user-friendly tool set for criticality safety, reactor physics, radiation shielding, radioactive source term characterization, and sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. SCALE was conceived and funded by US NRC to perform standardized computer analysis for licensing evaluation and is used widely in the world. We performed a validation test of MCNP5 and a comparative analysis of Monte Carlo codes, MCNP5 and SCALE, in terms of the critical analysis of centrifugal atomizer. In the criticality analysis using MCNP5 code, we obtained the statistically reliable results by using a large number of source histories per cycle and performing of uncertainty analysis

  9. Comparative Criticality Analysis of Two Monte Carlo Codes on Centrifugal Atomizer: MCNPS and SCALE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kang, H-S; Jang, M-S; Kim, S-R [NESS, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Park, J-M; Kim, K-N [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-10-15

    There are two well-known Monte Carlo codes for criticality analysis, MCNP5 and SCALE. MCNP5 is a general-purpose Monte Carlo N-Particle code that can be used for neutron, photon, electron or coupled neutron / photon / electron transport, including the capability to calculate eigenvalues for critical system as a main analysis code. SCALE provides a comprehensive, verified and validated, user-friendly tool set for criticality safety, reactor physics, radiation shielding, radioactive source term characterization, and sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. SCALE was conceived and funded by US NRC to perform standardized computer analysis for licensing evaluation and is used widely in the world. We performed a validation test of MCNP5 and a comparative analysis of Monte Carlo codes, MCNP5 and SCALE, in terms of the critical analysis of centrifugal atomizer. In the criticality analysis using MCNP5 code, we obtained the statistically reliable results by using a large number of source histories per cycle and performing of uncertainty analysis.

  10. Verification of the Monte Carlo differential operator technique for MCNP trademark

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McKinney, G.W.; Iverson, J.L.

    1996-02-01

    The differential operator perturbation technique has been incorporated into the Monte Carlo N-Particle transport code MCNP and will become a standard feature of future releases. This feature includes first and second order terms of the Taylor series expansion for response perturbations related to cross-section data (i.e., density, composition, etc.). Perturbation and sensitivity analyses can benefit from this technique in that predicted changes in one or more tally responses may be obtained for multiple perturbations in a single run. The user interface is intuitive, yet flexible enough to allow for changes in a specific microscopic cross section over a specified energy range. With this technique, a precise estimate of a small change in response is easily obtained, even when the standard deviation of the unperturbed tally is greater than the change. Furthermore, results presented in this report demonstrate that first and second order terms can offer acceptable accuracy, to within a few percent, for up to 20-30% changes in a response

  11. An Advanced Neutronic Analysis Toolkit with Inline Monte Carlo capability for BHTR Analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    William R. Martin; John C. Lee

    2009-12-30

    Monte Carlo capability has been combined with a production LWR lattice physics code to allow analysis of high temperature gas reactor configurations, accounting for the double heterogeneity due to the TRISO fuel. The Monte Carlo code MCNP5 has been used in conjunction with CPM3, which was the testbench lattice physics code for this project. MCNP5 is used to perform two calculations for the geometry of interest, one with homogenized fuel compacts and the other with heterogeneous fuel compacts, where the TRISO fuel kernels are resolved by MCNP5.

  12. An Advanced Neutronic Analysis Toolkit with Inline Monte Carlo capability for VHTR Analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, William R.; Lee, John C.

    2009-01-01

    Monte Carlo capability has been combined with a production LWR lattice physics code to allow analysis of high temperature gas reactor configurations, accounting for the double heterogeneity due to the TRISO fuel. The Monte Carlo code MCNP5 has been used in conjunction with CPM3, which was the testbench lattice physics code for this project. MCNP5 is used to perform two calculations for the geometry of interest, one with homogenized fuel compacts and the other with heterogeneous fuel compacts, where the TRISO fuel kernels are resolved by MCNP5.

  13. Modification to the Monte N-Particle (MCNP) Visual Editor (MCNPVised) to read in Computer Aided Design (CAD) files

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schwarz, Randy A.; Carter, Leeland L.

    2004-01-01

    Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code (MCNP) (Reference 1) is the code of choice for doing complex neutron/photon/electron transport calculations for the nuclear industry and research institutions. The Visual Editor for Monte Carlo N-Particle (References 2 to 11) is recognized internationally as the best code for visually creating and graphically displaying input files for MCNP. The work performed in this grant enhanced the capabilities of the MCNP Visual Editor to allow it to read in a 2D Computer Aided Design (CAD) file, allowing the user to modify and view the 2D CAD file and then electronically generate a valid MCNP input geometry with a user specified axial extent

  14. Use of the MCNP Monte Carlo code for characterization of a pencil-type ionization chamber; Uso do código de Monte Carlo MCNP para caracterização de uma câmara de ionização tipo lápis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mendonça, Dalila Souza Costa; Santos, William S.; Perini, Ana Paula, E-mail: anapaula.perini@ufu.br [Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (INFIS/UFU), MG (Brazil). Instituto de Física; Neves, Lucio Pereira; Caldas, Linda V. E. [Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Belinato, Walmir [Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia da Bahia (IFBA), Vitória da Conquista, BA (Brazil)

    2017-07-01

    Ionization chambers are widely used in diagnostic radiology dosimetry. In this work, a special pencil-type ionization chamber, with different dimensions, configuration and materials in relation to commercial ones, was studied computationally. For this, the MCNP-4C Monte Carlo code and different radiation spectra were used to determine the influence of its components on its response. It was possible to observe that the highest influence was for the PVC wall. (author)

  15. New sampling method in continuous energy Monte Carlo calculation for pebble bed reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murata, Isao; Takahashi, Akito; Mori, Takamasa; Nakagawa, Masayuki.

    1997-01-01

    A pebble bed reactor generally has double heterogeneity consisting of two kinds of spherical fuel element. In the core, there exist many fuel balls piled up randomly in a high packing fraction. And each fuel ball contains a lot of small fuel particles which are also distributed randomly. In this study, to realize precise neutron transport calculation of such reactors with the continuous energy Monte Carlo method, a new sampling method has been developed. The new method has been implemented in the general purpose Monte Carlo code MCNP to develop a modified version MCNP-BALL. This method was validated by calculating inventory of spherical fuel elements arranged successively by sampling during transport calculation and also by performing criticality calculations in ordered packing models. From the results, it was confirmed that the inventory of spherical fuel elements could be reproduced using MCNP-BALL within a sufficient accuracy of 0.2%. And the comparison of criticality calculations in ordered packing models between MCNP-BALL and the reference method shows excellent agreement in neutron spectrum as well as multiplication factor. MCNP-BALL enables us to analyze pebble bed type cores such as PROTEUS precisely with the continuous energy Monte Carlo method. (author)

  16. MCNP4C2, Coupled Neutron, Electron Gamma 3-D Time-Dependent Monte Carlo Transport Calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2002-01-01

    1 - Description of program or function: MCNP is a general-purpose, continuous-energy, generalized geometry, time-dependent, coupled neutron-photon-electron Monte Carlo transport code system. MCNP4C2 is an interim release of MCNP4C with distribution restricted to the Criticality Safety community and attendees of the LANL MCNP workshops. The major new features of MCNP4C2 include: - Photonuclear physics; - Interactive plotting; - Plot superimposed weight window mesh; - Implement remaining macro-body surfaces; - Upgrade macro-bodies to surface sources and other capabilities; - Revised summary tables; - Weight window improvements. See the MCNP home page more information http://www-xdiv.lanl.gov/XCI/PROJECTS/MCNP with a link to the MCNP Forum. See the Electronic Notebook at http://www-rsicc.ornl.gov/rsic.html for information on user experiences with MCNP. 2 - Methods:MCNP treats an arbitrary three-dimensional configuration of materials in geometric cells bounded by first- and second-degree surfaces and some special fourth-degree surfaces. Pointwise continuous-energy cross section data are used, although multigroup data may also be used. Fixed-source adjoint calculations may be made with the multigroup data option. For neutrons, all reactions in a particular cross-section evaluation are accounted for. Both free gas and S(alpha, beta) thermal treatments are used. Criticality sources as well as fixed and surface sources are available. For photons, the code takes account of incoherent and coherent scattering with and without electron binding effects, the possibility of fluorescent emission following photoelectric absorption, and absorption in pair production with local emission of annihilation radiation. A very general source and tally structure is available. The tallies have extensive statistical analysis of convergence. Rapid convergence is enabled by a wide variety of variance reduction methods. Energy ranges are 0-60 MeV for neutrons (data generally only available up to

  17. Monte Carlo calculations of thermal neutron capture in gadolinium: a comparison of GEANT4 and MCNP with measurements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Enger, Shirin A; Munck af Rosenschöld, Per; Rezaei, Arash; Lundqvist, Hans

    2006-02-01

    GEANT4 is a Monte Carlo code originally implemented for high-energy physics applications and is well known for particle transport at high energies. The capacity of GEANT4 to simulate neutron transport in the thermal energy region is not equally well known. The aim of this article is to compare MCNP, a code commonly used in low energy neutron transport calculations and GEANT4 with experimental results and select the suitable code for gadolinium neutron capture applications. To account for the thermal neutron scattering from chemically bound atoms [S(alpha,beta)] in biological materials a comparison of thermal neutron fluence in tissue-like poly(methylmethacrylate) phantom is made with MCNP4B, GEANT4 6.0 patch1, and measurements from the neutron capture therapy (NCT) facility at the Studsvik, Sweden. The fluence measurements agreed with MCNP calculated results considering S(alpha,beta). The location of the thermal neutron peak calculated with MCNP without S(alpha,beta) and GEANT4 is shifted by about 0.5 cm towards a shallower depth and is 25%-30% lower in amplitude. Dose distribution from the gadolinium neutron capture reaction is then simulated by MCNP and compared with measured data. The simulations made by MCNP agree well with experimental results. As long as thermal neutron scattering from chemically bound atoms are not included in GEANT4 it is not suitable for NCT applications.

  18. Monte Carlo simulation on nuclear energy study. Annual report of Nuclear Code Evaluation Committee

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakurai, Kiyoshi; Yamamoto, Toshihiro

    1999-03-01

    In this report, research results discussed in 1998 fiscal year at Nuclear Code Evaluation Special Committee of Nuclear Code Committee were summarised. Present status of Monte Carlo calculation in high energy region investigated / discussed at Monte Carlo simulation working-group and automatic compilation system for MCNP cross sections developed at MCNP high temperature library compilation working-group were described. The 6 papers are indexed individually. (J.P.N.)

  19. General introduction to MCNP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Naito, Yoshitaka

    2001-01-01

    To assist succeeding reports which will be presented in this research meeting, following items on the computer code MCNP developed in USA are presented: (1) history of development of MCNP, (2) meaning of the development, (3) progress of study on Monte Carlo codes in the nuclear code committee and (4) expectation to Monte Carlo codes. (author)

  20. Parallel processing Monte Carlo radiation transport codes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McKinney, G.W.

    1994-01-01

    Issues related to distributed-memory multiprocessing as applied to Monte Carlo radiation transport are discussed. Measurements of communication overhead are presented for the radiation transport code MCNP which employs the communication software package PVM, and average efficiency curves are provided for a homogeneous virtual machine

  1. Modeling and Simulation Monte Carlo by the MCNP code for determining neutron parameters of the nuclear reactor-subcritical assembly in CNSTN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Romdhani, Ibtissem

    2014-01-01

    As part of developing its nuclear infrastructure base, the National Science and Technology Center Nuclear (CNSTN) examines the technical feasibility of setting up a new installation of subcritical assembly. Our study focuses on determining the neutron parameters of a nuclear zero power reactor based on Monte Carlo simulation MCNP. The objective of the simulation is to model the installation, determine the effective multiplication factor, and spatial distribution of neutron flux.

  2. An Overview of the Monte Carlo Application ToolKit (MCATK)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Trahan, Travis John [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2016-01-07

    MCATK is a C++ component-based Monte Carlo neutron-gamma transport software library designed to build specialized applications and designed to provide new functionality in existing general-purpose Monte Carlo codes like MCNP; it was developed with Agile software engineering methodologies under the motivation to reduce costs. The characteristics of MCATK can be summarized as follows: MCATK physics – continuous energy neutron-gamma transport with multi-temperature treatment, static eigenvalue (k and α) algorithms, time-dependent algorithm, fission chain algorithms; MCATK geometry – mesh geometries, solid body geometries. MCATK provides verified, unit-tested Monte Carlo components, flexibility in Monte Carlo applications development, and numerous tools such as geometry and cross section plotters. Recent work has involved deterministic and Monte Carlo analysis of stochastic systems. Static and dynamic analysis is discussed, and the results of a dynamic test problem are given.

  3. MCNP: a general Monte Carlo code for neutron and photon transport

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1978-07-01

    The general-purpose Monte Carlo code MCNP can be used for neutron, photon, or coupled neutron--photon transport. The code treats an arbitrary three-dimensional configuration of materials in geometric cells bounded by first- and second-degree surfaces and some special fourth-degree surfaces (elliptical tori). Pointwise cross-section data are used. For neutrons, all reactions given in a particular cross-section evaluation (such as ENDF/B-IV) are accounted for. For photons, the code takes account of incoherent and coherent scattering, the possibility of fluorescent emission following photoelectric absorption, and absorption in pair production with local emission of annihilation radiation. Standard optional variance reduction schemes include geometry splitting and Russian roulette, the exponential transformation, energy splitting, forced collisions in designated cells, flux estimates at point detectors, track-length estimators, and source biasing. The standard output of MCNP includes two-way current as a function of energy, time, and angle with the normal, across any subset of bounding surfaces in the problem. Fluxes across any set of bounding surfaces are available as a function of time and energy. Similarly, the flux at designated points and the average flux in a cell (track length per unit volume) are standard tallies. Reactions such as fissions or absorptions may be obtained in a subset of geometric cells. The heating tallies give the energy deposition per starting particle. In addition, particles may be flagged when they cross specified surfaces or enter designated cells, and the contributions of these flagged particles to certain of the tallies are listed separately. All quantities printed out have their relative errors listed also. 11 figures, 27 tables

  4. Design of tallying function for general purpose Monte Carlo particle transport code JMCT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shangguan Danhua; Li Gang; Deng Li; Zhang Baoyin

    2013-01-01

    A new postponed accumulation algorithm was proposed. Based on JCOGIN (J combinatorial geometry Monte Carlo transport infrastructure) framework and the postponed accumulation algorithm, the tallying function of the general purpose Monte Carlo neutron-photon transport code JMCT was improved markedly. JMCT gets a higher tallying efficiency than MCNP 4C by 28% for simple geometry model, and JMCT is faster than MCNP 4C by two orders of magnitude for complicated repeated structure model. The available ability of tallying function for JMCT makes firm foundation for reactor analysis and multi-step burnup calculation. (authors)

  5. A keff calculation method by Monte Carlo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shen, H; Wang, K.

    2008-01-01

    The effective multiplication factor (k eff ) is defined as the ratio between the number of neutrons in successive generations, which definition is adopted by most Monte Carlo codes (e.g. MCNP). Also, it can be thought of as the ratio of the generation rate of neutrons by the sum of the leakage rate and the absorption rate, which should exclude the effect of the neutron reaction such as (n, 2n) and (n, 3n). This article discusses the Monte Carlo method for k eff calculation based on the second definition. A new code has been developed and the results are presented. (author)

  6. Verification of the shift Monte Carlo code with the C5G7 reactor benchmark

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sly, N. C.; Mervin, B. T.; Mosher, S. W.; Evans, T. M.; Wagner, J. C.; Maldonado, G. I.

    2012-01-01

    Shift is a new hybrid Monte Carlo/deterministic radiation transport code being developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. At its current stage of development, Shift includes a parallel Monte Carlo capability for simulating eigenvalue and fixed-source multigroup transport problems. This paper focuses on recent efforts to verify Shift's Monte Carlo component using the two-dimensional and three-dimensional C5G7 NEA benchmark problems. Comparisons were made between the benchmark eigenvalues and those output by the Shift code. In addition, mesh-based scalar flux tally results generated by Shift were compared to those obtained using MCNP5 on an identical model and tally grid. The Shift-generated eigenvalues were within three standard deviations of the benchmark and MCNP5-1.60 values in all cases. The flux tallies generated by Shift were found to be in very good agreement with those from MCNP. (authors)

  7. Monte Carlo simulation of neutron counters for safeguards applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Looman, Marc; Peerani, Paolo; Tagziria, Hamid

    2009-01-01

    MCNP-PTA is a new Monte Carlo code for the simulation of neutron counters for nuclear safeguards applications developed at the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Ispra (Italy). After some preliminary considerations outlining the general aspects involved in the computational modelling of neutron counters, this paper describes the specific details and approximations which make up the basis of the model implemented in the code. One of the major improvements allowed by the use of Monte Carlo simulation is a considerable reduction in both the experimental work and in the reference materials required for the calibration of the instruments. This new approach to the calibration of counters using Monte Carlo simulation techniques is also discussed.

  8. MCNP: Photon benchmark problems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Whalen, D.J.; Hollowell, D.E.; Hendricks, J.S.

    1991-09-01

    The recent widespread, markedly increased use of radiation transport codes has produced greater user and institutional demand for assurance that such codes give correct results. Responding to these pressing requirements for code validation, the general purpose Monte Carlo transport code MCNP has been tested on six different photon problem families. MCNP was used to simulate these six sets numerically. Results for each were compared to the set's analytical or experimental data. MCNP successfully predicted the analytical or experimental results of all six families within the statistical uncertainty inherent in the Monte Carlo method. From this we conclude that MCNP can accurately model a broad spectrum of photon transport problems. 8 refs., 30 figs., 5 tabs

  9. Monte Carlo dose calculations of beta-emitting sources for intravascular brachytherapy: a comparison between EGS4, EGSnrc, and MCNP.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, R; Li, X A

    2001-02-01

    The dose parameters for the beta-particle emitting 90Sr/90Y source for intravascular brachytherapy (IVBT) have been calculated by different investigators. At a distant distance from the source, noticeable differences are seen in these parameters calculated using different Monte Carlo codes. The purpose of this work is to quantify as well as to understand these differences. We have compared a series of calculations using an EGS4, an EGSnrc, and the MCNP Monte Carlo codes. Data calculated and compared include the depth dose curve for a broad parallel beam of electrons, and radial dose distributions for point electron sources (monoenergetic or polyenergetic) and for a real 90Sr/90Y source. For the 90Sr/90Y source, the doses at the reference position (2 mm radial distance) calculated by the three code agree within 2%. However, the differences between the dose calculated by the three codes can be over 20% in the radial distance range interested in IVBT. The difference increases with radial distance from source, and reaches 30% at the tail of dose curve. These differences may be partially attributed to the different multiple scattering theories and Monte Carlo models for electron transport adopted in these three codes. Doses calculated by the EGSnrc code are more accurate than those by the EGS4. The two calculations agree within 5% for radial distance <6 mm.

  10. Monte Carlo applications to core-following of the National Research Universal reactor (NRU)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nguyen, T.S.; Wang, X.; Leung, T.

    2014-01-01

    Reactor code TRIAD, relying on a two-group neutron diffusion model, is currently used for core-following of NRU - to track reactor assembly locations and burnups. The Monte Carlo (MCNP or SERPENT) full-reactor models of NRU can be used to provide the core power distribution for calculating fuel burnups, with WIMS-AECL providing fuel depletion calculations. The MCNP/WIMS core-following results were in good agreement with the measured data, within the expected biases. The Monte Carlo methods, still very time-consuming, need to be able to run faster before they can replace TRIAD for timely support of NRU operations. (author)

  11. Simulation and study on the γ response spectrum of BGO detector by the application of monte carlo code MOCA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jia Wenbao; Chen Xiaowen; Xu Aiguo; Li Anmin

    2010-01-01

    Application of Monte Carlo method to build spectra library is useful to reduce experiment workload in Prompt Gamma Neutron Activation Analysis (PGNAA). The new Monte Carlo Code MOCA was used to simulate the response spectra of BGO detector for gamma rays from 137 Cs, 60 Co and neutron induced gamma rays from S and Ti. The results were compared with general code MCNP, show that the agreement of MOCA between simulation and experiment is better than MCNP. This research indicates that building spectra library by Monte Carlo method is feasible. (authors)

  12. Lecture note on neutron and photon transport calculation with MCNP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakurai, Kiyoshi

    2003-01-01

    This paper is a lecture note on the continuous energy Monte Carlo method. The contents are as follows; history of the Monte Carlo study, continuous energy Monte Carlo codes, libraries, evaluation method for calculation results, integral emergent particle density equation, pseudorandom number, random walk, variance reduction techniques, MCNP weight window method, MCNP weight window generator, exponential transform, estimators, criticality problem and research subjects. This paper is a textbook for beginners on the Monte Carlo calculation. (author)

  13. Monte Carlo simulations of plutonium gamma-ray spectra

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koenig, Z.M.; Carlson, J.B.; Wang, Tzu-Fang; Ruhter, W.D.

    1993-01-01

    Monte Carlo calculations were investigated as a means of simulating the gamma-ray spectra of Pu. These simulated spectra will be used to develop and evaluate gamma-ray analysis techniques for various nondestructive measurements. Simulated spectra of calculational standards can be used for code intercomparisons, to understand systematic biases and to estimate minimum detection levels of existing and proposed nondestructive analysis instruments. The capability to simulate gamma-ray spectra from HPGe detectors could significantly reduce the costs of preparing large numbers of real reference materials. MCNP was used for the Monte Carlo transport of the photons. Results from the MCNP calculations were folded in with a detector response function for a realistic spectrum. Plutonium spectrum peaks were produced with Lorentzian shapes, for the x-rays, and Gaussian distributions. The MGA code determined the Pu isotopes and specific power of this calculated spectrum and compared it to a similar analysis on a measured spectrum

  14. Monte Carlo dose calculations in homogeneous media and at interfaces: a comparison between GEPTS, EGSnrc, MCNP, and measurements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chibani, Omar; Li, X Allen

    2002-05-01

    Three Monte Carlo photon/electron transport codes (GEPTS, EGSnrc, and MCNP) are bench-marked against dose measurements in homogeneous (both low- and high-Z) media as well as at interfaces. A brief overview on physical models used by each code for photon and electron (positron) transport is given. Absolute calorimetric dose measurements for 0.5 and 1 MeV electron beams incident on homogeneous and multilayer media are compared with the predictions of the three codes. Comparison with dose measurements in two-layer media exposed to a 60Co gamma source is also performed. In addition, comparisons between the codes (including the EGS4 code) are done for (a) 0.05 to 10 MeV electron beams and positron point sources in lead, (b) high-energy photons (10 and 20 MeV) irradiating a multilayer phantom (water/steel/air), and (c) simulation of a 90Sr/90Y brachytherapy source. A good agreement is observed between the calorimetric electron dose measurements and predictions of GEPTS and EGSnrc in both homogeneous and multilayer media. MCNP outputs are found to be dependent on the energy-indexing method (Default/ITS style). This dependence is significant in homogeneous media as well as at interfaces. MCNP(ITS) fits more closely the experimental data than MCNP(DEF), except for the case of Be. At low energy (0.05 and 0.1 MeV), MCNP(ITS) dose distributions in lead show higher maximums in comparison with GEPTS and EGSnrc. EGS4 produces too penetrating electron-dose distributions in high-Z media, especially at low energy (MCNP results depend significantly on the electron energy-indexing method.

  15. MCNP Perturbation Capability for Monte Carlo Criticality Calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hendricks, J.S.; Carter, L.L.; McKinney, G.W.

    1999-01-01

    The differential operator perturbation capability in MCNP4B has been extended to automatically calculate perturbation estimates for the track length estimate of k eff in MCNP4B. The additional corrections required in certain cases for MCNP4B are no longer needed. Calculating the effect of small design changes on the criticality of nuclear systems with MCNP is now straightforward

  16. MONTE CARLO ANALYSES OF THE YALINA THERMAL FACILITY WITH SERPENT STEREOLITHOGRAPHY GEOMETRY MODEL

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Talamo, A.; Gohar, Y.

    2015-01-01

    This paper analyzes the YALINA Thermal subcritical assembly of Belarus using two different Monte Carlo transport programs, SERPENT and MCNP. The MCNP model is based on combinatorial geometry and universes hierarchy, while the SERPENT model is based on Stereolithography geometry. The latter consists of unstructured triangulated surfaces defined by the normal and vertices. This geometry format is used by 3D printers and it has been created by: the CUBIT software, MATLAB scripts, and C coding. All the Monte Carlo simulations have been performed using the ENDF/B-VII.0 nuclear data library. Both MCNP and SERPENT share the same geometry specifications, which describe the facility details without using any material homogenization. Three different configurations have been studied with different number of fuel rods. The three fuel configurations use 216, 245, or 280 fuel rods, respectively. The numerical simulations show that the agreement between SERPENT and MCNP results is within few tens of pcms.

  17. MCNP capabilities for nuclear well logging calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Forster, R.A.; Little, R.C.; Briesmeister, J.F.; Hendricks, J.S.

    1990-01-01

    The Los Alamos Radiation Transport Code System (LARTCS) consists of state-of-the-art Monte Carlo and discrete ordinates transport codes and data libraries. This paper discusses how the general-purpose continuous-energy Monte Carlo code MCNP (Monte Carlo neutron photon), part of the LARTCS, provides a computational predictive capability for many applications of interest to the nuclear well logging community. The generalized three-dimensional geometry of MCNP is well suited for borehole-tool models. SABRINA, another component of the LARTCS, is a graphics code that can be used to interactively create a complex MCNP geometry. Users can define many source and tally characteristics with standard MCNP features. The time-dependent capability of the code is essential when modeling pulsed sources. Problems with neutrons, photons, and electrons as either single particle or coupled particles can be calculated with MCNP. The physics of neutron and photon transport and interactions is modeled in detail using the latest available cross-section data

  18. Treating voxel geometries in radiation protection dosimetry with a patched version of the Monte Carlo codes MCNP and MCNPX.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burn, K W; Daffara, C; Gualdrini, G; Pierantoni, M; Ferrari, P

    2007-01-01

    The question of Monte Carlo simulation of radiation transport in voxel geometries is addressed. Patched versions of the MCNP and MCNPX codes are developed aimed at transporting radiation both in the standard geometry mode and in the voxel geometry treatment. The patched code reads an unformatted FORTRAN file derived from DICOM format data and uses special subroutines to handle voxel-to-voxel radiation transport. The various phases of the development of the methodology are discussed together with the new input options. Examples are given of employment of the code in internal and external dosimetry and comparisons with results from other groups are reported.

  19. A midway forward-adjoint coupling method for neutron and photon Monte Carlo transport

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Serov, I.V.; John, T.M.; Hoogenboom, J.E.

    1999-01-01

    The midway Monte Carlo method for calculating detector responses combines a forward and an adjoint Monte Carlo calculation. In both calculations, particle scores are registered at a surface to be chosen by the user somewhere between the source and detector domains. The theory of the midway response determination is developed within the framework of transport theory for external sources and for criticality theory. The theory is also developed for photons, which are generated at inelastic scattering or capture of neutrons. In either the forward or the adjoint calculation a so-called black absorber technique can be applied; i.e., particles need not be followed after passing the midway surface. The midway Monte Carlo method is implemented in the general-purpose MCNP Monte Carlo code. The midway Monte Carlo method is demonstrated to be very efficient in problems with deep penetration, small source and detector domains, and complicated streaming paths. All the problems considered pose difficult variance reduction challenges. Calculations were performed using existing variance reduction methods of normal MCNP runs and using the midway method. The performed comparative analyses show that the midway method appears to be much more efficient than the standard techniques in an overwhelming majority of cases and can be recommended for use in many difficult variance reduction problems of neutral particle transport

  20. SWAT3.1 - the integrated burnup code system driving continuous energy Monte Carlo codes MVP and MCNP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suyama, Kenya; Mochizuki, Hiroki; Takada, Tomoyuki; Ryufuku, Susumu; Okuno, Hiroshi; Murazaki, Minoru; Ohkubo, Kiyoshi

    2009-05-01

    Integrated burnup calculation code system SWAT is a system that combines neutronics calculation code SRAC,which is widely used in Japan, and point burnup calculation code ORIGEN2. It has been used to evaluate the composition of the uranium, plutonium, minor actinides and the fission products in the spent nuclear fuel. Based on this idea, the integrated burnup calculation code system SWAT3.1 was developed by combining the continuous energy Monte Carlo code MVP and MCNP, and ORIGEN2. This enables us to treat the arbitrary fuel geometry and to generate the effective cross section data to be used in the burnup calculation with few approximations. This report describes the outline, input data instruction and several examples of the calculation. (author)

  1. Monte Carlo Numerical Models for Nuclear Logging Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fusheng Li

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Nuclear logging is one of most important logging services provided by many oil service companies. The main parameters of interest are formation porosity, bulk density, and natural radiation. Other services are also provided from using complex nuclear logging tools, such as formation lithology/mineralogy, etc. Some parameters can be measured by using neutron logging tools and some can only be measured by using a gamma ray tool. To understand the response of nuclear logging tools, the neutron transport/diffusion theory and photon diffusion theory are needed. Unfortunately, for most cases there are no analytical answers if complex tool geometry is involved. For many years, Monte Carlo numerical models have been used by nuclear scientists in the well logging industry to address these challenges. The models have been widely employed in the optimization of nuclear logging tool design, and the development of interpretation methods for nuclear logs. They have also been used to predict the response of nuclear logging systems for forward simulation problems. In this case, the system parameters including geometry, materials and nuclear sources, etc., are pre-defined and the transportation and interactions of nuclear particles (such as neutrons, photons and/or electrons in the regions of interest are simulated according to detailed nuclear physics theory and their nuclear cross-section data (probability of interacting. Then the deposited energies of particles entering the detectors are recorded and tallied and the tool responses to such a scenario are generated. A general-purpose code named Monte Carlo N– Particle (MCNP has been the industry-standard for some time. In this paper, we briefly introduce the fundamental principles of Monte Carlo numerical modeling and review the physics of MCNP. Some of the latest developments of Monte Carlo Models are also reviewed. A variety of examples are presented to illustrate the uses of Monte Carlo numerical models

  2. Adjoint acceleration of Monte Carlo simulations using TORT/MCNP coupling approach: A case study on the shielding improvement for the cyclotron room of the Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sheu, R. J.; Sheu, R. D.; Jiang, S. H.; Kao, C. H.

    2005-01-01

    Full-scale Monte Carlo simulations of the cyclotron room of the Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital were carried out to improve the original inadequate maze design. Variance reduction techniques are indispensable in this study to facilitate the simulations for testing a variety of configurations of shielding modification. The TORT/MCNP manual coupling approach based on the Consistent Adjoint Driven Importance Sampling (CADIS) methodology has been used throughout this study. The CADIS utilises the source and transport biasing in a consistent manner. With this method, the computational efficiency was increased significantly by more than two orders of magnitude and the statistical convergence was also improved compared to the unbiased Monte Carlo run. This paper describes the shielding problem encountered, the procedure for coupling the TORT and MCNP codes to accelerate the calculations and the calculation results for the original and improved shielding designs. In order to verify the calculation results and seek additional accelerations, sensitivity studies on the space-dependent and energy-dependent parameters were also conducted. (authors)

  3. Criticality Calculations with MCNP6 - Practical Lectures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brown, Forrest B. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States). Monte Carlo Methods, Codes, and Applications (XCP-3); Rising, Michael Evan [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States). Monte Carlo Methods, Codes, and Applications (XCP-3); Alwin, Jennifer Louise [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States). Monte Carlo Methods, Codes, and Applications (XCP-3)

    2016-11-29

    These slides are used to teach MCNP (Monte Carlo N-Particle) usage to nuclear criticality safety analysts. The following are the lecture topics: course information, introduction, MCNP basics, criticality calculations, advanced geometry, tallies, adjoint-weighted tallies and sensitivities, physics and nuclear data, parameter studies, NCS validation I, NCS validation II, NCS validation III, case study 1 - solution tanks, case study 2 - fuel vault, case study 3 - B&W core, case study 4 - simple TRIGA, case study 5 - fissile mat. vault, criticality accident alarm systems. After completion of this course, you should be able to: Develop an input model for MCNP; Describe how cross section data impact Monte Carlo and deterministic codes; Describe the importance of validation of computer codes and how it is accomplished; Describe the methodology supporting Monte Carlo codes and deterministic codes; Describe pitfalls of Monte Carlo calculations; Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of Monte Carlo and Discrete Ordinants codes; The diffusion theory model is not strictly valid for treating fissile systems in which neutron absorption, voids, and/or material boundaries are present. In the context of these limitations, identify a fissile system for which a diffusion theory solution would be adequate.

  4. Criticality Calculations with MCNP6 - Practical Lectures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, Forrest B.; Rising, Michael Evan; Alwin, Jennifer Louise

    2016-01-01

    These slides are used to teach MCNP (Monte Carlo N-Particle) usage to nuclear criticality safety analysts. The following are the lecture topics: course information, introduction, MCNP basics, criticality calculations, advanced geometry, tallies, adjoint-weighted tallies and sensitivities, physics and nuclear data, parameter studies, NCS validation I, NCS validation II, NCS validation III, case study 1 - solution tanks, case study 2 - fuel vault, case study 3 - B&W core, case study 4 - simple TRIGA, case study 5 - fissile mat. vault, criticality accident alarm systems. After completion of this course, you should be able to: Develop an input model for MCNP; Describe how cross section data impact Monte Carlo and deterministic codes; Describe the importance of validation of computer codes and how it is accomplished; Describe the methodology supporting Monte Carlo codes and deterministic codes; Describe pitfalls of Monte Carlo calculations; Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of Monte Carlo and Discrete Ordinants codes; The diffusion theory model is not strictly valid for treating fissile systems in which neutron absorption, voids, and/or material boundaries are present. In the context of these limitations, identify a fissile system for which a diffusion theory solution would be adequate.

  5. Advanced local dose rate calculations with the Monte Carlo code MCNP for plutonium nitrate storage containers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Quade, U.

    1994-01-01

    Neutron- und Gamma dose rate calculations were performed for the storage containers filled with plutonium nitrate of the MOX fabrication facility of Siemens. For the particle transport calculations the Monte Carlo Code MCNP 4.2 was used. The calculated results were compared with experimental dose rate measurements. It can be stated that the choice of the code system was appropriate since all aspects of the many facettes of the problem were well reproduced in the calculations. The position dependency as well as the influence of the shieldings, the reflections and the mutual influences of the sources were well described by the calculations for the gamma and for the neutron dose rates. However, good agreement with the experimental results on the gamma dose rates could only be reached when the lead shielding of the detector was integrated into the geometry modelling of the calculations. For some few cases of thick shieldings and soft gamma ray sources the statistics of the calculational results were not sufficient. In such cases more elaborate variance reduction methods must be applied in future calculations. Thus the MCNP code in connection with NGSRC has been proven as an effective tool for the solution of this type of problems. (orig./HP) [de

  6. Monte Carlo simulation for the estimation of iron in human whole ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2017-02-10

    Feb 10, 2017 ... Monte Carlo N-particle (MCNP) code has been used to simulate the transport of gamma photon rays ... experimental data, and better than the theoretical XCOM values. ... tions in the materials, according to probability density.

  7. Monte Carlo method for calculating the radiation skyshine produced by electron accelerators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kong Chaocheng [Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University Beijing 100084 (China)]. E-mail: kongchaocheng@tsinghua.org.cn; Li Quanfeng [Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University Beijing 100084 (China); Chen Huaibi [Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University Beijing 100084 (China); Du Taibin [Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University Beijing 100084 (China); Cheng Cheng [Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University Beijing 100084 (China); Tang Chuanxiang [Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University Beijing 100084 (China); Zhu Li [Laboratory of Radiation and Environmental Protection, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Zhang Hui [Laboratory of Radiation and Environmental Protection, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Pei Zhigang [Laboratory of Radiation and Environmental Protection, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Ming Shenjin [Laboratory of Radiation and Environmental Protection, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

    2005-06-01

    Using the MCNP4C Monte Carlo code, the X-ray skyshine produced by 9 MeV, 15 MeV and 21 MeV electron linear accelerators were calculated respectively with a new two-step method combined with the split and roulette variance reduction technique. Results of the Monte Carlo simulation, the empirical formulas used for skyshine calculation and the dose measurements were analyzed and compared. In conclusion, the skyshine dose measurements agreed reasonably with the results computed by the Monte Carlo method, but deviated from computational results given by empirical formulas. The effect on skyshine dose caused by different structures of accelerator head is also discussed in this paper.

  8. Development of a Fully-Automated Monte Carlo Burnup Code Monteburns

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Poston, D.I.; Trellue, H.R.

    1999-01-01

    Several computer codes have been developed to perform nuclear burnup calculations over the past few decades. In addition, because of advances in computer technology, it recently has become more desirable to use Monte Carlo techniques for such problems. Monte Carlo techniques generally offer two distinct advantages over discrete ordinate methods: (1) the use of continuous energy cross sections and (2) the ability to model detailed, complex, three-dimensional (3-D) geometries. These advantages allow more accurate burnup results to be obtained, provided that the user possesses the required computing power (which is required for discrete ordinate methods as well). Several linkage codes have been written that combine a Monte Carlo N-particle transport code (such as MCNP TM ) with a radioactive decay and burnup code. This paper describes one such code that was written at Los Alamos National Laboratory: monteburns. Monteburns links MCNP with the isotope generation and depletion code ORIGEN2. The basis for the development of monteburns was the need for a fully automated code that could perform accurate burnup (and other) calculations for any 3-D system (accelerator-driven or a full reactor core). Before the initial development of monteburns, a list of desired attributes was made and is given below. o The code should be fully automated (that is, after the input is set up, no further user interaction is required). . The code should allow for the irradiation of several materials concurrently (each material is evaluated collectively in MCNP and burned separately in 0RIGEN2). o The code should allow the transfer of materials (shuffling) between regions in MCNP. . The code should allow any materials to be added or removed before, during, or after each step in an automated fashion. . The code should not require the user to provide input for 0RIGEN2 and should have minimal MCNP input file requirements (other than a working MCNP deck). . The code should be relatively easy to use

  9. Continuous energy Monte Carlo method based lattice homogeinzation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Mancang; Yao Dong; Wang Kan

    2014-01-01

    Based on the Monte Carlo code MCNP, the continuous energy Monte Carlo multi-group constants generation code MCMC has been developed. The track length scheme has been used as the foundation of cross section generation. The scattering matrix and Legendre components require special techniques, and the scattering event method has been proposed to solve this problem. Three methods have been developed to calculate the diffusion coefficients for diffusion reactor core codes and the Legendre method has been applied in MCMC. To the satisfaction of the equivalence theory, the general equivalence theory (GET) and the superhomogenization method (SPH) have been applied to the Monte Carlo method based group constants. The super equivalence method (SPE) has been proposed to improve the equivalence. GET, SPH and SPE have been implemented into MCMC. The numerical results showed that generating the homogenization multi-group constants via Monte Carlo method overcomes the difficulties in geometry and treats energy in continuum, thus provides more accuracy parameters. Besides, the same code and data library can be used for a wide range of applications due to the versatility. The MCMC scheme can be seen as a potential alternative to the widely used deterministic lattice codes. (authors)

  10. Recent MCNP developments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hendricks, J.S.; Briesmeister, J.F.

    1991-01-01

    MCNP is a widely used and actively developed Monte Carlo radiation transport code. Many important features have recently been added and more are under development. Benchmark studies not only indicate that MCNP is accurate but also that modern computer codes can give answers basically as accurate as the physics data that goes in them. Even deep penetration problems can be correct to within a factor of two after 10 to 25 mean free paths of penetration. And finally, Monte Carlo calculations, once thought to be too expensive to run routinely, can now be run effectively on desktop computers which compete with the supercomputers of yesteryear. 21 refs., 3 tabs

  11. Modelling of the RA-1 reactor using a Monte Carlo code; Modelado del reactor RA-1 utilizando un codigo Monte Carlo

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Quinteiro, Guillermo F; Calabrese, Carlos R [Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica, General San Martin (Argentina). Dept. de Reactores y Centrales Nucleares

    2000-07-01

    It was carried out for the first time, a model of the Argentine RA-1 reactor using the MCNP Monte Carlo code. This model was validated using data for experimental neutron and gamma measurements at different energy ranges and locations. In addition, the resulting fluxes were compared with the data obtained using a 3D diffusion code. (author)

  12. Evaluation of a special pencil ionization chamber by the Monte Carlo method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mendonca, Dalila; Neves, Lucio P.; Perini, Ana P.

    2015-01-01

    A special pencil type ionization chamber, developed at the Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares, was characterized by means of Monte Carlo simulation to determine the influence of its components on its response. The main differences between this ionization chamber and commercial ionization chambers are related to its configuration and constituent materials. The simulations were made employing the MCNP-4C Monte Carlo code. The highest influence was obtained for the body of PMMA: 7.0%. (author)

  13. Practical Application of Monte Carlo Code in RTP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohamad Hairie Rabir; Julia Abdul Karim; Muhammad Rawi Mohamed Zin; Na'im Syauqi Hamzah; Mark Dennis Anak Usang; Abi Muttaqin Jalal Bayar; Muhammad Khairul Ariff Mustafa

    2015-01-01

    Monte Carlo neutron transport codes are widely used in various reactor physics applications in RTP and other related nuclear and radiation research in Nuklear Malaysia. The main advantage of the method is the capability to model geometry and interaction physics without major approximations. The disadvantage is that the modelling of complicated systems is very computing-intensive, which restricts the applications to some extent. The importance of Monte Carlo calculation is likely to increase in the future, along with the development in computer capacities and parallel calculation. This paper presents several calculation activities, its achievements and challenges in using MCNP code for neutronics analysis, nuclide inventory and source term calculation, shielding and dose evaluation. (author)

  14. Parallelization of MCNP 4, a Monte Carlo neutron and photon transport code system, in highly parallel distributed memory type computer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Masukawa, Fumihiro; Takano, Makoto; Naito, Yoshitaka; Yamazaki, Takao; Fujisaki, Masahide; Suzuki, Koichiro; Okuda, Motoi.

    1993-11-01

    In order to improve the accuracy and calculating speed of shielding analyses, MCNP 4, a Monte Carlo neutron and photon transport code system, has been parallelized and measured of its efficiency in the highly parallel distributed memory type computer, AP1000. The code has been analyzed statically and dynamically, then the suitable algorithm for parallelization has been determined for the shielding analysis functions of MCNP 4. This includes a strategy where a new history is assigned to the idling processor element dynamically during the execution. Furthermore, to avoid the congestion of communicative processing, the batch concept, processing multi-histories by a unit, has been introduced. By analyzing a sample cask problem with 2,000,000 histories by the AP1000 with 512 processor elements, the 82 % of parallelization efficiency is achieved, and the calculational speed has been estimated to be around 50 times as fast as that of FACOM M-780. (author)

  15. Monte Carlo Simulations Validation Study: Vascular Brachytherapy Beta Sources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Orion, I.; Koren, K.

    2004-01-01

    During the last decade many versions of angioplasty irradiation treatments have been proposed. The purpose of this unique brachytherapy is to administer a sufficient radiation dose into the vein walls in order to prevent restonosis, a clinical sequel to balloon angioplasty. The most suitable sources for this vascular brachytherapy are the β - emitters such as Re-188, P-32, and Sr-90/Y-90, with a maximum energy range of up to 2.1 MeV [1,2,3]. The radioactive catheters configurations offered for these treatments can be a simple wire [4], a fluid filled balloon or a coated stent. Each source is differently positioned inside the blood vessel, and the emitted electrons ranges therefore vary. Many types of sources and configurations were studied either experimentally or with the use of the Monte Carlo calculation technique, while most of the Monte Carlo simulations were carried out using EGS4 [5] or MCNP [6]. In this study we compared the beta-source absorbed-dose versus radial-distance of two treatment configurations using MCNP and EGS4 simulations. This comparison was aimed to discover the differences between the MCNP and the EGS4 simulation code systems in intermediate energies electron transport

  16. A flexible coupling scheme for Monte Carlo and thermal-hydraulics codes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hoogenboom, J. Eduard, E-mail: J.E.Hoogenboom@tudelft.nl [Delft University of Technology (Netherlands); Ivanov, Aleksandar; Sanchez, Victor, E-mail: Aleksandar.Ivanov@kit.edu, E-mail: Victor.Sanchez@kit.edu [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Neutron Physics and Reactor Technology, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Diop, Cheikh, E-mail: Cheikh.Diop@cea.fr [CEA/DEN/DANS/DM2S/SERMA, Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Gif-sur-Yvette (France)

    2011-07-01

    A coupling scheme between a Monte Carlo code and a thermal-hydraulics code is being developed within the European NURISP project for comprehensive and validated reactor analysis. The scheme is flexible as it allows different Monte Carlo codes and different thermal-hydraulics codes to be used. At present the MCNP and TRIPOLI4 Monte Carlo codes can be used and the FLICA4 and SubChanFlow thermal-hydraulics codes. For all these codes only an original executable is necessary. A Python script drives the iterations between Monte Carlo and thermal-hydraulics calculations. It also calls a conversion program to merge a master input file for the Monte Carlo code with the appropriate temperature and coolant density data from the thermal-hydraulics calculation. Likewise it calls another conversion program to merge a master input file for the thermal-hydraulics code with the power distribution data from the Monte Carlo calculation. Special attention is given to the neutron cross section data for the various required temperatures in the Monte Carlo calculation. Results are shown for an infinite lattice of PWR fuel pin cells and a 3 x 3 fuel BWR pin cell cluster. Various possibilities for further improvement and optimization of the coupling system are discussed. (author)

  17. A flexible coupling scheme for Monte Carlo and thermal-hydraulics codes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoogenboom, J. Eduard; Ivanov, Aleksandar; Sanchez, Victor; Diop, Cheikh

    2011-01-01

    A coupling scheme between a Monte Carlo code and a thermal-hydraulics code is being developed within the European NURISP project for comprehensive and validated reactor analysis. The scheme is flexible as it allows different Monte Carlo codes and different thermal-hydraulics codes to be used. At present the MCNP and TRIPOLI4 Monte Carlo codes can be used and the FLICA4 and SubChanFlow thermal-hydraulics codes. For all these codes only an original executable is necessary. A Python script drives the iterations between Monte Carlo and thermal-hydraulics calculations. It also calls a conversion program to merge a master input file for the Monte Carlo code with the appropriate temperature and coolant density data from the thermal-hydraulics calculation. Likewise it calls another conversion program to merge a master input file for the thermal-hydraulics code with the power distribution data from the Monte Carlo calculation. Special attention is given to the neutron cross section data for the various required temperatures in the Monte Carlo calculation. Results are shown for an infinite lattice of PWR fuel pin cells and a 3 x 3 fuel BWR pin cell cluster. Various possibilities for further improvement and optimization of the coupling system are discussed. (author)

  18. The new MCNP6 depletion capability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fensin, M. L.; James, M. R.; Hendricks, J. S.; Goorley, J. T.

    2012-01-01

    The first MCNP based in-line Monte Carlo depletion capability was officially released from the Radiation Safety Information and Computational Center as MCNPX 2.6.0. Both the MCNP5 and MCNPX codes have historically provided a successful combinatorial geometry based, continuous energy, Monte Carlo radiation transport solution for advanced reactor modeling and simulation. However, due to separate development pathways, useful simulation capabilities were dispersed between both codes and not unified in a single technology. MCNP6, the next evolution in the MCNP suite of codes, now combines the capability of both simulation tools, as well as providing new advanced technology, in a single radiation transport code. We describe here the new capabilities of the MCNP6 depletion code dating from the official RSICC release MCNPX 2.6.0, reported previously, to the now current state of MCNP6. NEA/OECD benchmark results are also reported. The MCNP6 depletion capability enhancements beyond MCNPX 2.6.0 reported here include: (1) new performance enhancing parallel architecture that implements both shared and distributed memory constructs; (2) enhanced memory management that maximizes calculation fidelity; and (3) improved burnup physics for better nuclide prediction. MCNP6 depletion enables complete, relatively easy-to-use depletion calculations in a single Monte Carlo code. The enhancements described here help provide a powerful capability as well as dictate a path forward for future development to improve the usefulness of the technology. (authors)

  19. The New MCNP6 Depletion Capability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fensin, Michael Lorne; James, Michael R.; Hendricks, John S.; Goorley, John T.

    2012-01-01

    The first MCNP based inline Monte Carlo depletion capability was officially released from the Radiation Safety Information and Computational Center as MCNPX 2.6.0. Both the MCNP5 and MCNPX codes have historically provided a successful combinatorial geometry based, continuous energy, Monte Carlo radiation transport solution for advanced reactor modeling and simulation. However, due to separate development pathways, useful simulation capabilities were dispersed between both codes and not unified in a single technology. MCNP6, the next evolution in the MCNP suite of codes, now combines the capability of both simulation tools, as well as providing new advanced technology, in a single radiation transport code. We describe here the new capabilities of the MCNP6 depletion code dating from the official RSICC release MCNPX 2.6.0, reported previously, to the now current state of MCNP6. NEA/OECD benchmark results are also reported. The MCNP6 depletion capability enhancements beyond MCNPX 2.6.0 reported here include: (1) new performance enhancing parallel architecture that implements both shared and distributed memory constructs; (2) enhanced memory management that maximizes calculation fidelity; and (3) improved burnup physics for better nuclide prediction. MCNP6 depletion enables complete, relatively easy-to-use depletion calculations in a single Monte Carlo code. The enhancements described here help provide a powerful capability as well as dictate a path forward for future development to improve the usefulness of the technology.

  20. Reactor physics simulations with coupled Monte Carlo calculation and computational fluid dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seker, V.; Thomas, J.W.; Downar, T.J.

    2007-01-01

    A computational code system based on coupling the Monte Carlo code MCNP5 and the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code STAR-CD was developed as an audit tool for lower order nuclear reactor calculations. This paper presents the methodology of the developed computer program 'McSTAR'. McSTAR is written in FORTRAN90 programming language and couples MCNP5 and the commercial CFD code STAR-CD. MCNP uses a continuous energy cross section library produced by the NJOY code system from the raw ENDF/B data. A major part of the work was to develop and implement methods to update the cross section library with the temperature distribution calculated by STARCD for every region. Three different methods were investigated and implemented in McSTAR. The user subroutines in STAR-CD are modified to read the power density data and assign them to the appropriate variables in the program and to write an output data file containing the temperature, density and indexing information to perform the mapping between MCNP and STAR-CD cells. Preliminary testing of the code was performed using a 3x3 PWR pin-cell problem. The preliminary results are compared with those obtained from a STAR-CD coupled calculation with the deterministic transport code DeCART. Good agreement in the k eff and the power profile was observed. Increased computational capabilities and improvements in computational methods have accelerated interest in high fidelity modeling of nuclear reactor cores during the last several years. High-fidelity has been achieved by utilizing full core neutron transport solutions for the neutronics calculation and computational fluid dynamics solutions for the thermal-hydraulics calculation. Previous researchers have reported the coupling of 3D deterministic neutron transport method to CFD and their application to practical reactor analysis problems. One of the principal motivations of the work here was to utilize Monte Carlo methods to validate the coupled deterministic neutron transport

  1. MCNP variance reduction overview

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hendricks, J.S.; Booth, T.E.

    1985-01-01

    The MCNP code is rich in variance reduction features. Standard variance reduction methods found in most Monte Carlo codes are available as well as a number of methods unique to MCNP. We discuss the variance reduction features presently in MCNP as well as new ones under study for possible inclusion in future versions of the code

  2. MCNP code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cramer, S.N.

    1984-01-01

    The MCNP code is the major Monte Carlo coupled neutron-photon transport research tool at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and it represents the most extensive Monte Carlo development program in the United States which is available in the public domain. The present code is the direct descendent of the original Monte Carlo work of Fermi, von Neumaum, and Ulam at Los Alamos in the 1940s. Development has continued uninterrupted since that time, and the current version of MCNP (or its predecessors) has always included state-of-the-art methods in the Monte Carlo simulation of radiation transport, basic cross section data, geometry capability, variance reduction, and estimation procedures. The authors of the present code have oriented its development toward general user application. The documentation, though extensive, is presented in a clear and simple manner with many examples, illustrations, and sample problems. In addition to providing the desired results, the output listings give a a wealth of detailed information (some optional) concerning each state of the calculation. The code system is continually updated to take advantage of advances in computer hardware and software, including interactive modes of operation, diagnostic interrupts and restarts, and a variety of graphical and video aids

  3. Monte Carlo and Quasi-Monte Carlo Sampling

    CERN Document Server

    Lemieux, Christiane

    2009-01-01

    Presents essential tools for using quasi-Monte Carlo sampling in practice. This book focuses on issues related to Monte Carlo methods - uniform and non-uniform random number generation, variance reduction techniques. It covers several aspects of quasi-Monte Carlo methods.

  4. Modeling dose-rate on/over the surface of cylindrical radio-models using Monte Carlo methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiao Xuefu; Ma Guoxue; Wen Fuping; Wang Zhongqi; Wang Chaohui; Zhang Jiyun; Huang Qingbo; Zhang Jiaqiu; Wang Xinxing; Wang Jun

    2004-01-01

    Objective: To determine the dose-rates on/over the surface of 10 cylindrical radio-models, which belong to the Metrology Station of Radio-Geological Survey of CNNC. Methods: The dose-rates on/over the surface of 10 cylindrical radio-models were modeled using the famous Monte Carlo code-MCNP. The dose-rates on/over the surface of 10 cylindrical radio-models were measured by a high gas pressurized ionization chamber dose-rate meter, respectively. The values of dose-rate modeled using MCNP code were compared with those obtained by authors in the present experimental measurement, and with those obtained by other workers previously. Some factors causing the discrepancy between the data obtained by authors using MCNP code and the data obtained using other methods are discussed in this paper. Results: The data of dose-rates on/over the surface of 10 cylindrical radio-models, obtained using MCNP code, were in good agreement with those obtained by other workers using the theoretical method. They were within the discrepancy of ±5% in general, and the maximum discrepancy was less than 10%. Conclusions: As if each factor needed for the Monte Carlo code is correct, the dose-rates on/over the surface of cylindrical radio-models modeled using the Monte Carlo code are correct with an uncertainty of 3%

  5. Monte Carlo validation of self shielding and void effect calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tellier, H.; Coste, M.; Raepsaet, C.; Soldevila, M.; Van der Gucht, C.

    1995-01-01

    The self shielding validation and the void effect are studied with Monte Carlo method. The satisfactory comparison obtained between the APOLLO 2 results of the self shielding effect and the TRIPOLI and MCNP results allows us to be confident in the multigroup transport code. (K.A.)

  6. Monte Carlo calculation of dose rate conversion factors for external exposure to photon emitters in soil

    CERN Document Server

    Clouvas, A; Antonopoulos-Domis, M; Silva, J

    2000-01-01

    The dose rate conversion factors D/sub CF/ (absorbed dose rate in air per unit activity per unit of soil mass, nGy h/sup -1/ per Bq kg/sup -1/) are calculated 1 m above ground for photon emitters of natural radionuclides uniformly distributed in the soil. Three Monte Carlo codes are used: 1) The MCNP code of Los Alamos; 2) The GEANT code of CERN; and 3) a Monte Carlo code developed in the Nuclear Technology Laboratory of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. The accuracy of the Monte Carlo results is tested by the comparison of the unscattered flux obtained by the three Monte Carlo codes with an independent straightforward calculation. All codes and particularly the MCNP calculate accurately the absorbed dose rate in air due to the unscattered radiation. For the total radiation (unscattered plus scattered) the D/sub CF/ values calculated from the three codes are in very good agreement between them. The comparison between these results and the results deduced previously by other authors indicates a good ag...

  7. Calibration and Monte Carlo modelling of neutron long counters

    CERN Document Server

    Tagziria, H

    2000-01-01

    The Monte Carlo technique has become a very powerful tool in radiation transport as full advantage is taken of enhanced cross-section data, more powerful computers and statistical techniques, together with better characterisation of neutron and photon source spectra. At the National Physical Laboratory, calculations using the Monte Carlo radiation transport code MCNP-4B have been combined with accurate measurements to characterise two long counters routinely used to standardise monoenergetic neutron fields. New and more accurate response function curves have been produced for both long counters. A novel approach using Monte Carlo methods has been developed, validated and used to model the response function of the counters and determine more accurately their effective centres, which have always been difficult to establish experimentally. Calculations and measurements agree well, especially for the De Pangher long counter for which details of the design and constructional material are well known. The sensitivit...

  8. Monte Carlo Particle Lists: MCPL

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kittelmann, Thomas; Klinkby, Esben Bryndt; Bergbäck Knudsen, Erik

    2017-01-01

    A binary format with lists of particle state information, for interchanging particles between various Monte Carlo simulation applications, is presented. Portable C code for file manipulation is made available to the scientific community, along with converters and plugins for several popular...... simulation packages. Program summary: Program Title: MCPL. Program Files doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.17632/cby92vsv5g.1 Licensing provisions: CC0 for core MCPL, see LICENSE file for details. Programming language: C and C++ External routines/libraries: Geant4, MCNP, McStas, McXtrace Nature of problem: Saving...

  9. Propagation of statistical and nuclear data uncertainties in Monte Carlo burn-up calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garcia-Herranz, Nuria; Cabellos, Oscar; Sanz, Javier; Juan, Jesus; Kuijper, Jim C.

    2008-01-01

    Two methodologies to propagate the uncertainties on the nuclide inventory in combined Monte Carlo-spectrum and burn-up calculations are presented, based on sensitivity/uncertainty and random sampling techniques (uncertainty Monte Carlo method). Both enable the assessment of the impact of uncertainties in the nuclear data as well as uncertainties due to the statistical nature of the Monte Carlo neutron transport calculation. The methodologies are implemented in our MCNP-ACAB system, which combines the neutron transport code MCNP-4C and the inventory code ACAB. A high burn-up benchmark problem is used to test the MCNP-ACAB performance in inventory predictions, with no uncertainties. A good agreement is found with the results of other participants. This benchmark problem is also used to assess the impact of nuclear data uncertainties and statistical flux errors in high burn-up applications. A detailed calculation is performed to evaluate the effect of cross-section uncertainties in the inventory prediction, taking into account the temporal evolution of the neutron flux level and spectrum. Very large uncertainties are found at the unusually high burn-up of this exercise (800 MWd/kgHM). To compare the impact of the statistical errors in the calculated flux with respect to the cross uncertainties, a simplified problem is considered, taking a constant neutron flux level and spectrum. It is shown that, provided that the flux statistical deviations in the Monte Carlo transport calculation do not exceed a given value, the effect of the flux errors in the calculated isotopic inventory are negligible (even at very high burn-up) compared to the effect of the large cross-section uncertainties available at present in the data files

  10. Propagation of statistical and nuclear data uncertainties in Monte Carlo burn-up calculations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garcia-Herranz, Nuria [Departamento de Ingenieria Nuclear, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, UPM (Spain)], E-mail: nuria@din.upm.es; Cabellos, Oscar [Departamento de Ingenieria Nuclear, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, UPM (Spain); Sanz, Javier [Departamento de Ingenieria Energetica, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia, UNED (Spain); Juan, Jesus [Laboratorio de Estadistica, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, UPM (Spain); Kuijper, Jim C. [NRG - Fuels, Actinides and Isotopes Group, Petten (Netherlands)

    2008-04-15

    Two methodologies to propagate the uncertainties on the nuclide inventory in combined Monte Carlo-spectrum and burn-up calculations are presented, based on sensitivity/uncertainty and random sampling techniques (uncertainty Monte Carlo method). Both enable the assessment of the impact of uncertainties in the nuclear data as well as uncertainties due to the statistical nature of the Monte Carlo neutron transport calculation. The methodologies are implemented in our MCNP-ACAB system, which combines the neutron transport code MCNP-4C and the inventory code ACAB. A high burn-up benchmark problem is used to test the MCNP-ACAB performance in inventory predictions, with no uncertainties. A good agreement is found with the results of other participants. This benchmark problem is also used to assess the impact of nuclear data uncertainties and statistical flux errors in high burn-up applications. A detailed calculation is performed to evaluate the effect of cross-section uncertainties in the inventory prediction, taking into account the temporal evolution of the neutron flux level and spectrum. Very large uncertainties are found at the unusually high burn-up of this exercise (800 MWd/kgHM). To compare the impact of the statistical errors in the calculated flux with respect to the cross uncertainties, a simplified problem is considered, taking a constant neutron flux level and spectrum. It is shown that, provided that the flux statistical deviations in the Monte Carlo transport calculation do not exceed a given value, the effect of the flux errors in the calculated isotopic inventory are negligible (even at very high burn-up) compared to the effect of the large cross-section uncertainties available at present in the data files.

  11. Monte Carlo simulations in skin radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sarvari, A.; Jeraj, R.; Kron, T.

    2000-01-01

    The primary goal of this work was to develop a procedure for calculation the appropriate filter shape for a brachytherapy applicator used for skin radiotherapy. In the applicator a radioactive source is positioned close to the skin. Without a filter, the resultant dose distribution would be highly nonuniform.High uniformity is usually required however. This can be achieved using an appropriately shaped filter, which flattens the dose profile. Because of the complexity of the transport and geometry, Monte Carlo simulations had to be used. An 192 Ir high dose rate photon source was used. All necessary transport parameters were simulated with the MCNP4B Monte Carlo code. A highly efficient iterative procedure was developed, which enabled calculation of the optimal filter shape in only few iterations. The initially non-uniform dose distributions became uniform within a percent when applying the filter calculated by this procedure. (author)

  12. Iterative acceleration methods for Monte Carlo and deterministic criticality calculations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Urbatsch, T.J.

    1995-11-01

    If you have ever given up on a nuclear criticality calculation and terminated it because it took so long to converge, you might find this thesis of interest. The author develops three methods for improving the fission source convergence in nuclear criticality calculations for physical systems with high dominance ratios for which convergence is slow. The Fission Matrix Acceleration Method and the Fission Diffusion Synthetic Acceleration (FDSA) Method are acceleration methods that speed fission source convergence for both Monte Carlo and deterministic methods. The third method is a hybrid Monte Carlo method that also converges for difficult problems where the unaccelerated Monte Carlo method fails. The author tested the feasibility of all three methods in a test bed consisting of idealized problems. He has successfully accelerated fission source convergence in both deterministic and Monte Carlo criticality calculations. By filtering statistical noise, he has incorporated deterministic attributes into the Monte Carlo calculations in order to speed their source convergence. He has used both the fission matrix and a diffusion approximation to perform unbiased accelerations. The Fission Matrix Acceleration method has been implemented in the production code MCNP and successfully applied to a real problem. When the unaccelerated calculations are unable to converge to the correct solution, they cannot be accelerated in an unbiased fashion. A Hybrid Monte Carlo method weds Monte Carlo and a modified diffusion calculation to overcome these deficiencies. The Hybrid method additionally possesses reduced statistical errors.

  13. Iterative acceleration methods for Monte Carlo and deterministic criticality calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Urbatsch, T.J.

    1995-11-01

    If you have ever given up on a nuclear criticality calculation and terminated it because it took so long to converge, you might find this thesis of interest. The author develops three methods for improving the fission source convergence in nuclear criticality calculations for physical systems with high dominance ratios for which convergence is slow. The Fission Matrix Acceleration Method and the Fission Diffusion Synthetic Acceleration (FDSA) Method are acceleration methods that speed fission source convergence for both Monte Carlo and deterministic methods. The third method is a hybrid Monte Carlo method that also converges for difficult problems where the unaccelerated Monte Carlo method fails. The author tested the feasibility of all three methods in a test bed consisting of idealized problems. He has successfully accelerated fission source convergence in both deterministic and Monte Carlo criticality calculations. By filtering statistical noise, he has incorporated deterministic attributes into the Monte Carlo calculations in order to speed their source convergence. He has used both the fission matrix and a diffusion approximation to perform unbiased accelerations. The Fission Matrix Acceleration method has been implemented in the production code MCNP and successfully applied to a real problem. When the unaccelerated calculations are unable to converge to the correct solution, they cannot be accelerated in an unbiased fashion. A Hybrid Monte Carlo method weds Monte Carlo and a modified diffusion calculation to overcome these deficiencies. The Hybrid method additionally possesses reduced statistical errors

  14. MCOR - Monte Carlo depletion code for reference LWR calculations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Puente Espel, Federico, E-mail: fup104@psu.edu [Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Pennsylvania State University (United States); Tippayakul, Chanatip, E-mail: cut110@psu.edu [Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Pennsylvania State University (United States); Ivanov, Kostadin, E-mail: kni1@psu.edu [Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Pennsylvania State University (United States); Misu, Stefan, E-mail: Stefan.Misu@areva.com [AREVA, AREVA NP GmbH, Erlangen (Germany)

    2011-04-15

    Research highlights: > Introduction of a reference Monte Carlo based depletion code with extended capabilities. > Verification and validation results for MCOR. > Utilization of MCOR for benchmarking deterministic lattice physics (spectral) codes. - Abstract: The MCOR (MCnp-kORigen) code system is a Monte Carlo based depletion system for reference fuel assembly and core calculations. The MCOR code is designed as an interfacing code that provides depletion capability to the LANL Monte Carlo code by coupling two codes: MCNP5 with the AREVA NP depletion code, KORIGEN. The physical quality of both codes is unchanged. The MCOR code system has been maintained and continuously enhanced since it was initially developed and validated. The verification of the coupling was made by evaluating the MCOR code against similar sophisticated code systems like MONTEBURNS, OCTOPUS and TRIPOLI-PEPIN. After its validation, the MCOR code has been further improved with important features. The MCOR code presents several valuable capabilities such as: (a) a predictor-corrector depletion algorithm, (b) utilization of KORIGEN as the depletion module, (c) individual depletion calculation of each burnup zone (no burnup zone grouping is required, which is particularly important for the modeling of gadolinium rings), and (d) on-line burnup cross-section generation by the Monte Carlo calculation for 88 isotopes and usage of the KORIGEN libraries for PWR and BWR typical spectra for the remaining isotopes. Besides the just mentioned capabilities, the MCOR code newest enhancements focus on the possibility of executing the MCNP5 calculation in sequential or parallel mode, a user-friendly automatic re-start capability, a modification of the burnup step size evaluation, and a post-processor and test-matrix, just to name the most important. The article describes the capabilities of the MCOR code system; from its design and development to its latest improvements and further ameliorations. Additionally

  15. MCOR - Monte Carlo depletion code for reference LWR calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Puente Espel, Federico; Tippayakul, Chanatip; Ivanov, Kostadin; Misu, Stefan

    2011-01-01

    Research highlights: → Introduction of a reference Monte Carlo based depletion code with extended capabilities. → Verification and validation results for MCOR. → Utilization of MCOR for benchmarking deterministic lattice physics (spectral) codes. - Abstract: The MCOR (MCnp-kORigen) code system is a Monte Carlo based depletion system for reference fuel assembly and core calculations. The MCOR code is designed as an interfacing code that provides depletion capability to the LANL Monte Carlo code by coupling two codes: MCNP5 with the AREVA NP depletion code, KORIGEN. The physical quality of both codes is unchanged. The MCOR code system has been maintained and continuously enhanced since it was initially developed and validated. The verification of the coupling was made by evaluating the MCOR code against similar sophisticated code systems like MONTEBURNS, OCTOPUS and TRIPOLI-PEPIN. After its validation, the MCOR code has been further improved with important features. The MCOR code presents several valuable capabilities such as: (a) a predictor-corrector depletion algorithm, (b) utilization of KORIGEN as the depletion module, (c) individual depletion calculation of each burnup zone (no burnup zone grouping is required, which is particularly important for the modeling of gadolinium rings), and (d) on-line burnup cross-section generation by the Monte Carlo calculation for 88 isotopes and usage of the KORIGEN libraries for PWR and BWR typical spectra for the remaining isotopes. Besides the just mentioned capabilities, the MCOR code newest enhancements focus on the possibility of executing the MCNP5 calculation in sequential or parallel mode, a user-friendly automatic re-start capability, a modification of the burnup step size evaluation, and a post-processor and test-matrix, just to name the most important. The article describes the capabilities of the MCOR code system; from its design and development to its latest improvements and further ameliorations

  16. A Multivariate Time Series Method for Monte Carlo Reactor Analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taro Ueki

    2008-01-01

    A robust multivariate time series method has been established for the Monte Carlo calculation of neutron multiplication problems. The method is termed Coarse Mesh Projection Method (CMPM) and can be implemented using the coarse statistical bins for acquisition of nuclear fission source data. A novel aspect of CMPM is the combination of the general technical principle of projection pursuit in the signal processing discipline and the neutron multiplication eigenvalue problem in the nuclear engineering discipline. CMPM enables reactor physicists to accurately evaluate major eigenvalue separations of nuclear reactors with continuous energy Monte Carlo calculation. CMPM was incorporated in the MCNP Monte Carlo particle transport code of Los Alamos National Laboratory. The great advantage of CMPM over the traditional Fission Matrix method is demonstrated for the three space-dimensional modeling of the initial core of a pressurized water reactor

  17. Depleted Reactor Analysis With MCNP-4B

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caner, M.; Silverman, L.; Bettan, M.

    2004-01-01

    Monte Carlo neutronics calculations are mostly done for fresh reactor cores. There is today an ongoing activity in the development of Monte Carlo plus burnup code systems made possible by the fast gains in computer processor speeds. In this work we investigate the use of MCNP-4B for the calculation of a depleted core of the Soreq reactor (IRR-1). The number densities as function of burnup were taken from the WIMS-D/4 cell code calculations. This particular code coupling has been implemented before. The Monte Carlo code MCNP-4B calculates the coupled transport of neutrons and photons for complicated geometries. We have done neutronics calculations of the IRR-1 core with the WIMS and CITATION codes in the past Also, we have developed an MCNP model of the IRR-1 standard fuel for a criticality safety calculation of a spent fuel storage pool

  18. 3D dose distribution calculation in a voxelized human phantom by means of Monte Carlo method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abella, V.; Miro, R.; Juste, B.; Verdu, G.

    2010-01-01

    The aim of this work is to provide the reconstruction of a real human voxelized phantom by means of a MatLab program and the simulation of the irradiation of such phantom with the photon beam generated in a Theratron 780 (MDS Nordion) 60 Co radiotherapy unit, by using the Monte Carlo transport code MCNP (Monte Carlo N-Particle), version 5. The project results in 3D dose mapping calculations inside the voxelized antropomorphic head phantom. The program provides the voxelization by first processing the CT slices; the process follows a two-dimensional pixel and material identification algorithm on each slice and three-dimensional interpolation in order to describe the phantom geometry via small cubic cells, resulting in an MCNP input deck format output. Dose rates are calculated by using the MCNP5 tool FMESH, superimposed mesh tally, which gives the track length estimation of the particle flux in units of particles/cm 2 . Furthermore, the particle flux is converted into dose by using the conversion coefficients extracted from the NIST Physical Reference Data. The voxelization using a three-dimensional interpolation technique in combination with the use of the FMESH tool of the MCNP Monte Carlo code offers an optimal simulation which results in 3D dose mapping calculations inside anthropomorphic phantoms. This tool is very useful in radiation treatment assessments, in which voxelized phantoms are widely utilized.

  19. Present status of Monte Carlo seminar for sub-criticality safety analysis in Japan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakurai, Kiyoshi

    2003-01-01

    This paper provides overview of the methods and results of a series of sub-criticality safety analysis seminars for nuclear fuel cycle facility with the Monte Carlo method held in Japan from July 2000 to July 2003. In these seminars, MCNP-4C2 system (MS-DOS version) was installed in note-type personal computers for participants. Fundamental theory of reactor physics and Monte Carlo simulation as well as the contents of the MCNP manual were lectured. Effective neutron multiplication factors and neutron spectra were calculated for some examples such as JCO deposit tank, JNC uranium solution storage tank, JNC plutonium solution storage tank and JAERI TCA core. Management for safety of nuclear fuel cycle facilities was discussed in order to prevent criticality accidents in some of the seminars. (author)

  20. Monte Carlo assessment of the dose rates produced by spent fuel from CANDU reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pantazi, Doina; Mateescu, Silvia; Stanciu, Marcela

    2003-01-01

    One of the technical measures considered for biological protection is radiation shielding. The implementation process of a spent fuel intermediate storage system at Cernavoda NPP includes an evolution in computation methods related to shielding evaluation: from using simpler computer codes, like MicroShield and QAD, to systems of codes, like SCALE (which contains few independent modules) and the multipurpose and multi-particles transport code MCNP, based on Monte Carlo method. The Monte Carlo assessment of the dose rates produced by CANDU type spent fuel, during its handling for the intermediate storage, is the main objective of this paper. The work had two main features: -establishing of geometrical models according to description mode used in code MCNP, capable to account for the specific characteristics of CANDU nuclear fuel; - confirming the correctness of proposed models, by comparing MCNP results and the related results obtained with other computer codes for shielding evaluation and dose rates calculations. (authors)

  1. Monte Carlo method to characterize radioactive waste drums

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lima, Josenilson B.; Dellamano, Jose C.; Potiens Junior, Ademar J.

    2013-01-01

    Non-destructive methods for radioactive waste drums characterization have being developed in the Waste Management Department (GRR) at Nuclear and Energy Research Institute IPEN. This study was conducted as part of the radioactive wastes characterization program in order to meet specifications and acceptance criteria for final disposal imposed by regulatory control by gamma spectrometry. One of the main difficulties in the detectors calibration process is to obtain the counting efficiencies that can be solved by the use of mathematical techniques. The aim of this work was to develop a methodology to characterize drums using gamma spectrometry and Monte Carlo method. Monte Carlo is a widely used mathematical technique, which simulates the radiation transport in the medium, thus obtaining the efficiencies calibration of the detector. The equipment used in this work is a heavily shielded Hyperpure Germanium (HPGe) detector coupled with an electronic setup composed of high voltage source, amplifier and multiport multichannel analyzer and MCNP software for Monte Carlo simulation. The developing of this methodology will allow the characterization of solid radioactive wastes packed in drums and stored at GRR. (author)

  2. Environmental dose rate heterogeneity of beta radiation and its implications for luminescence dating: Monte Carlo modelling and experimental validation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nathan, R.P.; Thomas, P.J.; Jain, M.

    2003-01-01

    and identify the likely size of these effects on D-e distributions. The study employs the MCNP 4C Monte Carlo electron/photon transport model, supported by an experimental validation of the code in several case studies. We find good agreement between the experimental measurements and the Monte Carlo...

  3. A functional method for estimating DPA tallies in Monte Carlo calculations of Light Water Reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Read, Edward A.; Oliveira, Cassiano R.E. de

    2011-01-01

    There has been a growing need in recent years for the development of methodology to calculate radiation damage factors, namely displacements per atom (dpa), of structural components for Light Water Reactors (LWRs). The aim of this paper is to discuss the development and implementation of a dpa method using Monte Carlo method for transport calculations. The capabilities of the Monte Carlo code Serpent such as Woodcock tracking and fuel depletion are assessed for radiation damage calculations and its capability demonstrated and compared to those of the Monte Carlo code MCNP for radiation damage calculations of a typical LWR configuration. (author)

  4. Effects of changing the random number stride in Monte Carlo calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hendricks, J.S.

    1991-01-01

    This paper reports on a common practice in Monte Carlo radiation transport codes which is to start each random walk a specified number of steps up the random number sequence from the previous one. This is called the stride in the random number sequence between source particles. It is used for correlated sampling or to provide tree-structured random numbers. A new random number generator algorithm for the major Monte Carlo code MCNP has been written to allow adjustment of the random number stride. This random number generator is machine portable. The effects of varying the stride for several sample problems are examined

  5. Benchmark of Atucha-2 PHWR RELAP5-3D control rod model by Monte Carlo MCNP5 core calculation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pecchia, M.; D' Auria, F. [San Piero A Grado Nuclear Research Group GRNSPG, Univ. of Pisa, via Diotisalvi, 2, 56122 - Pisa (Italy); Mazzantini, O. [Nucleo-electrica Argentina Societad Anonima NA-SA, Buenos Aires (Argentina)

    2012-07-01

    Atucha-2 is a Siemens-designed PHWR reactor under construction in the Republic of Argentina. Its geometrical complexity and peculiarities require the adoption of advanced Monte Carlo codes for performing realistic neutronic simulations. Therefore core models of Atucha-2 PHWR were developed using MCNP5. In this work a methodology was set up to collect the flux in the hexagonal mesh by which the Atucha-2 core is represented. The scope of this activity is to evaluate the effect of obliquely inserted control rod on neutron flux in order to validate the RELAP5-3D{sup C}/NESTLE three dimensional neutron kinetic coupled thermal-hydraulic model, applied by GRNSPG/UNIPI for performing selected transients of Chapter 15 FSAR of Atucha-2. (authors)

  6. Evaluation of a 50-MV photon therapy beam from a racetrack microtron using MCNP4B Monte Carlo code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gudowska, I.; Svensson, R.

    2001-01-01

    High energy photon therapy beam from the 50 MV racetrack microtron has been evaluated using the Monte Carlo code MCNP4B. The spatial and energy distribution of photons, radial and depth dose distributions in the phantom are calculated for the stationary and scanned photon beams from different targets. The calculated dose distributions are compared to the experimental data using a silicon diode detector. Measured and calculated depth-dose distributions are in fairly good agreement, within 2-3% for the positions in the range 2-30 cm in the phantom, whereas the larger discrepancies up to 10% are observed in the dose build-up region. For the stationary beams the differences in the calculated and measured radial dose distributions are about 2-10%. (orig.)

  7. MCNP Version 6.2 Release Notes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Werner, Christopher John [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Bull, Jeffrey S. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Solomon, C. J. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Brown, Forrest B. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); McKinney, Gregg Walter [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Rising, Michael Evan [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Dixon, David A. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Martz, Roger Lee [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Hughes, Henry G. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Cox, Lawrence James [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Zukaitis, Anthony J. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Armstrong, J. C. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Forster, Robert Arthur [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Casswell, Laura [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2018-02-05

    Monte Carlo N-Particle or MCNP® is a general-purpose Monte Carlo radiation-transport code designed to track many particle types over broad ranges of energies. This MCNP Version 6.2 follows the MCNP6.1.1 beta version and has been released in order to provide the radiation transport community with the latest feature developments and bug fixes for MCNP. Since the last release of MCNP major work has been conducted to improve the code base, add features, and provide tools to facilitate ease of use of MCNP version 6.2 as well as the analysis of results. These release notes serve as a general guide for the new/improved physics, source, data, tallies, unstructured mesh, code enhancements and tools. For more detailed information on each of the topics, please refer to the appropriate references or the user manual which can be found at http://mcnp.lanl.gov. This release of MCNP version 6.2 contains 39 new features in addition to 172 bug fixes and code enhancements. There are still some 33 known issues the user should familiarize themselves with (see Appendix).

  8. Collision of Physics and Software in the Monte Carlo Application Toolkit (MCATK)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sweezy, Jeremy Ed [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2016-01-21

    The topic is presented in a series of slides organized as follows: MCATK overview, development strategy, available algorithms, problem modeling (sources, geometry, data, tallies), parallelism, miscellaneous tools/features, example MCATK application, recent areas of research, and summary and future work. MCATK is a C++ component-based Monte Carlo neutron-gamma transport software library with continuous energy neutron and photon transport. Designed to build specialized applications and to provide new functionality in existing general-purpose Monte Carlo codes like MCNP, it reads ACE formatted nuclear data generated by NJOY. The motivation behind MCATK was to reduce costs. MCATK physics involves continuous energy neutron & gamma transport with multi-temperature treatment, static eigenvalue (keff and α) algorithms, time-dependent algorithm, and fission chain algorithms. MCATK geometry includes mesh geometries and solid body geometries. MCATK provides verified, unit-test Monte Carlo components, flexibility in Monte Carlo application development, and numerous tools such as geometry and cross section plotters.

  9. Single pin BWR benchmark problem for coupled Monte Carlo - Thermal hydraulics analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ivanov, A.; Sanchez, V.; Hoogenboom, J. E.

    2012-01-01

    As part of the European NURISP research project, a single pin BWR benchmark problem was defined. The aim of this initiative is to test the coupling strategies between Monte Carlo and subchannel codes developed by different project participants. In this paper the results obtained by the Delft Univ. of Technology and Karlsruhe Inst. of Technology will be presented. The benchmark problem was simulated with the following coupled codes: TRIPOLI-SUBCHANFLOW, MCNP-FLICA, MCNP-SUBCHANFLOW, and KENO-SUBCHANFLOW. (authors)

  10. Single pin BWR benchmark problem for coupled Monte Carlo - Thermal hydraulics analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ivanov, A.; Sanchez, V. [Karlsruhe Inst. of Technology, Inst. for Neutron Physics and Reactor Technology, Herman-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Hoogenboom, J. E. [Delft Univ. of Technology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Mekelweg 15, 2629 JB Delft (Netherlands)

    2012-07-01

    As part of the European NURISP research project, a single pin BWR benchmark problem was defined. The aim of this initiative is to test the coupling strategies between Monte Carlo and subchannel codes developed by different project participants. In this paper the results obtained by the Delft Univ. of Technology and Karlsruhe Inst. of Technology will be presented. The benchmark problem was simulated with the following coupled codes: TRIPOLI-SUBCHANFLOW, MCNP-FLICA, MCNP-SUBCHANFLOW, and KENO-SUBCHANFLOW. (authors)

  11. Homogenized group cross sections by Monte Carlo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van Der Marck, S. C.; Kuijper, J. C.; Oppe, J.

    2006-01-01

    Homogenized group cross sections play a large role in making reactor calculations efficient. Because of this significance, many codes exist that can calculate these cross sections based on certain assumptions. However, the application to the High Flux Reactor (HFR) in Petten, the Netherlands, the limitations of such codes imply that the core calculations would become less accurate when using homogenized group cross sections (HGCS). Therefore we developed a method to calculate HGCS based on a Monte Carlo program, for which we chose MCNP. The implementation involves an addition to MCNP, and a set of small executables to perform suitable averaging after the MCNP run(s) have completed. Here we briefly describe the details of the method, and we report on two tests we performed to show the accuracy of the method and its implementation. By now, this method is routinely used in preparation of the cycle to cycle core calculations for HFR. (authors)

  12. Evaluation of dose equivalent to the people accompanying patients in diagnostic radiology using MCNP4C Monte Carlo code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mehdizadeh, S.; Faghihi, R.; Sina, S.; Zehtabian, M.

    2007-01-01

    Complete text of publication follows. Objective: X rays used in diagnostic radiology contribute a major share to population doses from man-made sources of radiation. In some branches of radiology, it is necessary that another person stay in the imaging room and immobilize the patient to carry out radiological operation. ICRP 70 recommends that this should be done by parents or accompanying nursing or ancillary personnel and not in any case by radiation workers. Methods: Dose measurements were made previously using standard methods employing LiF TLD-100 dosimeters. A TLD card was installed on the main trunk of the body of the accompanying people where the maximum dose was probable. In this research the general purpose Monte Carlo N-particle radiation transport computer code (MCNP4C) is used to calculate the equivalent dose to the people accompanying patients exposed to radiation scattered from the patient (Without protective clothing). To do the simulations, all components of the geometry are placed within an air-filled box. Two homogeneous water phantoms are used to simulate the patient and the accompanying person. The accompanying person leans against the table at one side of the patient. Finally in case of source specification, only the focus of the X-ray tube is modelled, i.e. as a standard MCNP point source emitting a cone of photons. Photon stopping material is used as a collimator model to reduce the circular cross section of the cone to a rectangle. The X-ray spectra to be used in the MCNP simulations are generated with spectrum generator software, taking the X-ray voltage and all filtration applied in the clinic as input parameters. These calculations are done for different patient sizes and for different radiological operations. Results: In case of TL dosimetry, for a group of 100 examinations, the dose equivalents ranged from 0.01 μsv to 0.13 msv with the average of 0.05 msv. The results are seen to be in close agreement with Monte Carlo simulations

  13. E language based on MCNP modeling software for autonomous

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Fei; Ge Liangquan; Zhang Qingxian

    2010-01-01

    MCNP (Monte Carlo N-Particle Code) is based on the Monte Carlo method for computing neutron, photon and other particles as the object of the movement simulation computer program. Because of its powerful computing simulation, flexible and universal features in many fields has been widely used, but due to a software professional in the operating area has been greatly restricted, so that in later development has been greatly hindered. E-language was used in order to develop the autonomy of MCNP modeling software, used to address users not familiar with MCNP and can not create object model, get rid of dull red tape 'notebook' type of program type and built a new MCNP modeling system. (authors)

  14. Development and Application of MCNP5 and KENO-VI Monte Carlo Models for the Atucha-2 PHWR Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Pecchia

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The geometrical complexity and the peculiarities of Atucha-2 PHWR require the adoption of advanced Monte Carlo codes for performing realistic neutronic simulations. Core models of Atucha-2 PHWR were developed using both MCNP5 and KENO-VI codes. The developed models were applied for calculating reactor criticality states at beginning of life, reactor cell constants, and control rods volumes. The last two applications were relevant for performing successive three dimensional neutron kinetic analyses since it was necessary to correctly evaluate the effect of each oblique control rod in each cell discretizing the reactor. These corrective factors were then applied to the cell cross sections calculated by the two-dimensional deterministic lattice physics code HELIOS. These results were implemented in the RELAP-3D model to perform safety analyses for the licensing process.

  15. Comparison of deterministic and Monte Carlo methods in shielding design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oliveira, A D; Oliveira, C

    2005-01-01

    In shielding calculation, deterministic methods have some advantages and also some disadvantages relative to other kind of codes, such as Monte Carlo. The main advantage is the short computer time needed to find solutions while the disadvantages are related to the often-used build-up factor that is extrapolated from high to low energies or with unknown geometrical conditions, which can lead to significant errors in shielding results. The aim of this work is to investigate how good are some deterministic methods to calculating low-energy shielding, using attenuation coefficients and build-up factor corrections. Commercial software MicroShield 5.05 has been used as the deterministic code while MCNP has been used as the Monte Carlo code. Point and cylindrical sources with slab shield have been defined allowing comparison between the capability of both Monte Carlo and deterministic methods in a day-by-day shielding calculation using sensitivity analysis of significant parameters, such as energy and geometrical conditions.

  16. Comparison of deterministic and Monte Carlo methods in shielding design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oliveira, A. D.; Oliveira, C.

    2005-01-01

    In shielding calculation, deterministic methods have some advantages and also some disadvantages relative to other kind of codes, such as Monte Carlo. The main advantage is the short computer time needed to find solutions while the disadvantages are related to the often-used build-up factor that is extrapolated from high to low energies or with unknown geometrical conditions, which can lead to significant errors in shielding results. The aim of this work is to investigate how good are some deterministic methods to calculating low-energy shielding, using attenuation coefficients and build-up factor corrections. Commercial software MicroShield 5.05 has been used as the deterministic code while MCNP has been used as the Monte Carlo code. Point and cylindrical sources with slab shield have been defined allowing comparison between the capability of both Monte Carlo and deterministic methods in a day-by-day shielding calculation using sensitivity analysis of significant parameters, such as energy and geometrical conditions. (authors)

  17. An approach to design a 90Sr radioisotope thermoelectric generator using analytical and Monte Carlo methods with ANSYS, COMSOL, and MCNP.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khajepour, Abolhasan; Rahmani, Faezeh

    2017-01-01

    In this study, a 90 Sr radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) with power of milliWatt was designed to operate in the determined temperature (300-312K). For this purpose, the combination of analytical and Monte Carlo methods with ANSYS and COMSOL software as well as the MCNP code was used. This designed RTG contains 90 Sr as a radioisotope heat source (RHS) and 127 coupled thermoelectric modules (TEMs) based on bismuth telluride. Kapton (2.45mm in thickness) and Cryotherm sheets (0.78mm in thickness) were selected as the thermal insulators of the RHS, as well as a stainless steel container was used as a generator chamber. The initial design of the RHS geometry was performed according to the amount of radioactive material (strontium titanate) as well as the heat transfer calculations and mechanical strength considerations. According to the Monte Carlo simulation performed by the MCNP code, approximately 0.35 kCi of 90 Sr is sufficient to generate heat power in the RHS. To determine the optimal design of the RTG, the distribution of temperature as well as the dissipated heat and input power to the module were calculated in different parts of the generator using the ANSYS software. Output voltage according to temperature distribution on TEM was calculated using COMSOL. Optimization of the dimension of the RHS and heat insulator was performed to adapt the average temperature of the hot plate of TEM to the determined hot temperature value. This designed RTG generates 8mW in power with an efficiency of 1%. This proposed approach of combination method can be used for the precise design of various types of RTGs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. An algorithm of α-and γ-mode eigenvalue calculations by Monte Carlo method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamamoto, Toshihiro; Miyoshi, Yoshinori

    2003-01-01

    A new algorithm for Monte Carlo calculation was developed to obtain α- and γ-mode eigenvalues. The α is a prompt neutron time decay constant measured in subcritical experiments, and the γ is a spatial decay constant measured in an exponential method for determining the subcriticality. This algorithm can be implemented into existing Monte Carlo eigenvalue calculation codes with minimum modifications. The algorithm was implemented into MCNP code and the performance of calculating the both mode eigenvalues were verified through comparison of the calculated eigenvalues with the ones obtained by fixed source calculations. (author)

  19. Monte Carlo simulations of the pulsed thermal neutron flux in two-region hydrogenous systems (using standard MCNP data libraries)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wiacek, U.; Krynicka, E.

    2005-02-01

    Monte Carlo simulations of the pulsed neutron experiment in two- region systems (two concentric spheres and two coaxial finite cylinders) are presented. The MCNP code is used. Aqueous solutions of H 3 BO 3 or KCl are used in the inner region. The outer region is the moderator of Plexiglas. Standard data libraries of the thermal neutron scattering cross-sections of hydrogen in hydrogenous substances are used. The time-dependent thermal neutron transport is simulated when the inner region has a constant size and the external size of the surrounding outer region is variable. The time decay constant of the thermal neutron flux in the system is found in each simulation. The results of the simulations are compared with results of real pulsed neutron experiments on the corresponding systems. (author)

  20. Monte Carlo based radial shield design of typical PWR reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gul, Anas; Khan, Rustam; Qureshi, M. Ayub; Azeem, Muhammad Waqar; Raza, S.A. [Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Islamabad (Pakistan). Dept. of Nuclear Engineering; Stummer, Thomas [Technische Univ. Wien (Austria). Atominst.

    2016-11-15

    Neutron and gamma flux and dose equivalent rate distribution are analysed in radial and shields of a typical PWR type reactor based on the Monte Carlo radiation transport computer code MCNP5. The ENDF/B-VI continuous energy cross-section library has been employed for the criticality and shielding analysis. The computed results are in good agreement with the reference results (maximum difference is less than 56 %). It implies that MCNP5 a good tool for accurate prediction of neutron and gamma flux and dose rates in radial shield around the core of PWR type reactors.

  1. Monte Carlo simulation of radiation streaming from a radioactive material shipping cask

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Y.Y.; Schwarz, R.A.; Tang, J.S.

    1996-01-01

    Simulated detection of gamma radiation streaming from a radioactive material shipping cask have been performed with the Monte Carlo codes MCNP4A and MORSE-SGC/S. Despite inherent difficulties in simulating deep penetration of radiation and streaming, the simulations have yielded results that agree within one order of magnitude with the radiation survey data, with reasonable statistics. These simulations have also provided insight into modeling radiation detection, notably on location and orientation of the radiation detector with respect to photon streaming paths, and on techniques used to reduce variance in the Monte Carlo calculations. 13 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs

  2. Application of MCAM in generating Monte Carlo model for ITER port limiter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu Lei; Li Ying; Ding Aiping; Zeng Qin; Huang Chenyu; Wu Yican

    2007-01-01

    On the basis of the pre-processing and conversion functions supplied by MCAM (Monte-Carlo Particle Transport Calculated Automatic Modeling System), this paper performed the generation of ITER Port Limiter MC (Monte-Carlo) calculation model from the CAD engineering model. The result was validated by using reverse function of MCAM and MCNP PLOT 2D cross-section drawing program. the successful application of MCAM to ITER Port Limiter demonstrates that MCAM is capable of dramatically increasing the efficiency and accuracy to generate MC calculation models from CAD engineering models with complex geometry comparing with the traditional manual modeling method. (authors)

  3. Characterization of decommissioned reactor internals: Monte Carlo analysis technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reid, B.D.; Love, E.F.; Luksic, A.T.

    1993-03-01

    This study discusses computer analysis techniques for determining activation levels of irradiated reactor component hardware to yield data for the Department of Energy's Greater-Than-Class C Low-Level Radioactive Waste Program. The study recommends the Monte Carlo Neutron/Photon (MCNP) computer code as the best analysis tool for this application and compares the technique to direct sampling methodology. To implement the MCNP analysis, a computer model would be developed to reflect the geometry, material composition, and power history of an existing shutdown reactor. MCNP analysis would then be performed using the computer model, and the results would be validated by comparison to laboratory analysis results from samples taken from the shutdown reactor. The report estimates uncertainties for each step of the computational and laboratory analyses; the overall uncertainty of the MCNP results is projected to be ±35%. The primary source of uncertainty is identified as the material composition of the components, and research is suggested to address that uncertainty

  4. Scattered dose to thyroid from prophylactic cranial irradiation during childhood: a Monte Carlo study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mazonakis, Michalis; Tzedakis, Antonis; Damilakis, John; Varveris, Haris; Kachris, Stefanos; Gourtsoyiannis, Nicholas

    2006-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to estimate the scattered dose to thyroid from prophylactic cranial irradiation during childhood. The MCNP transport code and mathematical phantoms representing the average individual at ages 3, 5, 10, 15 and 18 years old were employed to simulate cranial radiotherapy using two lateral opposed fields. The mean radiation dose received by the thyroid gland was calculated. A 10 cm thick lead block placed on the patient's couch to shield the thyroid was simulated by MCNP code. The Monte Carlo model was validated by measuring the scattered dose to the unshielded and shielded thyroid using three different humanoid phantoms and thermoluminescense dosimetry. For a cranial dose of 18 Gy, the thyroid dose obtained by Monte Carlo calculations varied from 47 to 79 cGy depending upon the age of the child. Appropriate placement of the couch block resulted in a thyroid dose reduction by 39 to 54%. Thyroid dose values at all possible positions of the radiosensitive gland with respect to the inferior field edge at five different patient ages were found. The mean difference between Monte Carlo results and thyroid dose measurements was 9.6%. (note)

  5. Modeling of the YALINA booster facility by the Monte Carlo code MONK

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Talamo, A.; Gohar, Y.; Kondev, F.; Kiyavitskaya, H.; Serafimovich, I.; Bournos, V.; Fokov, Y.; Routkovskaya, C.

    2007-01-01

    The YALINA-Booster facility has been modeled according to the benchmark specifications defined for the IAEA activity without any geometrical homogenization using the Monte Carlo codes MONK and MCNP/MCNPX/MCB. The MONK model perfectly matches the MCNP one. The computational analyses have been extended through the MCB code, which is an extension of the MCNP code with burnup capability because of its additional feature for analyzing source driven multiplying assemblies. The main neutronics arameters of the YALINA-Booster facility were calculated using these computer codes with different nuclear data libraries based on ENDF/B-VI-0, -6, JEF-2.2, and JEF-3.1.

  6. A Monte Carlo modeling alternative for the API Gamma Ray Calibration Facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Galford, J.E.

    2017-01-01

    The gamma ray pit at the API Calibration Facility, located on the University of Houston campus, defines the API unit for natural gamma ray logs used throughout the petroleum logging industry. Future use of the facility is uncertain. An alternative method is proposed to preserve the gamma ray API unit definition as an industry standard by using Monte Carlo modeling to obtain accurate counting rate-to-API unit conversion factors for gross-counting and spectral gamma ray tool designs. - Highlights: • A Monte Carlo alternative is proposed to replace empirical calibration procedures. • The proposed Monte Carlo alternative preserves the original API unit definition. • MCNP source and materials descriptions are provided for the API gamma ray pit. • Simulated results are presented for several wireline logging tool designs. • The proposed method can be adapted for use with logging-while-drilling tools.

  7. Monte Carlo Simulations of Neutron Oil well Logging Tools

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Azcurra, Mario

    2002-01-01

    Monte Carlo simulations of simple neutron oil well logging tools into typical geological formations are presented.The simulated tools consist of both 14 MeV pulsed and continuous Am-Be neutron sources with time gated and continuous gamma ray detectors respectively.The geological formation consists of pure limestone with 15% absolute porosity in a wide range of oil saturation.The particle transport was performed with the Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code System, MCNP-4B.Several gamma ray spectra were obtained at the detector position that allow to perform composition analysis of the formation.In particular, the ratio C/O was analyzed as an indicator of oil saturation.Further calculations are proposed to simulate actual detector responses in order to contribute to understand the relation between the detector response with the formation composition

  8. Monte Carlo simulations of neutron oil well logging tools

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Azcurra, Mario O.; Zamonsky, Oscar M.

    2003-01-01

    Monte Carlo simulations of simple neutron oil well logging tools into typical geological formations are presented. The simulated tools consist of both 14 MeV pulsed and continuous Am-Be neutron sources with time gated and continuous gamma ray detectors respectively. The geological formation consists of pure limestone with 15% absolute porosity in a wide range of oil saturation. The particle transport was performed with the Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code System, MCNP-4B. Several gamma ray spectra were obtained at the detector position that allow to perform composition analysis of the formation. In particular, the ratio C/O was analyzed as an indicator of oil saturation. Further calculations are proposed to simulate actual detector responses in order to contribute to understand the relation between the detector response with the formation composition. (author)

  9. Monte Carlo simulations of the Galileo energetic particle detector

    CERN Document Server

    Jun, I; Garrett, H B; McEntire, R W

    2002-01-01

    Monte Carlo radiation transport studies have been performed for the Galileo spacecraft energetic particle detector (EPD) in order to study its response to energetic electrons and protons. Three-dimensional Monte Carlo radiation transport codes, MCNP version 4B (for electrons) and MCNPX version 2.2.3 (for protons), were used throughout the study. The results are presented in the form of 'geometric factors' for the high-energy channels studied in this paper: B1, DC2, and DC3 for electrons and B0, DC0, and DC1 for protons. The geometric factor is the energy-dependent detector response function that relates the incident particle fluxes to instrument count rates. The trend of actual data measured by the EPD was successfully reproduced using the geometric factors obtained in this study.

  10. Monte Carlo simulations of the Galileo energetic particle detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jun, I.; Ratliff, J.M.; Garrett, H.B.; McEntire, R.W.

    2002-01-01

    Monte Carlo radiation transport studies have been performed for the Galileo spacecraft energetic particle detector (EPD) in order to study its response to energetic electrons and protons. Three-dimensional Monte Carlo radiation transport codes, MCNP version 4B (for electrons) and MCNPX version 2.2.3 (for protons), were used throughout the study. The results are presented in the form of 'geometric factors' for the high-energy channels studied in this paper: B1, DC2, and DC3 for electrons and B0, DC0, and DC1 for protons. The geometric factor is the energy-dependent detector response function that relates the incident particle fluxes to instrument count rates. The trend of actual data measured by the EPD was successfully reproduced using the geometric factors obtained in this study

  11. Lecture Notes on Criticality Safety Validation Using MCNP & Whisper

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brown, Forrest B. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Rising, Michael Evan [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Alwin, Jennifer Louise [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2016-03-11

    Training classes for nuclear criticality safety, MCNP documentation. The need for, and problems surrounding, validation of computer codes and data area considered first. Then some background for MCNP & Whisper is given--best practices for Monte Carlo criticality calculations, neutron spectra, S(α,β) thermal neutron scattering data, nuclear data sensitivities, covariance data, and correlation coefficients. Whisper is computational software designed to assist the nuclear criticality safety analyst with validation studies with the Monte Carlo radiation transport package MCNP. Whisper's methodology (benchmark selection – Ck's, weights; extreme value theory – bias, bias uncertainty; MOS for nuclear data uncertainty – GLLS) and usage are discussed.

  12. SWAT4.0 - The integrated burnup code system driving continuous energy Monte Carlo codes MVP, MCNP and deterministic calculation code SRAC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kashima, Takao; Suyama, Kenya; Takada, Tomoyuki

    2015-03-01

    There have been two versions of SWAT depending on details of its development history: the revised SWAT that uses the deterministic calculation code SRAC as a neutron transportation solver, and the SWAT3.1 that uses the continuous energy Monte Carlo code MVP or MCNP5 for the same purpose. It takes several hours, however, to execute one calculation by the continuous energy Monte Carlo code even on the super computer of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency. Moreover, two-dimensional burnup calculation is not practical using the revised SWAT because it has problems on production of effective cross section data and applying them to arbitrary fuel geometry when a calculation model has multiple burnup zones. Therefore, SWAT4.0 has been developed by adding, to SWAT3.1, a function to utilize the deterministic code SARC2006, which has shorter calculation time, as an outer module of neutron transportation solver for burnup calculation. SWAT4.0 has been enabled to execute two-dimensional burnup calculation by providing an input data template of SRAC2006 to SWAT4.0 input data, and updating atomic number densities of burnup zones in each burnup step. This report describes outline, input data instruction, and examples of calculations of SWAT4.0. (author)

  13. Radiation field characterization of a BNCT research facility using Monte Carlo method - code MCNP-4B

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hernandez, Antonio Carlos

    2002-01-01

    Boron Neutron Capture Therapy - BNCT - is a selective cancer treatment and arises as an alternative therapy to treat cancer when usual techniques - surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy - show no satisfactory results. The main proposal of this work is to project a facility to BNCT studies. This facility relies on the use of an Am Be neutron source and on a set of moderators, filters and shielding which will provide the best neutron/gamma beam characteristic for these Becton studies, i.e., high intensity thermal and/or epithermal neutron fluxes and with the minimum feasible gamma rays and fast neutrons contaminants. A computational model of the experiment was used to obtain the radiation field in the sample irradiation position. The calculations have been performed with the MCNP 4B Monte Carlo Code and the results obtained can be regarded as satisfactory, i.e., a thermal neutron fluencyN T = 1,35x10 8 n/cm , a fast neutron dose of 5,86x10 -10 Gy/N T and a gamma ray dose of 8,30x10 -14 Gy/N T . (author)

  14. Radiation field characterization of a BNCT research facility using Monte Carlo Method - Code MCNP-4B

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hernandes, Antonio Carlos

    2002-01-01

    Boron Neutron Capture Therapy - BNCT- is a selective cancer treatment and arises as an alternative therapy to treat cancer when usual techniques - surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy - show no satisfactory results. The main proposal of this work is to project a facility to BNCT studies. This facility relies on the use of an AmBe neutron source and on a set of moderators, filters and shielding which will provide the best neutron/gamma beam characteristic for these BNCT studies, i.e., high intensity thermal and/or epithermal neutron fluxes and with the minimum feasible gamma rays and fast neutrons contaminants. A computational model of the experiment was used to obtain the radiation field in the sample irradiation position. The calculations have been performed with the MCNP 4B Monte Carlo Code and the results obtained can be regarded as satisfactory, i.e., a thermal neutron fluency Ν Τ = 1,35x10 8 n/cm 2 , a fast neutron dose of 5,86x -1 0 Gy/Ν Τ and a gamma ray dose of 8,30x -14 Gy/Ν Τ . (author)

  15. ARCHER, a new Monte Carlo software tool for emerging heterogeneous computing environments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, X. George; Liu, Tianyu; Su, Lin; Du, Xining; Riblett, Matthew; Ji, Wei; Gu, Deyang; Carothers, Christopher D.; Shephard, Mark S.; Brown, Forrest B.; Kalra, Mannudeep K.; Liu, Bob

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • A fast Monte Carlo based radiation transport code ARCHER was developed. • ARCHER supports different hardware including CPU, GPU and Intel Xeon Phi coprocessor. • Code is benchmarked again MCNP for medical applications. • A typical CT scan dose simulation only takes 6.8 s on an NVIDIA M2090 GPU. • GPU and coprocessor-based codes are 5–8 times faster than the CPU-based codes. - Abstract: The Monte Carlo radiation transport community faces a number of challenges associated with peta- and exa-scale computing systems that rely increasingly on heterogeneous architectures involving hardware accelerators such as GPUs and Xeon Phi coprocessors. Existing Monte Carlo codes and methods must be strategically upgraded to meet emerging hardware and software needs. In this paper, we describe the development of a software, called ARCHER (Accelerated Radiation-transport Computations in Heterogeneous EnviRonments), which is designed as a versatile testbed for future Monte Carlo codes. Preliminary results from five projects in nuclear engineering and medical physics are presented

  16. Monte Carlo calculations of neutron and gamm-ray energy spectra for fusion-reactor shield design: comparison with experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santoro, R.T.; Barnes, J.M.

    1983-08-01

    Neutron and gamma-ray spectra resulting from the interactions of approx. 14-MeV neutrons in laminated slabs of stainless steel type-304 and borated polyethylene have been calculated using the Monte Carlo code MCNP. The calculated spectra are compared with measured data as a function of slab thickness and material composition and as a function of detector location behind the slabs. Comparisons of the differential energy spectra are made for neutrons with energies above 850 keV and for gamma rays with energies above 750 keV. The measured neutron spectra and those calculated using Monte Carlo methods agree within 5% to 50% depending on the slab thickness and composition and neutron energy. The agreement between the measured and calculated gamma-ray energy spectra is also within this range. The MCNP data are also in favorable agreement with attenuated data calculated previously by discrete ordinates transport methods and the Monte Carlo code SAM-CE

  17. Modelling of the RA-1 reactor using a Monte Carlo code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Quinteiro, Guillermo F.; Calabrese, Carlos R.

    2000-01-01

    It was carried out for the first time, a model of the Argentine RA-1 reactor using the MCNP Monte Carlo code. This model was validated using data for experimental neutron and gamma measurements at different energy ranges and locations. In addition, the resulting fluxes were compared with the data obtained using a 3D diffusion code. (author)

  18. Monte Carlo analysis of Musashi TRIGA mark II reactor core

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsumoto, Tetsuo

    1999-01-01

    The analysis of the TRIGA-II core at the Musashi Institute of Technology Research Reactor (Musashi reactor, 100 kW) was performed by the three-dimensional continuous-energy Monte Carlo code (MCNP4A). Effective multiplication factors (k eff ) for the several fuel-loading patterns including the initial core criticality experiment, the fuel element and control rod reactivity worth as well as the neutron flux measurements were used in the validation process of the physical model and neutron cross section data from the ENDF/B-V evaluation. The calculated k eff overestimated the experimental data by about 1.0%Δk/k for both the initial core and the several fuel-loading arrangements. The calculated reactivity worths of control rod and fuel element agree well the measured ones within the uncertainties. The comparison of neutron flux distribution was consistent with the experimental ones which were measured by activation methods at the sample irradiation tubes. All in all, the agreement between the MCNP predictions and the experimentally determined values is good, which indicated that the Monte Carlo model is enough to simulate the Musashi TRIGA-II reactor core. (author)

  19. Criticality calculations with MCNP trademark: A primer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harmon, C.D. II; Busch, R.D.; Briesmeister, J.F.; Forster, R.A.

    1994-01-01

    With the closure of many experimental facilities, the nuclear criticality safety analyst increasingly is required to rely on computer calculations to identify safe limits for the handling and storage of fissile materials. However, in many cases, the analyst has little experience with the specific codes available at his/her facility. This primer will help you, the analyst, understand and use the MCNP Monte Carlo code for nuclear criticality safety analyses. It assumes that you have a college education in a technical field. There is no assumption of familiarity with Monte Carlo codes in general or with MCNP in particular. Appendix A gives an introduction to Monte Carlo techniques. The primer is designed to teach by example, with each example illustrating two or three features of MCNP that are useful in criticality analyses. Beginning with a Quickstart chapter, the primer gives an overview of the basic requirements for MCNP input and allows you to run a simple criticality problem with MCNP. This chapter is not designed to explain either the input or the MCNP options in detail; but rather it introduces basic concepts that are further explained in following chapters. Each chapter begins with a list of basic objectives that identify the goal of the chapter, and a list of the individual MCNP features that are covered in detail in the unique chapter example problems. It is expected that on completion of the primer you will be comfortable using MCNP in criticality calculations and will be capable of handling 80 to 90 percent of the situations that normally arise in a facility. The primer provides a set of basic input files that you can selectively modify to fit the particular problem at hand

  20. SELF-ABSORPTION CORRECTIONS BASED ON MONTE CARLO SIMULATIONS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kamila Johnová

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The main aim of this article is to demonstrate how Monte Carlo simulations are implemented in our gamma spectrometry laboratory at the Department of Dosimetry and Application of Ionizing Radiation in order to calculate the self-absorption within the samples. A model of real HPGe detector created for MCNP simulations is presented in this paper. All of the possible parameters, which may influence the self-absorption, are at first discussed theoretically and lately described using the calculated results.

  1. Performance Study of Monte Carlo Codes on Xeon Phi Coprocessors — Testing MCNP 6.1 and Profiling ARCHER Geometry Module on the FS7ONNi Problem

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Tianyu; Wolfe, Noah; Lin, Hui; Zieb, Kris; Ji, Wei; Caracappa, Peter; Carothers, Christopher; Xu, X. George

    2017-09-01

    This paper contains two parts revolving around Monte Carlo transport simulation on Intel Many Integrated Core coprocessors (MIC, also known as Xeon Phi). (1) MCNP 6.1 was recompiled into multithreading (OpenMP) and multiprocessing (MPI) forms respectively without modification to the source code. The new codes were tested on a 60-core 5110P MIC. The test case was FS7ONNi, a radiation shielding problem used in MCNP's verification and validation suite. It was observed that both codes became slower on the MIC than on a 6-core X5650 CPU, by a factor of 4 for the MPI code and, abnormally, 20 for the OpenMP code, and both exhibited limited capability of strong scaling. (2) We have recently added a Constructive Solid Geometry (CSG) module to our ARCHER code to provide better support for geometry modelling in radiation shielding simulation. The functions of this module are frequently called in the particle random walk process. To identify the performance bottleneck we developed a CSG proxy application and profiled the code using the geometry data from FS7ONNi. The profiling data showed that the code was primarily memory latency bound on the MIC. This study suggests that despite low initial porting e_ort, Monte Carlo codes do not naturally lend themselves to the MIC platform — just like to the GPUs, and that the memory latency problem needs to be addressed in order to achieve decent performance gain.

  2. Development and validation of ALEPH Monte Carlo burn-up code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stankovskiy, A.; Van den Eynde, G.; Vidmar, T.

    2011-01-01

    The Monte-Carlo burn-up code ALEPH is being developed in SCK-CEN since 2004. Belonging to the category of shells coupling Monte Carlo transport (MCNP or MCNPX) and 'deterministic' depletion codes (ORIGEN-2.2), ALEPH possess some unique features that distinguish it from other codes. The most important feature is full data consistency between steady-state Monte Carlo and time-dependent depletion calculations. Recent improvements of ALEPH concern full implementation of general-purpose nuclear data libraries (JEFF-3.1.1, ENDF/B-VII, JENDL-3.3). The upgraded version of the code is capable to treat isomeric branching ratios, neutron induced fission product yields, spontaneous fission yields and energy release per fission recorded in ENDF-formatted data files. The alternative algorithm for time evolution of nuclide concentrations is added. A predictor-corrector mechanism and the calculation of nuclear heating are available as well. The validation of the code on REBUS experimental programme results has been performed. The upgraded version of ALEPH has shown better agreement with measured data than other codes, including previous version of ALEPH. (authors)

  3. Development and Implementation of Photonuclear Cross-Section Data for Mutually Coupled Neutron-Photon Transport Calculations in the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) Radiation Transport Code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    White, Morgan C.

    2000-01-01

    The fundamental motivation for the research presented in this dissertation was the need to development a more accurate prediction method for characterization of mixed radiation fields around medical electron accelerators (MEAs). Specifically, a model is developed for simulation of neutron and other particle production from photonuclear reactions and incorporated in the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) radiation transport code. This extension of the capability within the MCNP code provides for the more accurate assessment of the mixed radiation fields. The Nuclear Theory and Applications group of the Los Alamos National Laboratory has recently provided first-of-a-kind evaluated photonuclear data for a select group of isotopes. These data provide the reaction probabilities as functions of incident photon energy with angular and energy distribution information for all reaction products. The availability of these data is the cornerstone of the new methodology for state-of-the-art mutually coupled photon-neutron transport simulations. The dissertation includes details of the model development and implementation necessary to use the new photonuclear data within MCNP simulations. A new data format has been developed to include tabular photonuclear data. Data are processed from the Evaluated Nuclear Data Format (ENDF) to the new class ''u'' A Compact ENDF (ACE) format using a standalone processing code. MCNP modifications have been completed to enable Monte Carlo sampling of photonuclear reactions. Note that both neutron and gamma production are included in the present model. The new capability has been subjected to extensive verification and validation (V and V) testing. Verification testing has established the expected basic functionality. Two validation projects were undertaken. First, comparisons were made to benchmark data from literature. These calculations demonstrate the accuracy of the new data and transport routines to better than 25 percent. Second, the ability to

  4. Development and Implementation of Photonuclear Cross-Section Data for Mutually Coupled Neutron-Photon Transport Calculations in the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) Radiation Transport Code

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    White, Morgan C. [Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States)

    2000-07-01

    The fundamental motivation for the research presented in this dissertation was the need to development a more accurate prediction method for characterization of mixed radiation fields around medical electron accelerators (MEAs). Specifically, a model is developed for simulation of neutron and other particle production from photonuclear reactions and incorporated in the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) radiation transport code. This extension of the capability within the MCNP code provides for the more accurate assessment of the mixed radiation fields. The Nuclear Theory and Applications group of the Los Alamos National Laboratory has recently provided first-of-a-kind evaluated photonuclear data for a select group of isotopes. These data provide the reaction probabilities as functions of incident photon energy with angular and energy distribution information for all reaction products. The availability of these data is the cornerstone of the new methodology for state-of-the-art mutually coupled photon-neutron transport simulations. The dissertation includes details of the model development and implementation necessary to use the new photonuclear data within MCNP simulations. A new data format has been developed to include tabular photonuclear data. Data are processed from the Evaluated Nuclear Data Format (ENDF) to the new class ''u'' A Compact ENDF (ACE) format using a standalone processing code. MCNP modifications have been completed to enable Monte Carlo sampling of photonuclear reactions. Note that both neutron and gamma production are included in the present model. The new capability has been subjected to extensive verification and validation (V&V) testing. Verification testing has established the expected basic functionality. Two validation projects were undertaken. First, comparisons were made to benchmark data from literature. These calculations demonstrate the accuracy of the new data and transport routines to better than 25 percent. Second

  5. Importance sampling techniques and treatment of electron transport in MCNP 4A

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ueki, K.

    1994-01-01

    The continuous energy Monte Carlo code MCNP was developed by the Radiation Transport Group at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the MCNP 4A version is available, now. The MCNP 4A is able to do the coupled neutron-secondary gamma-ray-electron-bremsstrahlung calculation. The calculated results, such as energy spectra, tally fluctuation chart, and geometrical input data can be displayed by using a work station. The document of the MCNP 4A code has no description on the subroutines, except few ones of 'SOURCE', 'TALLYX'. However, when we want to improve the MCNP Monte Carlo sampling techniques to get more accuracy or efficiency results for some problems, some subroutines are required or needed to revised. Three subroutines have been revised and built in the MCNP 4A code. (author)

  6. Evaluation of cobalt-60 energy deposit in mouse and monkey using Monte Carlo simulation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Woo, Sang Keun; Kim, Wook; Park, Yong Sung; Kang, Joo Hyun; Lee, Yong Jin [Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, KIRAMS, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Doo Wan; Lee, Hong Soo; Han, Su Cheol [Jeonbuk Department of Inhalation Research, Korea Institute of toxicology, KRICT, Jeongeup (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-12-15

    These absorbed dose can calculated using the Monte Carlo transport code MCNP (Monte Carlo N-particle transport code). Internal radiotherapy absorbed dose was calculated using conventional software, such as OLINDA/EXM or Monte Carlo simulation. However, the OLINDA/EXM does not calculate individual absorbed dose and non-standard organ, such as tumor. While the Monte Carlo simulation can calculated non-standard organ and specific absorbed dose using individual CT image. External radiotherapy, absorbed dose can calculated by specific absorbed energy in specific organs using Monte Carlo simulation. The specific absorbed energy in each organ was difference between species or even if the same species. Since they have difference organ sizes, position, and density of organs. The aim of this study was to individually evaluated cobalt-60 energy deposit in mouse and monkey using Monte Carlo simulation. We evaluation of cobalt-60 energy deposit in mouse and monkey using Monte Carlo simulation. The absorbed energy in each organ compared with mouse heart was 54.6 fold higher than monkey absorbed energy in heart. Likewise lung was 88.4, liver was 16.0, urinary bladder was 29.4 fold higher than monkey. It means that the distance of each organs and organ mass was effects of the absorbed energy. This result may help to can calculated absorbed dose and more accuracy plan for external radiation beam therapy and internal radiotherapy.

  7. Evaluation of cobalt-60 energy deposit in mouse and monkey using Monte Carlo simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Woo, Sang Keun; Kim, Wook; Park, Yong Sung; Kang, Joo Hyun; Lee, Yong Jin; Cho, Doo Wan; Lee, Hong Soo; Han, Su Cheol

    2016-01-01

    These absorbed dose can calculated using the Monte Carlo transport code MCNP (Monte Carlo N-particle transport code). Internal radiotherapy absorbed dose was calculated using conventional software, such as OLINDA/EXM or Monte Carlo simulation. However, the OLINDA/EXM does not calculate individual absorbed dose and non-standard organ, such as tumor. While the Monte Carlo simulation can calculated non-standard organ and specific absorbed dose using individual CT image. External radiotherapy, absorbed dose can calculated by specific absorbed energy in specific organs using Monte Carlo simulation. The specific absorbed energy in each organ was difference between species or even if the same species. Since they have difference organ sizes, position, and density of organs. The aim of this study was to individually evaluated cobalt-60 energy deposit in mouse and monkey using Monte Carlo simulation. We evaluation of cobalt-60 energy deposit in mouse and monkey using Monte Carlo simulation. The absorbed energy in each organ compared with mouse heart was 54.6 fold higher than monkey absorbed energy in heart. Likewise lung was 88.4, liver was 16.0, urinary bladder was 29.4 fold higher than monkey. It means that the distance of each organs and organ mass was effects of the absorbed energy. This result may help to can calculated absorbed dose and more accuracy plan for external radiation beam therapy and internal radiotherapy.

  8. Whole core burnup calculations using `MCNP`

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Haran, O; Shaham, Y [Israel Atomic Energy Commission, Beersheba (Israel). Nuclear Research Center-Negev

    1996-12-01

    Core parameters such as the reactivity, the power distribution and different reactivity coefficients calculated in simulations play an important role in the nuclear reactor handling. Operational safety margins are decided upon, based on the calculated parameters. Thus, the ability to accurately calculate those parameters is of uppermost importance. Such ability exists for fresh cores, using the Monte-Carlo method. The change in the core parameters that results from the core burnup is nowadays calculated within transport codes that simplifies the transport process by using approximations such as the diffusion approximation. The inaccuracy in the burned core parameters arising from the use of such approximations is hard to quantify, leading to an increased gap between the operational routines and the safety limits. A Monte Carlo transport code that caries out accurate static calculations in three dimensional geometries using continuous-energy neutron cross-section data such as the MCNP can be used to generate accurate reaction rates for burnup purposes. Monte Carlo method is statistical by nature, so that the reaction rates calculated will be accurate only to a certain known extent. The purpose of this work was to create a burnup routine that uses the capabilities of the Monte Carlo based MCNP code. It should be noted that burnup using Monte Carlo has been reported in the literatures, but this work is the result of an independent effort (authors).

  9. Whole core burnup calculations using 'MCNP'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haran, O.; Shaham, Y.

    1996-01-01

    Core parameters such as the reactivity, the power distribution and different reactivity coefficients calculated in simulations play an important role in the nuclear reactor handling. Operational safety margins are decided upon, based on the calculated parameters. Thus, the ability to accurately calculate those parameters is of uppermost importance. Such ability exists for fresh cores, using the Monte-Carlo method. The change in the core parameters that results from the core burnup is nowadays calculated within transport codes that simplifies the transport process by using approximations such as the diffusion approximation. The inaccuracy in the burned core parameters arising from the use of such approximations is hard to quantify, leading to an increased gap between the operational routines and the safety limits. A Monte Carlo transport code that caries out accurate static calculations in three dimensional geometries using continuous-energy neutron cross-section data such as the MCNP can be used to generate accurate reaction rates for burnup purposes. Monte Carlo method is statistical by nature, so that the reaction rates calculated will be accurate only to a certain known extent. The purpose of this work was to create a burnup routine that uses the capabilities of the Monte Carlo based MCNP code. It should be noted that burnup using Monte Carlo has been reported in the literatures, but this work is the result of an independent effort (authors)

  10. Criticality calculation in TRIGA MARK II PUSPATI Reactor using Monte Carlo code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rafhayudi Jamro; Redzuwan Yahaya; Abdul Aziz Mohamed; Eid Abdel-Munem; Megat Harun Al-Rashid; Julia Abdul Karim; Ikki Kurniawan; Hafizal Yazid; Azraf Azman; Shukri Mohd

    2008-01-01

    A Monte Carlo simulation of the Malaysian nuclear reactor has been performed using MCNP Version 5 code. The purpose of the work is the determination of the multiplication factor (k e ff) for the TRIGA Mark II research reactor in Malaysia based on Monte Carlo method. This work has been performed to calculate the value of k e ff for two cases, which are the control rod either fully withdrawn or fully inserted to construct a complete model of the TRIGA Mark II PUSPATI Reactor (RTP). The RTP core was modeled as close as possible to the real core and the results of k e ff from MCNP5 were obtained when the control fuel rods were fully inserted, the k e ff value indicates the RTP reactor was in the subcritical condition with a value of 0.98370±0.00054. When the control fuel rods were fully withdrawn the value of k e ff value indicates the RTP reactor is in the supercritical condition, that is 1.10773±0.00083. (Author)

  11. The OpenMC Monte Carlo particle transport code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Romano, Paul K.; Forget, Benoit

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► An open source Monte Carlo particle transport code, OpenMC, has been developed. ► Solid geometry and continuous-energy physics allow high-fidelity simulations. ► Development has focused on high performance and modern I/O techniques. ► OpenMC is capable of scaling up to hundreds of thousands of processors. ► Results on a variety of benchmark problems agree with MCNP5. -- Abstract: A new Monte Carlo code called OpenMC is currently under development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a tool for simulation on high-performance computing platforms. Given that many legacy codes do not scale well on existing and future parallel computer architectures, OpenMC has been developed from scratch with a focus on high performance scalable algorithms as well as modern software design practices. The present work describes the methods used in the OpenMC code and demonstrates the performance and accuracy of the code on a variety of problems.

  12. Potential MCNP enhancements for NCT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Estes, G.P.; Taylor, W.M.

    1992-01-01

    MCNP a Monte Carlo radiation transport code, is currently widely used in the medical community for a variety of purposes including treatment planning, diagnostics, beam design, tomographic studies, and radiation protection. This is particularly true in the Neutron Capture Therapy (NCT) community. The current widespread medical use of MCNP after its general public distribution in about 1980 attests to the code's general versatility and usefulness, particularly since its development to date has not been influenced by medical applications. This paper discusses enhancements to MCNP that could be implemented at Los Alamos for the benefit of the NCT community. These enhancements generally fall into two categories, namely those that have already been developed to some extent but are not yet publicly available, and those that seem both needed based on our current understanding of NCT goals, and achievable based on our working knowledge of the MCNP code. MCNP is a general, coupled neutron/photon/electron Monte Carlo code developed and maintained by the Radiation Transport Group at Los Alamos. It has been used extensively for radiation shielding studies, reactor analysis, detector design, physics experiment interpretation, oil and gas well logging, radiation protection studies, accelerator design, etc. over the years. MCNP is a three-dimensional geometry, continuous energy physics code capable of modeling complex geometries, specifying material regions such as organs by the intersections of analytical surfaces

  13. Monte Carlo technique applications in field of radiation dosimetry at ENEA radiation protection institute: A Review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gualdrini, G.F.; Casalini, L.; Morelli, B.

    1994-12-01

    The present report summarizes the activities concerned with numerical dosimetry as carried out at the Radiation Protection Institute of ENEA (Italian Agency for New Technologies, Energy and the Environment) on photon dosimetric quantities. The first part is concerned with MCNP Monte Carlo calculation of field parameters and operational quantities for the ICRU sphere with reference photon beams for the design of personal dosemeters. The second part is related with studies on the ADAM anthropomorphic phantom using the SABRINA and MCNP codes. The results of other Monte Carlo studies carried out on electron conversion factors for various tissue equivalent slab phantoms are about to be published in other ENEA reports. The report has been produced in the framework of the EURADOS WG4 (numerical dosimetry) activities within a collaboration between the ENEA Environmental Department and ENEA Energy Department

  14. MCNP and OMEGA criticality calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seifert, E.

    1998-04-01

    The reliability of OMEGA criticality calculations is shown by a comparison with calculations by the validated and widely used Monte Carlo code MCNP. The criticality of 16 assemblies with uranium as fissionable is calculated with the codes MCNP (Version 4A, ENDF/B-V cross sections), MCNP (Version 4B, ENDF/B-VI cross sections), and OMEGA. Identical calculation models are used for the three codes. The results are compared mutually and with the experimental criticality of the assemblies. (orig.)

  15. Comparison of MCB and MONTEBURNS Monte Carlo burnup codes on a one-pass deep burn

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Talamo, Alberto; Ji, Wei; Cetnar, Jerzy; Gudowski, Waclaw

    2006-01-01

    Numerical applications implemented on the Monte Carlo method have developed in line with the increase of computer power; nowadays, in the field of nuclear reactor physics, it is possible to perform burnup simulations in a detailed 3D geometry and a continuous energy description by the Monte Carlo method; moreover, the required computing time can be abundantly reduced by taking advantage of a computer cluster. In this paper we focused on comparing the results of the two major Monte Carlo burnup codes, MONTEBURNS and MCB, when they share the same MCNP geometry, nuclear data library, core thermal power, and they apply the same refueling and shuffling schedule. While simulating a total operation time of the Gas Turbine-Modular Helium Reactor of 2100 effective full power days and a one-pass deep burn in-core fuel management schedule, we have found that the two Monte Carlo codes produce very similar results both on the criticality value of the core and the transmutation of the key actinides

  16. Comparison of MCB and MONTEBURNS Monte Carlo burnup codes on a one-pass deep burn

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Talamo, Alberto [Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Roslagstullsbacken 21, Stockholm S-10691 (Sweden)]. E-mail: alby@anl.gov; Ji, Wei [University of Michigan, Bonisteel Boulevard 2355, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2104 (United States); Cetnar, Jerzy [AGH-University of Science and Technology, Al. Mickiewicza 30 Cracow (Poland); Gudowski, Waclaw [Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Roslagstullsbacken 21, Stockholm S-10691 (Sweden)

    2006-09-15

    Numerical applications implemented on the Monte Carlo method have developed in line with the increase of computer power; nowadays, in the field of nuclear reactor physics, it is possible to perform burnup simulations in a detailed 3D geometry and a continuous energy description by the Monte Carlo method; moreover, the required computing time can be abundantly reduced by taking advantage of a computer cluster. In this paper we focused on comparing the results of the two major Monte Carlo burnup codes, MONTEBURNS and MCB, when they share the same MCNP geometry, nuclear data library, core thermal power, and they apply the same refueling and shuffling schedule. While simulating a total operation time of the Gas Turbine-Modular Helium Reactor of 2100 effective full power days and a one-pass deep burn in-core fuel management schedule, we have found that the two Monte Carlo codes produce very similar results both on the criticality value of the core and the transmutation of the key actinides.

  17. Simulation of reactor noise analysis measurement for light-water critical assembly TCA using MCNP-DSP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamamoto, Toshihiro; Sakurai, Kiyoshi; Tonoike, Kotaro; Miyoshi, Yoshinori

    2001-01-01

    Reactor noise analysis methods using Monte Carlo technique have been proposed and developed in the field of nuclear criticality safety. The Monte Carlo simulation for noise analysis can be made by simulating physical phenomena in the course of neutron transport in a nuclear fuel as practically as possible. MCNP-DSP was developed by T. Valentine of ORNL for this purpose and it is a modified version of MCNP-4A. The authors applied this code to frequency analysis measurements performed in light-water critical assembly TCA. Prompt neutron generation times for critical and subcritical cores were measured by doing the frequency analysis of detector signals. The Monte Carlo simulations for these experiments were carried out using MCNP-DSP, and prompt neutron generation times were calculated. (author)

  18. Mesh-based weight window approach for Monte Carlo simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, L.; Gardner, R.P.

    1997-01-01

    The Monte Carlo method has been increasingly used to solve particle transport problems. Statistical fluctuation from random sampling is the major limiting factor of its application. To obtain the desired precision, variance reduction techniques are indispensable for most practical problems. Among various variance reduction techniques, the weight window method proves to be one of the most general, powerful, and robust. The method is implemented in the current MCNP code. An importance map is estimated during a regular Monte Carlo run, and then the map is used in the subsequent run for splitting and Russian roulette games. The major drawback of this weight window method is lack of user-friendliness. It normally requires that users divide the large geometric cells into smaller ones by introducing additional surfaces to ensure an acceptable spatial resolution of the importance map. In this paper, we present a new weight window approach to overcome this drawback

  19. Study of TXRF experimental system by Monte Carlo simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Costa, Ana Cristina M.; Leitao, Roberta G.; Lopes, Ricardo T.; Anjos, Marcelino J.; Conti, Claudio C.

    2011-01-01

    The Total-Reflection X-ray Fluorescence (TXRF) technique offers unique possibilities to study the concentrations of a wide range of trace elements in various types of samples. Besides that, the TXRF technique is widely used to study the trace elements in biological, medical and environmental samples due to its multielemental character as well as simplicity of sample preparation and quantification methods used. In general the TXRF experimental setup is not simple and might require substantial experimental efforts. On the other hand, in recent years, experimental TXRF portable systems have been developed. It has motivated us to develop our own TXRF portable system. In this work we presented a first step in order to optimize a TXRF experimental setup using Monte Carlo simulation by MCNP code. The results found show that the Monte Carlo simulation method can be used to investigate the development of a TXRF experimental system before its assembly. (author)

  20. Continuous energy Monte Carlo calculations for randomly distributed spherical fuels based on statistical geometry model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Murata, Isao [Osaka Univ., Suita (Japan); Mori, Takamasa; Nakagawa, Masayuki; Itakura, Hirofumi

    1996-03-01

    The method to calculate neutronics parameters of a core composed of randomly distributed spherical fuels has been developed based on a statistical geometry model with a continuous energy Monte Carlo method. This method was implemented in a general purpose Monte Carlo code MCNP, and a new code MCNP-CFP had been developed. This paper describes the model and method how to use it and the validation results. In the Monte Carlo calculation, the location of a spherical fuel is sampled probabilistically along the particle flight path from the spatial probability distribution of spherical fuels, called nearest neighbor distribution (NND). This sampling method was validated through the following two comparisons: (1) Calculations of inventory of coated fuel particles (CFPs) in a fuel compact by both track length estimator and direct evaluation method, and (2) Criticality calculations for ordered packed geometries. This method was also confined by applying to an analysis of the critical assembly experiment at VHTRC. The method established in the present study is quite unique so as to a probabilistic model of the geometry with a great number of spherical fuels distributed randomly. Realizing the speed-up by vector or parallel computations in future, it is expected to be widely used in calculation of a nuclear reactor core, especially HTGR cores. (author).

  1. Reactor condition monitoring and singularity detection via wavelet and use of entropy in Monte Carlo calculation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Ok Joo

    2007-02-01

    Wavelet theory was applied to detect the singularity in reactor power signal. Compared to Fourier transform, wavelet transform has localization properties in space and frequency. Therefore, by wavelet transform after de-noising, singular points can be found easily. To demonstrate this, we generated reactor power signals using a HANARO (a Korean multi-purpose research reactor) dynamics model consisting of 39 nonlinear differential equations and Gaussian noise. We applied wavelet transform decomposition and de-noising procedures to these signals. It was effective to detect the singular events such as sudden reactivity change and abrupt intrinsic property changes. Thus this method could be profitably utilized in a real-time system for automatic event recognition (e.g., reactor condition monitoring). In addition, using the wavelet de-noising concept, variance reduction of Monte Carlo result was tried. To get correct solution in Monte Carlo calculation, small uncertainty is required and it is quite time-consuming on a computer. Instead of long-time calculation in the Monte Carlo code (MCNP), wavelet de-noising can be performed to get small uncertainties. We applied this idea to MCNP results of k eff and fission source. Variance was reduced somewhat while the average value is kept constant. In MCNP criticality calculation, initial guess for the fission distribution is used and it could give contamination to solution. To avoid this situation, sufficient number of initial generations should be discarded, and they are called inactive cycles. Convergence check can give guildeline to determine when we should start the active cycles. Various entropy functions are tried to check the convergence of fission distribution. Some entropy functions reflect the convergence behavior of fission distribution well. Entropy could be a powerful method to determine inactive/active cycles in MCNP calculation

  2. Monte Carlo methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bardenet Rémi

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Bayesian inference often requires integrating some function with respect to a posterior distribution. Monte Carlo methods are sampling algorithms that allow to compute these integrals numerically when they are not analytically tractable. We review here the basic principles and the most common Monte Carlo algorithms, among which rejection sampling, importance sampling and Monte Carlo Markov chain (MCMC methods. We give intuition on the theoretical justification of the algorithms as well as practical advice, trying to relate both. We discuss the application of Monte Carlo in experimental physics, and point to landmarks in the literature for the curious reader.

  3. Semi-Analytical Benchmarks for MCNP6

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grechanuk, Pavel Aleksandrovi [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2016-11-07

    Code verification is an extremely important process that involves proving or disproving the validity of code algorithms by comparing them against analytical results of the underlying physics or mathematical theory on which the code is based. Monte Carlo codes such as MCNP6 must undergo verification and testing upon every release to ensure that the codes are properly simulating nature. Specifically, MCNP6 has multiple sets of problems with known analytic solutions that are used for code verification. Monte Carlo codes primarily specify either current boundary sources or a volumetric fixed source, either of which can be very complicated functions of space, energy, direction and time. Thus, most of the challenges with modeling analytic benchmark problems in Monte Carlo codes come from identifying the correct source definition to properly simulate the correct boundary conditions. The problems included in this suite all deal with mono-energetic neutron transport without energy loss, in a homogeneous material. The variables that differ between the problems are source type (isotropic/beam), medium dimensionality (infinite/semi-infinite), etc.

  4. Efficient Geometry and Data Handling for Large-Scale Monte Carlo - Thermal-Hydraulics Coupling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoogenboom, J. Eduard

    2014-06-01

    Detailed coupling of thermal-hydraulics calculations to Monte Carlo reactor criticality calculations requires each axial layer of each fuel pin to be defined separately in the input to the Monte Carlo code in order to assign to each volume the temperature according to the result of the TH calculation, and if the volume contains coolant, also the density of the coolant. This leads to huge input files for even small systems. In this paper a methodology for dynamical assignment of temperatures with respect to cross section data is demonstrated to overcome this problem. The method is implemented in MCNP5. The method is verified for an infinite lattice with 3x3 BWR-type fuel pins with fuel, cladding and moderator/coolant explicitly modeled. For each pin 60 axial zones are considered with different temperatures and coolant densities. The results of the axial power distribution per fuel pin are compared to a standard MCNP5 run in which all 9x60 cells for fuel, cladding and coolant are explicitly defined and their respective temperatures determined from the TH calculation. Full agreement is obtained. For large-scale application the method is demonstrated for an infinite lattice with 17x17 PWR-type fuel assemblies with 25 rods replaced by guide tubes. Again all geometrical detailed is retained. The method was used in a procedure for coupled Monte Carlo and thermal-hydraulics iterations. Using an optimised iteration technique, convergence was obtained in 11 iteration steps.

  5. A practical look at Monte Carlo variance reduction methods in radiation shielding

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Olsher, Richard H. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos (United States)

    2006-04-15

    With the advent of inexpensive computing power over the past two decades, applications of Monte Carlo radiation transport techniques have proliferated dramatically. At Los Alamos, the Monte Carlo codes MCNP5 and MCNPX are used routinely on personal computer platforms for radiation shielding analysis and dosimetry calculations. These codes feature a rich palette of Variance Reduction (VR) techniques. The motivation of VR is to exchange user efficiency for computational efficiency. It has been said that a few hours of user time often reduces computational time by several orders of magnitude. Unfortunately, user time can stretch into the many hours as most VR techniques require significant user experience and intervention for proper optimization. It is the purpose of this paper to outline VR strategies, tested in practice, optimized for several common radiation shielding tasks, with the hope of reducing user setup time for similar problems. A strategy is defined in this context to mean a collection of MCNP radiation transport physics options and VR techniques that work synergistically to optimize a particular shielding task. Examples are offered the areas of source definition, skyshine, streaming, and transmission.

  6. A practical look at Monte Carlo variance reduction methods in radiation shielding

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Olsher, Richard H.

    2006-01-01

    With the advent of inexpensive computing power over the past two decades, applications of Monte Carlo radiation transport techniques have proliferated dramatically. At Los Alamos, the Monte Carlo codes MCNP5 and MCNPX are used routinely on personal computer platforms for radiation shielding analysis and dosimetry calculations. These codes feature a rich palette of Variance Reduction (VR) techniques. The motivation of VR is to exchange user efficiency for computational efficiency. It has been said that a few hours of user time often reduces computational time by several orders of magnitude. Unfortunately, user time can stretch into the many hours as most VR techniques require significant user experience and intervention for proper optimization. It is the purpose of this paper to outline VR strategies, tested in practice, optimized for several common radiation shielding tasks, with the hope of reducing user setup time for similar problems. A strategy is defined in this context to mean a collection of MCNP radiation transport physics options and VR techniques that work synergistically to optimize a particular shielding task. Examples are offered the areas of source definition, skyshine, streaming, and transmission

  7. Comparison of penumbra regions produced by ancient Gamma knife model C and Gamma ART 6000 using Monte Carlo MCNP6 simulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banaee, Nooshin; Asgari, Sepideh; Nedaie, Hassan Ali

    2018-07-01

    The accuracy of penumbral measurements in radiotherapy is pivotal because dose planning computers require accurate data to adequately modeling the beams, which in turn are used to calculate patient dose distributions. Gamma knife is a non-invasive intracranial technique based on principles of the Leksell stereotactic system for open deep brain surgeries, invented and developed by Professor Lars Leksell. The aim of this study is to compare the penumbra widths of Leksell Gamma Knife model C and Gamma ART 6000. Initially, the structure of both systems were simulated by using Monte Carlo MCNP6 code and after validating the accuracy of simulation, beam profiles of different collimators were plotted. MCNP6 beam profile calculations showed that the penumbra values of Leksell Gamma knife model C and Gamma ART 6000 for 18, 14, 8 and 4 mm collimators are 9.7, 7.9, 4.3, 2.6 and 8.2, 6.9, 3.6, 2.4, respectively. The results of this study showed that since Gamma ART 6000 has larger solid angle in comparison with Gamma Knife model C, it produces better beam profile penumbras than Gamma Knife model C in the direct plane. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. On Monte Carlo estimation of radiation damage in light water reactor systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Read, Edward A.; Oliveira, Cassiano R.E. de

    2010-01-01

    There has been a growing need in recent years for the development of methodologies to calculate damage factors, namely displacements per atom (dpa), of structural components for Light Water Reactors (LWRs). The aim of this paper is discuss and highlight the main issues associated with the calculation of radiation damage factors utilizing the Monte Carlo method. Among these issues are: particle tracking and tallying in complex geometries, dpa calculation methodology, coupled fuel depletion and uncertainty propagation. The capabilities of the Monte Carlo code Serpent such as Woodcock tracking and burnup are assessed for radiation damage calculations and its capability demonstrated and compared to those of the MCNP code for dpa calculations of a typical LWR configuration involving the core vessel and the downcomer. (author)

  9. Randomly dispersed particle fuel model in the PSG Monte Carlo neutron transport code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leppaenen, J.

    2007-01-01

    High-temperature gas-cooled reactor fuels are composed of thousands of microscopic fuel particles, randomly dispersed in a graphite matrix. The modelling of such geometry is complicated, especially using continuous-energy Monte Carlo codes, which are unable to apply any deterministic corrections in the calculation. This paper presents the geometry routine developed for modelling randomly dispersed particle fuels using the PSG Monte Carlo reactor physics code. The model is based on the delta-tracking method, and it takes into account the spatial self-shielding effects and the random dispersion of the fuel particles. The calculation routine is validated by comparing the results to reference MCNP4C calculations using uranium and plutonium based fuels. (authors)

  10. Comparisons between MCNP, EGS4 and experiment for clinical electron beams.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeraj, R; Keall, P J; Ostwald, P M

    1999-03-01

    Understanding the limitations of Monte Carlo codes is essential in order to avoid systematic errors in simulations, and to suggest further improvement of the codes. MCNP and EGS4, Monte Carlo codes commonly used in medical physics, were compared and evaluated against electron depth dose data and experimental backscatter results obtained using clinical radiotherapy beams. Different physical models and algorithms used in the codes give significantly different depth dose curves and electron backscattering factors. The default version of MCNP calculates electron depth dose curves which are too penetrating. The MCNP results agree better with experiment if the ITS-style energy-indexing algorithm is used. EGS4 underpredicts electron backscattering for high-Z materials. The results slightly improve if optimal PRESTA-I parameters are used. MCNP simulates backscattering well even for high-Z materials. To conclude the comparison, a timing study was performed. EGS4 is generally faster than MCNP and use of a large number of scoring voxels dramatically slows down the MCNP calculation. However, use of a large number of geometry voxels in MCNP only slightly affects the speed of the calculation.

  11. Monte Carlo simulations on a 9-node PC cluster

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gouriou, J.

    2001-01-01

    Monte Carlo simulation methods are frequently used in the fields of medical physics, dosimetry and metrology of ionising radiation. Nevertheless, the main drawback of this technique is to be computationally slow, because the statistical uncertainty of the result improves only as the square root of the computational time. We present a method, which allows to reduce by a factor 10 to 20 the used effective running time. In practice, the aim was to reduce the calculation time in the LNHB metrological applications from several weeks to a few days. This approach includes the use of a PC-cluster, under Linux operating system and PVM parallel library (version 3.4). The Monte Carlo codes EGS4, MCNP and PENELOPE have been implemented on this platform and for the two last ones adapted for running under the PVM environment. The maximum observed speedup is ranging from a factor 13 to 18 according to the codes and the problems to be simulated. (orig.)

  12. Validation suite for MCNP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mosteller, Russell D.

    2002-01-01

    Two validation suites, one for criticality and another for radiation shielding, have been defined and tested for the MCNP Monte Carlo code. All of the cases in the validation suites are based on experiments so that calculated and measured results can be compared in a meaningful way. The cases in the validation suites are described, and results from those cases are discussed. For several years, the distribution package for the MCNP Monte Carlo code1 has included an installation test suite to verify that MCNP has been installed correctly. However, the cases in that suite have been constructed primarily to test options within the code and to execute quickly. Consequently, they do not produce well-converged answers, and many of them are physically unrealistic. To remedy these deficiencies, sets of validation suites are being defined and tested for specific types of applications. All of the cases in the validation suites are based on benchmark experiments. Consequently, the results from the measurements are reliable and quantifiable, and calculated results can be compared with them in a meaningful way. Currently, validation suites exist for criticality and radiation-shielding applications.

  13. Monte Carlo modelling of TRIGA research reactor

    Science.gov (United States)

    El Bakkari, B.; Nacir, B.; El Bardouni, T.; El Younoussi, C.; Merroun, O.; Htet, A.; Boulaich, Y.; Zoubair, M.; Boukhal, H.; Chakir, M.

    2010-10-01

    The Moroccan 2 MW TRIGA MARK II research reactor at Centre des Etudes Nucléaires de la Maâmora (CENM) achieved initial criticality on May 2, 2007. The reactor is designed to effectively implement the various fields of basic nuclear research, manpower training, and production of radioisotopes for their use in agriculture, industry, and medicine. This study deals with the neutronic analysis of the 2-MW TRIGA MARK II research reactor at CENM and validation of the results by comparisons with the experimental, operational, and available final safety analysis report (FSAR) values. The study was prepared in collaboration between the Laboratory of Radiation and Nuclear Systems (ERSN-LMR) from Faculty of Sciences of Tetuan (Morocco) and CENM. The 3-D continuous energy Monte Carlo code MCNP (version 5) was used to develop a versatile and accurate full model of the TRIGA core. The model represents in detailed all components of the core with literally no physical approximation. Continuous energy cross-section data from the more recent nuclear data evaluations (ENDF/B-VI.8, ENDF/B-VII.0, JEFF-3.1, and JENDL-3.3) as well as S( α, β) thermal neutron scattering functions distributed with the MCNP code were used. The cross-section libraries were generated by using the NJOY99 system updated to its more recent patch file "up259". The consistency and accuracy of both the Monte Carlo simulation and neutron transport physics were established by benchmarking the TRIGA experiments. Core excess reactivity, total and integral control rods worth as well as power peaking factors were used in the validation process. Results of calculations are analysed and discussed.

  14. Monte Carlo modelling of the Belgian materials testing reactor BR2: present status

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Verboomen, B.; Aoust, Th.; Raedt, Ch. de; Beeckmans de West-Meerbeeck, A.

    2001-01-01

    A very detailed 3-D MCNP-4B model of the BR2 reactor was developed to perform all neutron and gamma calculations needed for the design of new experimental irradiation rigs. The Monte Carlo model of BR2 includes the nearly exact geometrical representation of fuel elements (now with their axially varying burn-up), of partially inserted control and regulating rods, of experimental devices and of radioisotope production rigs. The multiple level-geometry possibilities of MCNP-4B are fully exploited to obtain sufficiently flexible tools to cope with the very changing core loading. (orig.)

  15. Comparison and physical interpretation of MCNP and TART neutron and γ Monte Carlo shielding calculations for a heavy-ion ICF system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mainardi, E.; Premuda, F.; Lee, E.

    2004-01-01

    Livermore National Laboratory, UCRL-ID-126455, Rev. 1, November, 1997] and MCNP4B [MCNP - A General Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code, Version 4B, La-12625-m, March 1997, Los Alamos National Laboratory] for two different configurations of the system is discussed, separating the n and γ contributions, in the light of the physical interpretation of the results in terms of first flight and of scattered neutron fluxes, of primary γ and of secondary γ generated by inelastically scattered or radiatively captured neutrons. The final conclusions indicate some guidelines and suggest possible improvements for the future neutronic shielding design for a HIF facility

  16. Development of three-dimensional program based on Monte Carlo and discrete ordinates bidirectional coupling method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han Jingru; Chen Yixue; Yuan Longjun

    2013-01-01

    The Monte Carlo (MC) and discrete ordinates (SN) are the commonly used methods in the design of radiation shielding. Monte Carlo method is able to treat the geometry exactly, but time-consuming in dealing with the deep penetration problem. The discrete ordinate method has great computational efficiency, but it is quite costly in computer memory and it suffers from ray effect. Single discrete ordinates method or single Monte Carlo method has limitation in shielding calculation for large complex nuclear facilities. In order to solve the problem, the Monte Carlo and discrete ordinates bidirectional coupling method is developed. The bidirectional coupling method is implemented in the interface program to transfer the particle probability distribution of MC and angular flux of discrete ordinates. The coupling method combines the advantages of MC and SN. The test problems of cartesian and cylindrical coordinate have been calculated by the coupling methods. The calculation results are performed with comparison to MCNP and TORT and satisfactory agreements are obtained. The correctness of the program is proved. (authors)

  17. Monte Carlo determination of the conversion coefficients Hp(3)/Ka in a right cylinder phantom with 'PENELOPE' code. Comparison with 'MCNP' simulations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daures, J; Gouriou, J; Bordy, J M

    2011-03-01

    This work has been performed within the frame of the European Union ORAMED project (Optimisation of RAdiation protection for MEDical staff). The main goal of the project is to improve standards of protection for medical staff for procedures resulting in potentially high exposures and to develop methodologies for better assessing and for reducing, exposures to medical staff. The Work Package WP2 is involved in the development of practical eye-lens dosimetry in interventional radiology. This study is complementary of the part of the ENEA report concerning the calculations with the MCNP-4C code of the conversion factors related to the operational quantity H(p)(3). In this study, a set of energy- and angular-dependent conversion coefficients (H(p)(3)/K(a)), in the newly proposed square cylindrical phantom made of ICRU tissue, have been calculated with the Monte-Carlo code PENELOPE and MCNP5. The H(p)(3) values have been determined in terms of absorbed dose, according to the definition of this quantity, and also with the kerma approximation as formerly reported in ICRU reports. At a low-photon energy (up to 1 MeV), the two results obtained with the two methods are consistent. Nevertheless, large differences are showed at a higher energy. This is mainly due to the lack of electronic equilibrium, especially for small angle incidences. The values of the conversion coefficients obtained with the MCNP-4C code published by ENEA quite agree with the kerma approximation calculations obtained with PENELOPE. We also performed the same calculations with the code MCNP5 with two types of tallies: F6 for kerma approximation and *F8 for estimating the absorbed dose that is, as known, due to secondary electrons. PENELOPE and MCNP5 results agree for the kerma approximation and for the absorbed dose calculation of H(p)(3) and prove that, for photon energies larger than 1 MeV, the transport of the secondary electrons has to be taken into account.

  18. Comparative assessment of different approaches for the use of CAD geometry in Monte Carlo transport calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weinhorst, Bastian; Fischer, Ulrich; Lu, Lei; Qiu, Yuefeng; Wilson, Paul

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Comparison of different approaches for the use of CAD geometry for Monte Carlo transport calculations. • Comparison with regard to user-friendliness and computation performance. • Three approaches, namely conversion with McCad, unstructured mesh feature of MCN6 and DAGMC. • Installation most complex for DAGMC, model preparation worst for McCad, computation performance worst for MCNP6. • Installation easiest for McCad, model preparation best for MCNP6, computation speed fastest for McCad. - Abstract: Computer aided design (CAD) is an important industrial way to produce high quality designs. Therefore, CAD geometries are in general used for engineering and the design of complex facilities like the ITER tokamak. Although Monte Carlo codes like MCNP are well suited to handle the complex 3D geometry of ITER for transport calculations, they rely on their own geometry description and are in general not able to directly use the CAD geometry. In this paper, three different approaches for the use of CAD geometries with MCNP calculations are investigated and assessed with regard to calculation performance and user-friendliness. The first method is the conversion of the CAD geometry into MCNP geometry employing the conversion software McCad developed by KIT. The second approach utilizes the MCNP6 mesh geometry feature for the particle tracking and relies on the conversion of the CAD geometry into a mesh model. The third method employs DAGMC, developed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, for the direct particle tracking on the CAD geometry using a patched version of MCNP. The obtained results show that each method has its advantages depending on the complexity and size of the model, the calculation problem considered, and the expertise of the user.

  19. Comparative assessment of different approaches for the use of CAD geometry in Monte Carlo transport calculations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weinhorst, Bastian, E-mail: bastian.weinhorst@kit.edu [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Neutron Physics and Reactor Technology, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Fischer, Ulrich; Lu, Lei; Qiu, Yuefeng [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Neutron Physics and Reactor Technology, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Wilson, Paul [University of Wisconsin-Madison, Computational Nuclear Engineering Research Group, Madison, WI (United States)

    2015-10-15

    Highlights: • Comparison of different approaches for the use of CAD geometry for Monte Carlo transport calculations. • Comparison with regard to user-friendliness and computation performance. • Three approaches, namely conversion with McCad, unstructured mesh feature of MCN6 and DAGMC. • Installation most complex for DAGMC, model preparation worst for McCad, computation performance worst for MCNP6. • Installation easiest for McCad, model preparation best for MCNP6, computation speed fastest for McCad. - Abstract: Computer aided design (CAD) is an important industrial way to produce high quality designs. Therefore, CAD geometries are in general used for engineering and the design of complex facilities like the ITER tokamak. Although Monte Carlo codes like MCNP are well suited to handle the complex 3D geometry of ITER for transport calculations, they rely on their own geometry description and are in general not able to directly use the CAD geometry. In this paper, three different approaches for the use of CAD geometries with MCNP calculations are investigated and assessed with regard to calculation performance and user-friendliness. The first method is the conversion of the CAD geometry into MCNP geometry employing the conversion software McCad developed by KIT. The second approach utilizes the MCNP6 mesh geometry feature for the particle tracking and relies on the conversion of the CAD geometry into a mesh model. The third method employs DAGMC, developed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, for the direct particle tracking on the CAD geometry using a patched version of MCNP. The obtained results show that each method has its advantages depending on the complexity and size of the model, the calculation problem considered, and the expertise of the user.

  20. Gamma irradiator dose mapping: a Monte Carlo simulation and experimental measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodrigues, Rogerio R.; Ribeiro, Mariana A.; Grynberg, Suely E.; Ferreira, Andrea V.; Meira-Belo, Luiz Claudio; Sousa, Romulo V.; Sebastiao, Rita de C.O.

    2009-01-01

    Gamma irradiator facilities can be used in a wide range of applications such as biological and chemical researches, food treatment and sterilization of medical devices and products. Dose mapping must be performed in these equipment in order to establish plant operational parameters, as dose uniformity, source utilization efficiency and maximum and minimum dose positions. The isodoses curves are generally measured using dosimeters distributed throughout the device, and this procedure often consume a large amount of dosimeters, irradiation time and manpower. However, a detailed curve doses identification of the irradiation facility can be performed using Monte Carlo simulation, which reduces significantly the monitoring with dosimeters. The present work evaluates the absorbed dose in the CDTN/CNEN Gammacell Irradiation Facility, using the Monte Carlo N-particles (MCNP) code. The Gammacell 220, serial number 39, was produced by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited and was loaded with sources of 60 Co. Dose measurements using TLD and Fricke dosimeters were also performed to validate the calculations. The good agreement of the results shows that Monte Carlo simulations can be used as a predictive tool of irradiation planning for the CDTN/CNEN Gamma Cell Irradiator. (author)

  1. Reliable method for fission source convergence of Monte Carlo criticality calculation with Wielandt's method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamamoto, Toshihiro; Miyoshi, Yoshinori

    2004-01-01

    A new algorithm of Monte Carlo criticality calculations for implementing Wielandt's method, which is one of acceleration techniques for deterministic source iteration methods, is developed, and the algorithm can be successfully implemented into MCNP code. In this algorithm, part of fission neutrons emitted during random walk processes are tracked within the current cycle, and thus a fission source distribution used in the next cycle spread more widely. Applying this method intensifies a neutron interaction effect even in a loosely-coupled array where conventional Monte Carlo criticality methods have difficulties, and a converged fission source distribution can be obtained with fewer cycles. Computing time spent for one cycle, however, increases because of tracking fission neutrons within the current cycle, which eventually results in an increase of total computing time up to convergence. In addition, statistical fluctuations of a fission source distribution in a cycle are worsened by applying Wielandt's method to Monte Carlo criticality calculations. However, since a fission source convergence is attained with fewer source iterations, a reliable determination of convergence can easily be made even in a system with a slow convergence. This acceleration method is expected to contribute to prevention of incorrect Monte Carlo criticality calculations. (author)

  2. MCNP-DSP users manual

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valentine, T.E.

    1997-01-01

    The Monte Carlo code MCNP-DSP was developed from the Los Alamos MCNP4a code to calculate the time and frequency response statistics obtained from the 252 Cf-source-driven frequency analysis measurements. This code can be used to validate calculational methods and cross section data sets from subcritical experiments. This code provides a more general model for interpretation and planning of experiments for nuclear criticality safety, nuclear safeguards, and nuclear weapons identification and replaces the use of point kinetics models for interpreting the measurements. The use of MCNP-DSP extends the usefulness of this measurement method to systems with much lower neutron multiplication factors

  3. Three-dimensional coupled Monte Carlo-discrete ordinates computational scheme for shielding calculations of large and complex nuclear facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Y.; Fischer, U.

    2005-01-01

    Shielding calculations of advanced nuclear facilities such as accelerator based neutron sources or fusion devices of the tokamak type are complicated due to their complex geometries and their large dimensions, including bulk shields of several meters thickness. While the complexity of the geometry in the shielding calculation can be hardly handled by the discrete ordinates method, the deep penetration of radiation through bulk shields is a severe challenge for the Monte Carlo particle transport technique. This work proposes a dedicated computational scheme for coupled Monte Carlo-Discrete Ordinates transport calculations to handle this kind of shielding problems. The Monte Carlo technique is used to simulate the particle generation and transport in the target region with both complex geometry and reaction physics, and the discrete ordinates method is used to treat the deep penetration problem in the bulk shield. The coupling scheme has been implemented in a program system by loosely integrating the Monte Carlo transport code MCNP, the three-dimensional discrete ordinates code TORT and a newly developed coupling interface program for mapping process. Test calculations were performed with comparison to MCNP solutions. Satisfactory agreements were obtained between these two approaches. The program system has been chosen to treat the complicated shielding problem of the accelerator-based IFMIF neutron source. The successful application demonstrates that coupling scheme with the program system is a useful computational tool for the shielding analysis of complex and large nuclear facilities. (authors)

  4. Monte Carlo simulations of a D-T neutron generator shielding for landmine detection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reda, A.M.

    2011-01-01

    Shielding for a D-T sealed neutron generator has been designed using the MCNP5 Monte Carlo radiation transport code. The neutron generator will be used in field for the detection of explosives, landmines, drugs and other 'threat' materials. The optimization of the detection of buried objects was started by studying the signal-to-noise ratio for different geometric conditions. - Highlights: → A landmine detection system based on neutron fast/slow analysis has been designed. → Shielding for a D-T sealed neutron generator tube has been designed using Monte Carlo radiation transport code. → Detection of buried objects was started by studying the signal-to-noise ratio for different geometric conditions. → The signal-to-background ratio optimized at one position for all depths.

  5. Computation cluster for Monte Carlo calculations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Petriska, M.; Vitazek, K.; Farkas, G.; Stacho, M.; Michalek, S. [Dep. Of Nuclear Physics and Technology, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information, Technology, Slovak Technical University, Ilkovicova 3, 81219 Bratislava (Slovakia)

    2010-07-01

    Two computation clusters based on Rocks Clusters 5.1 Linux distribution with Intel Core Duo and Intel Core Quad based computers were made at the Department of the Nuclear Physics and Technology. Clusters were used for Monte Carlo calculations, specifically for MCNP calculations applied in Nuclear reactor core simulations. Optimization for computation speed was made on hardware and software basis. Hardware cluster parameters, such as size of the memory, network speed, CPU speed, number of processors per computation, number of processors in one computer were tested for shortening the calculation time. For software optimization, different Fortran compilers, MPI implementations and CPU multi-core libraries were tested. Finally computer cluster was used in finding the weighting functions of neutron ex-core detectors of VVER-440. (authors)

  6. Computation cluster for Monte Carlo calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Petriska, M.; Vitazek, K.; Farkas, G.; Stacho, M.; Michalek, S.

    2010-01-01

    Two computation clusters based on Rocks Clusters 5.1 Linux distribution with Intel Core Duo and Intel Core Quad based computers were made at the Department of the Nuclear Physics and Technology. Clusters were used for Monte Carlo calculations, specifically for MCNP calculations applied in Nuclear reactor core simulations. Optimization for computation speed was made on hardware and software basis. Hardware cluster parameters, such as size of the memory, network speed, CPU speed, number of processors per computation, number of processors in one computer were tested for shortening the calculation time. For software optimization, different Fortran compilers, MPI implementations and CPU multi-core libraries were tested. Finally computer cluster was used in finding the weighting functions of neutron ex-core detectors of VVER-440. (authors)

  7. Neutron-induced photon production in MCNP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Little, R.C.; Seamon, R.E.

    1983-01-01

    An improved method of neutron-induced photon production has been incorporated into the Monte Carlo transport code MCNP. The new method makes use of all partial photon-production reaction data provided by ENDF/B evaluators including photon-production cross sections as well as energy and angular distributions of secondary photons. This faithful utilization of sophisticated ENDF/B evaluations allows more precise MCNP calculations for several classes of coupled neutron-photon problems

  8. MCNP application for the 21 century

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McKinney, G.W.

    2000-01-01

    The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Monte Carlo N-Particle radiation transport code, MCNP, has become an international standard for a wide spectrum of neutron, photon, and electron radiation transport applications. The latest version of the code, MCNP 4C, was released to the Radiation Safety Information Computational Center (RSICC) in February 2000. This paper describes the code development philosophy, new features and capabilities, applicability to various problems, and future directions

  9. Feasibility of a Monte Carlo-deterministic hybrid method for fast reactor analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heo, W.; Kim, W.; Kim, Y. [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology - KAIST, 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-701 (Korea, Republic of); Yun, S. [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute - KAERI, 989-111 Daedeok-daero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-353 (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-07-01

    A Monte Carlo and deterministic hybrid method is investigated for the analysis of fast reactors in this paper. Effective multi-group cross sections data are generated using a collision estimator in the MCNP5. A high order Legendre scattering cross section data generation module was added into the MCNP5 code. Both cross section data generated from MCNP5 and TRANSX/TWODANT using the homogeneous core model were compared, and were applied to DIF3D code for fast reactor core analysis of a 300 MWe SFR TRU burner core. For this analysis, 9 groups macroscopic-wise data was used. In this paper, a hybrid calculation MCNP5/DIF3D was used to analyze the core model. The cross section data was generated using MCNP5. The k{sub eff} and core power distribution were calculated using the 54 triangle FDM code DIF3D. A whole core calculation of the heterogeneous core model using the MCNP5 was selected as a reference. In terms of the k{sub eff}, 9-group MCNP5/DIF3D has a discrepancy of -154 pcm from the reference solution, 9-group TRANSX/TWODANT/DIF3D analysis gives -1070 pcm discrepancy. (authors)

  10. Verification of Monte Carlo calculations of the neutron flux in the carousel channels of the TRIGA Mark II reactor, Ljubljana

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jacimovic, R.; Maucec, M.; Trkov, A.

    2002-01-01

    In this work experimental verification of Monte Carlo neutron flux calculations in the carousel facility (CF) of the 250 kW TRIGA Mark II reactor at the Jozef Stefan Institute is presented. Simulations were carried out using the Monte Carlo radiation-transport code, MCNP4B. The objective of the work was to model and verify experimentally the azimuthal variation of neutron flux in the CF for core No. 176, set up in April 2002. '1'9'8Au activities of Al-Au(0.1%) disks irradiated in 11 channels of the CF covering 180'0 around the perimeter of the core were measured. The comparison between MCNP calculation and measurement shows relatively good agreement and demonstrates the overall accuracy with which the detailed spectral characteristics can be predicted by calculations.(author)

  11. Acceleration of the MCNP branch of the OCTOPUS depletion code system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pijlgroms, B.J.; Hogenbirk, A.; Oppe, J. [Section Nuclear and Reactor Physics, ECN Nuclear Research, Petten (Netherlands)

    1998-09-01

    OCTOPUS depletion calculations using the 3D Monte Carlo spectrum code MCNP (Monte Carlo Code for Neutron and Photon Transport) require much computing time. In a former implementation, the time required by OCTOPUS to perform multi-zone calculations, increased roughly proportional to the number of burnable zones. By using a different method the situation has improved considerably. In the new implementation described here, the dependence of the computing time on the number of zones has been moved from the MCNP code to a faster postprocessing code. By this, the overall computing time will reduce substantially. 11 refs.

  12. Acceleration of the MCNP branch of the OCTOPUS depletion code system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pijlgroms, B.J.; Hogenbirk, A.; Oppe, J.

    1998-09-01

    OCTOPUS depletion calculations using the 3D Monte Carlo spectrum code MCNP (Monte Carlo Code for Neutron and Photon Transport) require much computing time. In a former implementation, the time required by OCTOPUS to perform multi-zone calculations, increased roughly proportional to the number of burnable zones. By using a different method the situation has improved considerably. In the new implementation described here, the dependence of the computing time on the number of zones has been moved from the MCNP code to a faster postprocessing code. By this, the overall computing time will reduce substantially. 11 refs

  13. New Monte Carlo results for the TFTR/Lithium Blanket Module system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Engholm, B.A.

    1985-01-01

    Neutronics analysis results from Phase II of the TFTR Lithium Blanket Module (LBM) program are reported. Principal activities were analyses of new coverplate and protective plate designs; updating of the MCNP Monte Carlo model of TFTR/LBM; and performing new reference calculations for D-D and D-T plasmas. The new protective plate was found to reduce LBM responses by 20%. Updating the model included a new tally structure in which the LBM is divided into 92 volume elements corresponding to foil locations. A new version of the MCNP surface-source routine was used, along with the latest pointwise cross sections. All flux, tritium and foil responses are stored at NMFECC and are available for comparison with measurements, when the experimental program gets underway

  14. Comparisons between MCNP, EGS4 and experiment for clinical electron beams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeraj, R.; Keall, P.J.; Ostwald, P.M.

    1999-01-01

    Understanding the limitations of Monte Carlo codes is essential in order to avoid systematic errors in simulations, and to suggest further improvement of the codes. MCNP and EGS4, Monte Carlo codes commonly used in medical physics, were compared and evaluated against electron depth dose data and experimental backscatter results obtained using clinical radiotherapy beams. Different physical models and algorithms used in the codes give significantly different depth dose curves and electron backscattering factors. The default version of MCNP calculates electron depth dose curves which are too penetrating. The MCNP results agree better with experiment if the ITS-style energy-indexing algorithm is used. EGS4 underpredicts electron backscattering for high- Z materials. The results slightly improve if optimal PRESTA-I parameters are used. MCNP simulates backscattering well even for high- Z materials. To conclude the comparison, a timing study was performed. EGS4 is generally faster than MCNP and use of a large number of scoring voxels dramatically slows down the MCNP calculation. However, use of a large number of geometry voxels in MCNP only slightly affects the speed of the calculation. (author)

  15. Exploring Monte Carlo methods

    CERN Document Server

    Dunn, William L

    2012-01-01

    Exploring Monte Carlo Methods is a basic text that describes the numerical methods that have come to be known as "Monte Carlo." The book treats the subject generically through the first eight chapters and, thus, should be of use to anyone who wants to learn to use Monte Carlo. The next two chapters focus on applications in nuclear engineering, which are illustrative of uses in other fields. Five appendices are included, which provide useful information on probability distributions, general-purpose Monte Carlo codes for radiation transport, and other matters. The famous "Buffon's needle proble

  16. Specialized Monte Carlo codes versus general-purpose Monte Carlo codes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moskvin, Vadim; DesRosiers, Colleen; Papiez, Lech; Lu, Xiaoyi

    2002-01-01

    The possibilities of Monte Carlo modeling for dose calculations and optimization treatment are quite limited in radiation oncology applications. The main reason is that the Monte Carlo technique for dose calculations is time consuming while treatment planning may require hundreds of possible cases of dose simulations to be evaluated for dose optimization. The second reason is that general-purpose codes widely used in practice, require an experienced user to customize them for calculations. This paper discusses the concept of Monte Carlo code design that can avoid the main problems that are preventing wide spread use of this simulation technique in medical physics. (authors)

  17. Monte Carlo principles and applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Raeside, D E [Oklahoma Univ., Oklahoma City (USA). Health Sciences Center

    1976-03-01

    The principles underlying the use of Monte Carlo methods are explained, for readers who may not be familiar with the approach. The generation of random numbers is discussed, and the connection between Monte Carlo methods and random numbers is indicated. Outlines of two well established Monte Carlo sampling techniques are given, together with examples illustrating their use. The general techniques for improving the efficiency of Monte Carlo calculations are considered. The literature relevant to the applications of Monte Carlo calculations in medical physics is reviewed.

  18. Using lattice tools and unfolding methods for hpge detector efficiency simulation with the Monte Carlo code MCNP5

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Querol, A.; Gallardo, S.; Ródenas, J.; Verdú, G.

    2015-01-01

    In environmental radioactivity measurements, High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detectors are commonly used due to their excellent resolution. Efficiency calibration of detectors is essential to determine activity of radionuclides. The Monte Carlo method has been proved to be a powerful tool to complement efficiency calculations. In aged detectors, efficiency is partially deteriorated due to the dead layer increasing and consequently, the active volume decreasing. The characterization of the radiation transport in the dead layer is essential for a realistic HPGe simulation. In this work, the MCNP5 code is used to calculate the detector efficiency. The F4MESH tally is used to determine the photon and electron fluence in the dead layer and the active volume. The energy deposited in the Ge has been analyzed using the ⁎F8 tally. The F8 tally is used to obtain spectra and to calculate the detector efficiency. When the photon fluence and the energy deposition in the crystal are known, some unfolding methods can be used to estimate the activity of a given source. In this way, the efficiency is obtained and serves to verify the value obtained by other methods. - Highlights: • The MCNP5 code is used to estimate the dead layer thickness of an HPGe detector. • The F4MESH tally is applied to verify where interactions occur into the Ge crystal. • PHD and the energy deposited are obtained with F8 and ⁎F8 tallies, respectively. • An average dead layer between 70 and 80 µm is obtained for the HPGe studied. • The efficiency is calculated applying the TSVD method to the response matrix.

  19. Monte Carlo verification of control-rod worth for the Savannah River K reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mosteller, R.D.

    1992-01-01

    The Savannah River K Reactor is a heavy-water reactor that relies on control-rod movement to control its reactivity and power distribution during normal operations. It is necessary, therefore, to have an accurate estimate of the reactivity worth of its control rods in order to predict the behavior of the reactor. Westinghouse Savannah River Company (WSRC) uses the GLASS lattice-physics code to calculate few-group cross sections for fuel and control-rod assemblies in the K reactor. This paper compares the control-rod worth calculated by GLASS to that calculated by the MCNP Monte Carlo program. The GLASS calculations utilize its standard 37-group cross-section library, while the MCNP calculations employ continuous-energy isotopic cross-section libraries derived from ENDF/B-V. The MCNP calculations therefore combine the most rigorous analytical model and the most accurate cross sections currently available for thermal-reactor analysis. Consequently, the MCNP results comprise a computational benchmark against which the accuracy of the GLASS code can be evaluated

  20. Comparison of TITAN hybrid deterministic transport code and MCNP5 for simulation of SPECT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Royston, K.; Haghighat, A.; Yi, C.

    2010-01-01

    Traditionally, Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) simulations use Monte Carlo methods. The hybrid deterministic transport code TITAN has recently been applied to the simulation of a SPECT myocardial perfusion study. The TITAN SPECT simulation uses the discrete ordinates formulation in the phantom region and a simplified ray-tracing formulation outside of the phantom. A SPECT model has been created in the Monte Carlo Neutral particle (MCNP)5 Monte Carlo code for comparison. In MCNP5 the collimator is directly modeled, but TITAN instead simulates the effect of collimator blur using a circular ordinate splitting technique. Projection images created using the TITAN code are compared to results using MCNP5 for three collimator acceptance angles. Normalized projection images for 2.97 deg, 1.42 deg and 0.98 deg collimator acceptance angles had maximum relative differences of 21.3%, 11.9% and 8.3%, respectively. Visually the images are in good agreement. Profiles through the projection images were plotted to find that the TITAN results followed the shape of the MCNP5 results with some differences in magnitude. A timing comparison on 16 processors found that the TITAN code completed the calculation 382 to 2787 times faster than MCNP5. Both codes exhibit good parallel performance. (author)

  1. 11th International Conference on Monte Carlo and Quasi-Monte Carlo Methods in Scientific Computing

    CERN Document Server

    Nuyens, Dirk

    2016-01-01

    This book presents the refereed proceedings of the Eleventh International Conference on Monte Carlo and Quasi-Monte Carlo Methods in Scientific Computing that was held at the University of Leuven (Belgium) in April 2014. These biennial conferences are major events for Monte Carlo and quasi-Monte Carlo researchers. The proceedings include articles based on invited lectures as well as carefully selected contributed papers on all theoretical aspects and applications of Monte Carlo and quasi-Monte Carlo methods. Offering information on the latest developments in these very active areas, this book is an excellent reference resource for theoreticians and practitioners interested in solving high-dimensional computational problems, arising, in particular, in finance, statistics and computer graphics.

  2. MCNP neutron benchmarks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hendricks, J.S.; Whalen, D.J.; Cardon, D.A.; Uhle, J.L.

    1991-01-01

    Over 50 neutron benchmark calculations have recently been completed as part of an ongoing program to validate the MCNP Monte Carlo radiation transport code. The new and significant aspects of this work are as follows: These calculations are the first attempt at a validation program for MCNP and the first official benchmarking of version 4 of the code. We believe the chosen set of benchmarks is a comprehensive set that may be useful for benchmarking other radiation transport codes and data libraries. These calculations provide insight into how well neutron transport calculations can be expected to model a wide variety of problems

  3. G4-STORK: A Geant4-based Monte Carlo reactor kinetics simulation code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Russell, Liam; Buijs, Adriaan; Jonkmans, Guy

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • G4-STORK is a new, time-dependent, Monte Carlo code for reactor physics applications. • G4-STORK was built by adapting and expanding on the Geant4 Monte Carlo toolkit. • G4-STORK was designed to simulate short-term fluctuations in reactor cores. • G4-STORK is well suited for simulating sub- and supercritical assemblies. • G4-STORK was verified through comparisons with DRAGON and MCNP. - Abstract: In this paper we introduce G4-STORK (Geant4 STOchastic Reactor Kinetics), a new, time-dependent, Monte Carlo particle tracking code for reactor physics applications. G4-STORK was built by adapting and expanding on the Geant4 Monte Carlo toolkit. The toolkit provides the fundamental physics models and particle tracking algorithms that track each particle in space and time. It is a framework for further development (e.g. for projects such as G4-STORK). G4-STORK derives reactor physics parameters (e.g. k eff ) from the continuous evolution of a population of neutrons in space and time in the given simulation geometry. In this paper we detail the major additions to the Geant4 toolkit that were necessary to create G4-STORK. These include a renormalization process that maintains a manageable number of neutrons in the simulation even in very sub- or supercritical systems, scoring processes (e.g. recording fission locations, total neutrons produced and lost, etc.) that allow G4-STORK to calculate the reactor physics parameters, and dynamic simulation geometries that can change over the course of simulation to illicit reactor kinetics responses (e.g. fuel temperature reactivity feedback). The additions are verified through simple simulations and code-to-code comparisons with established reactor physics codes such as DRAGON and MCNP. Additionally, G4-STORK was developed to run a single simulation in parallel over many processors using MPI (Message Passing Interface) pipes

  4. Application of MCNP in the criticality calculation for reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhong Zhaopeng; Shi Gong; Hu Yongming

    2003-01-01

    The criticality calculation is carried out with 3-D Monte Carlo code (MCNP). The author focuses on the introduction of modelling of the core and reflector. The core description is simplified by using repetition structure function of MCNP. k eff in different control rods positions are calculated for the case of JRR3, and the results is consistent with that of the reference. This work shows that MCNP is applicable for reactor criticality calculation

  5. Radiation shielding calculation using MCNP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Masukawa, Fumihiro

    2001-01-01

    To verify the Monte Carlo code MCNP4A as a tool to generate the reference data in the shielding designs and the safety evaluations, various shielding benchmark experiments were analyzed using this code. These experiments were categorized in three types of the shielding subjects; bulk shielding, streaming, and skyshine. For the variance reduction technique, which is indispensable to get meaningful results with the Monte Carlo shielding calculation, we mainly used the weight window, the energy dependent Russian roulette and spitting. As a whole, our analyses performed enough small statistical errors and showed good agreements with these experiments. (author)

  6. Monte Carlo Calculation of Sensitivities to Secondaries' Angular Distributions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perel, R.L.

    2003-01-01

    An algorithm for Monte Carlo calculation of sensitivities of responses to secondaries' angular distributions (SAD) is developed, based on the differential operator approach. The algorithm was formulated for the sensitivity to Legendre coefficients of the SAD and is valid even in cases where the actual representation of SAD is not in the form of a Legendre series. The algorithm was implemented, for point- or ring-detectors, in a local version of the code MCNP. Numerical tests were performed to validate the algorithm and its implementation. In addition, an algorithm specific for the Kalbach-Mann representation of SAD is presented

  7. Validation of a new midway forward-adjoint coupling option in MCNP

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Serov, I.V.; John, T.M.; Hoogenboom, J.E. [Technische Univ. Delft (Netherlands). Interfacultair Reactor Inst.

    1996-09-01

    The new midway Monte Carlo is based on the coupling of scores from a forward and an adjoint Monte Carlo calculation on a surface in between the source and the detector. The method is implemented in MCNP. The utilization of the method is fairly straight-forward and does not require any substantial expertise. The midway Monte Carlo method was tested against the gamma-ray skyshine MCNP benchmark problem. This problem involves deep penetration and streaming along complicated paths. The midway method supplied results, which agree with the results of the reference calculation within the limits of the estimated statistical uncertainties. The efficiency of the easy-to-implement midway calculation is higher than the efficiency of the reference calculation which is already optimized by use of an importance function. The midway method proves to be efficient in problems with complicated streaming paths towards small detectors. (author)

  8. Validation of a new midway forward-adjoint coupling option in MCNP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Serov, I.V.; John, T.M.; Hoogenboom, J.E.

    1996-01-01

    The new midway Monte Carlo is based on the coupling of scores from a forward and an adjoint Monte Carlo calculation on a surface in between the source and the detector. The method is implemented in MCNP. The utilization of the method is fairly straight-forward and does not require any substantial expertise. The midway Monte Carlo method was tested against the gamma-ray skyshine MCNP benchmark problem. This problem involves deep penetration and streaming along complicated paths. The midway method supplied results, which agree with the results of the reference calculation within the limits of the estimated statistical uncertainties. The efficiency of the easy-to-implement midway calculation is higher than the efficiency of the reference calculation which is already optimized by use of an importance function. The midway method proves to be efficient in problems with complicated streaming paths towards small detectors. (author)

  9. A voxel-based mouse for internal dose calculations using Monte Carlo simulations (MCNP).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bitar, A; Lisbona, A; Thedrez, P; Sai Maurel, C; Le Forestier, D; Barbet, J; Bardies, M

    2007-02-21

    Murine models are useful for targeted radiotherapy pre-clinical experiments. These models can help to assess the potential interest of new radiopharmaceuticals. In this study, we developed a voxel-based mouse for dosimetric estimates. A female nude mouse (30 g) was frozen and cut into slices. High-resolution digital photographs were taken directly on the frozen block after each section. Images were segmented manually. Monoenergetic photon or electron sources were simulated using the MCNP4c2 Monte Carlo code for each source organ, in order to give tables of S-factors (in Gy Bq-1 s-1) for all target organs. Results obtained from monoenergetic particles were then used to generate S-factors for several radionuclides of potential interest in targeted radiotherapy. Thirteen source and 25 target regions were considered in this study. For each source region, 16 photon and 16 electron energies were simulated. Absorbed fractions, specific absorbed fractions and S-factors were calculated for 16 radionuclides of interest for targeted radiotherapy. The results obtained generally agree well with data published previously. For electron energies ranging from 0.1 to 2.5 MeV, the self-absorbed fraction varies from 0.98 to 0.376 for the liver, and from 0.89 to 0.04 for the thyroid. Electrons cannot be considered as 'non-penetrating' radiation for energies above 0.5 MeV for mouse organs. This observation can be generalized to radionuclides: for example, the beta self-absorbed fraction for the thyroid was 0.616 for I-131; absorbed fractions for Y-90 for left kidney-to-left kidney and for left kidney-to-spleen were 0.486 and 0.058, respectively. Our voxel-based mouse allowed us to generate a dosimetric database for use in preclinical targeted radiotherapy experiments.

  10. Monte Carlo Simulation for Neptun 10 PC medical linear accelerator and calculations of electron beam parameters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bahreyni Toossi, M.T.; Hashemi, S.M.; Momen Nezhad, M.

    2008-01-01

    In recent decades, cancer has been one of the main ever increasing causes of death in developed countries. In order to fulfill the aforementioned considerations different techniques have been used, one of which is Monte Carlo simulation technique. High accuracy of the Monte Carlo simulation has been one of the main reason for its wide spread application. In this study, MCNP-4C code was employed to simulate electron mode of the Neptun 10 PC Linac, dosimetric quantities for conventional fields have also been both measured and calculated. Although Neptun 10 PC Linac is no longer licensed for installation in European and some other countries but regrettably nearly 10 of them have been installed in different centers around the country and are in operation. Therefore, in this circumstance, to improve the accuracy of treatment planning, Monte Carlo simulation for Neptun 10 PC was recognized as a necessity. Simulated and measured values of depth dose curves, off axis dose distributions for 6 , 8 and 10 MeV electrons applied for four different size fields, 6 x 6 cm 2 , 10 x 10 cm 2 , 15 x 15 cm 2 and 20 x 20 cm 2 were obtained. The measurements were carried out by a Welhofer-Scanditronix dose scanning system, Semiconductor Detector and Ionization Chamber. The results of this study have revealed that the values of two main dosimetric quantities depth dose curves and off axis dose distributions, acquired by MCNP-4C simulation and the corresponding values achieved by direct measurements are in a very good agreement (within 1% to 2% difference). In general, very good consistency of simulated and measured results, is a good proof that the goal of this work has been accomplished. In other word where measurements of some parameters are not practically achievable, MCNP-4C simulation can be implemented confidently. (author)

  11. Neutronic Analysis of the 3 MW TRIGA MARK II Research Reactor, Part I: Monte Carlo Simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huda, M.Q.; Chakrobortty, T.K.; Rahman, M.; Sarker, M.M.; Mahmood, M.S.

    2003-05-01

    This study deals with the neutronic analysis of the current core configuration of a 3 MW TRIGA MARK II research reactor at Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE), Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh and validation of the results by benchmarking with the experimental, operational and available Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) values. The three-dimensional continuous-energy Monte Carlo code MCNP4C was used to develop a versatile and accurate full-core model of the TRIGA core. The model represents in detail all components of the core with literally no physical approximation. All fresh fuel and control elements as well as the vicinity of the core were precisely described. Continuous energy cross-section data from ENDF/B-VI and S(α, β) scattering functions from the ENDF/B-V library were used. The validation of the model against benchmark experimental results is presented. The MCNP predictions and the experimentally determined values are found to be in very good agreement, which indicates that the Monte Carlo model is correctly simulating the TRIGA reactor. (author)

  12. High-energy particle Monte Carlo at Los Alamos

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prael, R.E.

    1985-01-01

    A major computational effort at Los Alamos has been the development of a code system based on the HETC code for the transport of nucleons, pions, and muons. The Los Alamos National Laboratory version of HETC utilizes MCNP geometry and interfaces with MCNP for the transport of neutrons below 20 MeV and photons at any energy. A major recent effort has been the development of the PHT code for treating the gamma cascade in excited nuclei (the residual nuclei from an HETC calculation) by the Monte Carlo method to generate a photon source for MCNP. The HETC/MCNP code system has been extensively used for design studies of accelerator targets and shielding, including the design of LAMPF-II. It is extensively used for the design and analysis of accelerator experiments. Los Alamos National Laboratory has been an active member of the International Collaboration on Advanced Neutron Sources; as such we engage in shared code development and computational efforts. In the past few years, additional effort has been devoted to the development of a Chen-model intranuclear cascade code (INCA1) featuring a cluster model for the nucleus and deuteron pickup reactions. Concurrently, the INCA2 code for the breakup of light, excited nuclei using the Fermi breakup model has been developed. Together, they have been used for the calculation of neutron and proton cross sections in the energy ranges appropriate to medical accelerators, and for the computation of tissue kerma factors

  13. Vectorization and parallelization of Monte-Carlo programs for calculation of radiation transport

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seidel, R.

    1995-01-01

    The versatile MCNP-3B Monte-Carlo code written in FORTRAN77, for simulation of the radiation transport of neutral particles, has been subjected to vectorization and parallelization of essential parts, without touching its versatility. Vectorization is not dependent on a specific computer. Several sample tasks have been selected in order to test the vectorized MCNP-3B code in comparison to the scalar MNCP-3B code. The samples are a representative example of the 3-D calculations to be performed for simulation of radiation transport in neutron and reactor physics. (1) 4πneutron detector. (2) High-energy calorimeter. (3) PROTEUS benchmark (conversion rates and neutron multiplication factors for the HCLWR (High Conversion Light Water Reactor)). (orig./HP) [de

  14. Monte Carlo simulation of a TRIGA source driven core configuration: Preliminary results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burgio, N.; Ciavola, C.; Santagata, A.

    2002-01-01

    The different core configurations with a k eff ranging from 0.93 to 0.98, and their response when driven by a pulsed neutron source were simulated with MCNP4C3 (Los Alamos - Monte Carlo N Particles). Simulation results could be considered both as preliminary check for nuclear data and a conceptual design for 'source jerk' experiments on the frame of TRIGA Accelerator Driven Experiment (TRADE) on the reactor facility of Casaccia research center. (author)

  15. MCNP5 development, verification, and performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Forrest B, Brown

    2003-01-01

    MCNP is a well-known and widely used Monte Carlo code for neutron, photon, and electron transport simulations. During the past 18 months, MCNP was completely reworked to provide MCNP5, a modernized version with many new features, including plotting enhancements, photon Doppler broadening, radiography image tallies, enhancements to source definitions, improved variance reduction, improved random number generator, tallies on a superimposed mesh, and edits of criticality safety parameters. Significant improvements in software engineering and adherence to standards have been made. Over 100 verification problems have been used to ensure that MCNP5 produces the same results as before and that all capabilities have been preserved. Testing on large parallel systems shows excellent parallel scaling. (author)

  16. MCNP5 development, verification, and performance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Forrest B, Brown [Los Alamos National Laboratory (United States)

    2003-07-01

    MCNP is a well-known and widely used Monte Carlo code for neutron, photon, and electron transport simulations. During the past 18 months, MCNP was completely reworked to provide MCNP5, a modernized version with many new features, including plotting enhancements, photon Doppler broadening, radiography image tallies, enhancements to source definitions, improved variance reduction, improved random number generator, tallies on a superimposed mesh, and edits of criticality safety parameters. Significant improvements in software engineering and adherence to standards have been made. Over 100 verification problems have been used to ensure that MCNP5 produces the same results as before and that all capabilities have been preserved. Testing on large parallel systems shows excellent parallel scaling. (author)

  17. Monte Carlo analysis of the slightly enriched uranium-D2O critical experiment LTRIIA (AWBA Development Program)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hardy, J. Jr.; Shore, J.M.

    1981-11-01

    The Savannah River Laboratory LTRIIA slightly-enriched uranium-D 2 O critical experiment was analyzed with ENDF/B-IV data and the RCP01 Monte Carlo program, which modeled the entire assembly in explicit detail. The integral parameters delta 25 and delta 28 showed good agreement with experiment. However, calculated K/sub eff/ was 2 to 3% low, due primarily to an overprediction of U238 capture. This is consistent with results obtained in similar analyses of the H 2 O-moderated TRX critical experiments. In comparisons with the VIM and MCNP2 Monte Carlo programs, good agreement was observed for calculated reeaction rates in the B 2 =0 cell

  18. Monte Carlo calculation for the development of a BNCT neutron source (1eV-10KeV) using MCNP code.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El Moussaoui, F; El Bardouni, T; Azahra, M; Kamili, A; Boukhal, H

    2008-09-01

    Different materials have been studied in order to produce the epithermal neutron beam between 1eV and 10KeV, which are extensively used to irradiate patients with brain tumors such as GBM. For this purpose, we have studied three different neutrons moderators (H(2)O, D(2)O and BeO) and their combinations, four reflectors (Al(2)O(3), C, Bi, and Pb) and two filters (Cd and Bi). Results of calculation showed that the best obtained assembly configuration corresponds to the combination of the three moderators H(2)O, BeO and D(2)O jointly to Al(2)O(3) reflector and two filter Cd+Bi optimize the spectrum of the epithermal neutron at 72%, and minimize the thermal neutron to 4% and thus it can be used to treat the deep tumor brain. The calculations have been performed by means of the Monte Carlo N (particle code MCNP 5C). Our results strongly encourage further studying of irradiation of the head with epithermal neutron fields.

  19. Reference Monte Carlo calculations of Maria reactor core

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andrzejewski, K.; Kulikowska, T.

    2002-01-01

    The reference Monte Carlo calculations of MARIA reactor core have been carried to evaluate accuracy of the calculations at each stage of its neutron-physics analysis using deterministic codes. The elementary cell has been calculated with two main goals; evaluation of effects of simplifications introduced in deterministic lattice spectrum calculations by the WIMS code and evaluation of library data in recently developed WIMS libraries. In particular the beryllium data of those libraries needed evaluation. The whole core calculations mainly the first MARIA critical experiment and the first critical core after the 8-year break in operation. Both cores contained only fresh fuel elements but only in the first critical core the beryllium blocks were not poisoned by Li-6 and He-3. Thus the MCNP k-eff results could be compared with the experiment. The MCNP calculations for the cores with beryllium poisoned suffered the deficiency of uncertainty in the poison concentration, but a comparison of power distribution shows that realistic poison levels have been carried out for the operating reactor MARIA configurations. (author)

  20. On the use of stochastic approximation Monte Carlo for Monte Carlo integration

    KAUST Repository

    Liang, Faming

    2009-03-01

    The stochastic approximation Monte Carlo (SAMC) algorithm has recently been proposed as a dynamic optimization algorithm in the literature. In this paper, we show in theory that the samples generated by SAMC can be used for Monte Carlo integration via a dynamically weighted estimator by calling some results from the literature of nonhomogeneous Markov chains. Our numerical results indicate that SAMC can yield significant savings over conventional Monte Carlo algorithms, such as the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm, for the problems for which the energy landscape is rugged. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Monte Carlo simulation of core physics parameters of the Nigeria Research Reactor-1 (NIRR-1)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jonah, S.A. [Reactor Engineering Section, Centre for Energy Research and Training, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, P.M.B. 1014 (Nigeria)], E-mail: jonahsa2001@yahoo.com; Liaw, J.R.; Matos, J.E. [RERTR Program, Nuclear Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States)

    2007-12-15

    The Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) code, version 4C (MCNP4C) and a set of neutron cross-section data were used to develop an accurate three-dimensional computational model of the Nigeria Research Reactor-1 (NIRR-1). The geometry of the reactor core was modeled as closely as possible including the details of all the fuel elements, reactivity regulators, the control rod, all irradiation channels, and Be reflectors. The following reactor core physics parameters were calculated for the present highly enriched uranium (HEU) core: clean cold core excess reactivity ({rho}{sub ex}), control rod (CR) and shim worth, shut down margin (SDM), neutron flux distributions in the irradiation channels, reactivity feedback coefficients and the kinetics parameters. The HEU input model was validated by experimental data from the final safety analyses report (SAR). The model predicted various key neutronics parameters fairly accurately and the calculated thermal neutron fluxes in the irradiation channels agree with the values obtained by foil activation method. Results indicate that the established Monte Carlo model is an accurate representation of the NIRR-1 HEU core and will be used to perform feasibility for conversion to low enriched uranium (LEU)

  2. MCNP(trademark) Version 5

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cox, Lawrence J.; Barrett, Richard F.; Booth, Thomas Edward; Briesmeister, Judith F.; Brown, Forrest B.; Bull, Jeffrey S.; Giesler, Gregg Carl; Goorley, John T.; Mosteller, Russell D.; Forster, R. Arthur; Post, Susan E.; Prael, Richard E.; Selcow, Elizabeth Carol; Sood, Avneet

    2002-01-01

    The Monte Carlo transport workhorse, MCNP, is undergoing a massive renovation at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in support of the Eolus Project of the Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASCI) Program. MCNP Version 5 (V5) (expected to be released to RSICC in Spring, 2002) will consist of a major restructuring from FORTRAN-77 (with extensions) to ANSI-standard FORTRAN-90 with support for all of the features available in the present release (MCNP-4C2/4C3). To most users, the look-and-feel of MCNP will not change much except for the improvements (improved graphics, easier installation, better online documentation). For example, even with the major format change, full support for incremental patching will still be provided. In addition to the language and style updates, MCNP V5 will have various new user features. These include improved photon physics, neutral particle radiography, enhancements and additions to variance reduction methods, new source options, and improved parallelism support (PVM, MPI, OpenMP).

  3. On the use of stochastic approximation Monte Carlo for Monte Carlo integration

    KAUST Repository

    Liang, Faming

    2009-01-01

    The stochastic approximation Monte Carlo (SAMC) algorithm has recently been proposed as a dynamic optimization algorithm in the literature. In this paper, we show in theory that the samples generated by SAMC can be used for Monte Carlo integration

  4. Monte carlo calculation of the neutron effective dose rate at the outer surface of the biological shield of HTR-10 reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Remetti, Romolo; Andreoli, Giulio; Keshishian, Silvina

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► We deal with HTR-10, that is a helium-cooled graphite-moderated pebble bed reactor. ► We carried out Monte Carlo simulation of the core by MCNP5. ► Extensive use of MCNP5 variance reduction methods has been done. ► We calculated the trend of neutron flux within the biological shield. ► We calculated neutron effective dose at the outer surface of biological shield. - Abstract: Research on experimental reactors, such as HTR-10, provide useful data about potentialities of very high temperature gas-cooled reactors (VHTR). The latter is today rated as one of the six nuclear reactor types involved in the Generation-IV International Forum (GIF) Initiative. In this study, the MCNP5 code has been employed to evaluate the neutron radiation trend vs. the biological shield's thickness and to calculate the neutron effective dose rate at the outer surface. The reactor's geometry has been completely modeled by means of lattices and universes provided by MCNP, even though some approximations were required. Monte Carlo calculations have been performed by means of a simple PC and, as a consequence, in order to obtain acceptable run times, it was made an extensive recourse to variance reduction methods.

  5. The development of depletion program coupled with Monte Carlo computer code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nguyen Kien Cuong; Huynh Ton Nghiem; Vuong Huu Tan

    2015-01-01

    The paper presents the development of depletion code for light water reactor coupled with MCNP5 code called the MCDL code (Monte Carlo Depletion for Light Water Reactor). The first order differential depletion system equations of 21 actinide isotopes and 50 fission product isotopes are solved by the Radau IIA Implicit Runge Kutta (IRK) method after receiving neutron flux, reaction rates in one group energy and multiplication factors for fuel pin, fuel assembly or whole reactor core from the calculation results of the MCNP5 code. The calculation for beryllium poisoning and cooling time is also integrated in the code. To verify and validate the MCDL code, high enriched uranium (HEU) and low enriched uranium (LEU) fuel assemblies VVR-M2 types and 89 fresh HEU fuel assemblies, 92 LEU fresh fuel assemblies cores of the Dalat Nuclear Research Reactor (DNRR) have been investigated and compared with the results calculated by the SRAC code and the MCNP R EBUS linkage system code. The results show good agreement between calculated data of the MCDL code and reference codes. (author)

  6. Low Enrichment Uranium (LEU)-fueled SLOWPOKE-2 nuclear reactor simulation with the Monte-Carlo based MCNP 4A code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pierre, J.R.M.

    1996-01-01

    Following the commissioning of the Low Enrichment Uranium (LEU) Fuelled SLOWPOKE-2 research reactor at the Royal Military College-College Militaire Royal (RMC-CMR), excess reactivity measurements were conducted over a range of temperature and power. The results showed a maximum excess reactivity of 3.37 mk at 33 o C. Several deterministic models using computer codes like WIMS-CRNL, CITATION, TRIVAC and DRAGON have been used to try to reproduce the excess reactivity and temperature trend of both the LEU and HEU SLOWPOKE-2 reactors. The best simulations had been obtained at Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal. They were able to reproduce the temperature trend of their HEU-fuelled reactor using TRIVAC calculations, but this model over-estimated the absolute value of the excess reactivity by 119 mk. Although calculations using DRAGON did not reproduce the temperature trend as well as TRIVAC, these calculations represented a significant improvement on the absolute value at 20 o C reducing the discrepancy to 13 mk. Given the advance in computer technology, a probabilistic approach was tried in this work, using the Monte-Carlo N-Particle Transport Code System MCNP 4A, to model the RMC-CMR SLOWPOKE-2 reactor.

  7. Toolkit for high performance Monte Carlo radiation transport and activation calculations for shielding applications in ITER

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Serikov, A.; Fischer, U.; Grosse, D.; Leichtle, D.; Majerle, M.

    2011-01-01

    The Monte Carlo (MC) method is the most suitable computational technique of radiation transport for shielding applications in fusion neutronics. This paper is intended for sharing the results of long term experience of the fusion neutronics group at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in radiation shielding calculations with the MCNP5 code for the ITER fusion reactor with emphasizing on the use of several ITER project-driven computer programs developed at KIT. Two of them, McCad and R2S, seem to be the most useful in radiation shielding analyses. The McCad computer graphical tool allows to perform automatic conversion of the MCNP models from the underlying CAD (CATIA) data files, while the R2S activation interface couples the MCNP radiation transport with the FISPACT activation allowing to estimate nuclear responses such as dose rate and nuclear heating after the ITER reactor shutdown. The cell-based R2S scheme was applied in shutdown photon dose analysis for the designing of the In-Vessel Viewing System (IVVS) and the Glow Discharge Cleaning (GDC) unit in ITER. Newly developed at KIT mesh-based R2S feature was successfully tested on the shutdown dose rate calculations for the upper port in the Neutral Beam (NB) cell of ITER. The merits of McCad graphical program were broadly acknowledged by the neutronic analysts and its continuous improvement at KIT has introduced its stable and more convenient run with its Graphical User Interface. Detailed 3D ITER neutronic modeling with the MCNP Monte Carlo method requires a lot of computation resources, inevitably leading to parallel calculations on clusters. Performance assessments of the MCNP5 parallel runs on the JUROPA/HPC-FF supercomputer cluster permitted to find the optimal number of processors for ITER-type runs. (author)

  8. Monte Carlo model of diagnostic X-ray dosimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khrutchinsky, Arkady; Kutsen, Semion; Gatskevich, George

    2008-01-01

    Full text: A Monte Carlo simulation of absorbed dose distribution in patient's tissues is often used in a dosimetry assessment of X-ray examinations. The results of such simulations in Belarus are presented in the report based on an anthropomorphic tissue-equivalent Rando-like physical phantom. The phantom corresponds to an adult 173 cm high and of 73 kg and consists of a torso and a head made of tissue-equivalent plastics which model soft (muscular), bone, and lung tissues. It consists of 39 layers (each 25 mm thick), including 10 head and neck ones, 16 chest and 13 pelvis ones. A tomographic model of the phantom has been developed from its CT-scan images with a voxel size of 0.88 x 0.88 x 4 mm 3 . A necessary pixelization in Mathematics-based in-house program was carried out for the phantom to be used in the radiation transport code MCNP-4b. The final voxel size of 14.2 x 14.2 x 8 mm 3 was used for the reasonable computer consuming calculations of absorbed dose in tissues and organs in various diagnostic X-ray examinations. MCNP point detectors allocated through body slices obtained as a result of the pixelization were used to calculate the absorbed dose. X-ray spectra generated by the empirical TASMIP model were verified on the X-ray units MEVASIM and SIREGRAPH CF. Absorbed dose distributions in the phantom volume were determined by the corresponding Monte Carlo simulations with a set of point detectors. Doses in organs of the adult phantom computed from the absorbed dose distributions by another Mathematics-based in-house program were estimated for 22 standard organs for various standard X-ray examinations. The results of Monte Carlo simulations were compared with the results of direct measurements of the absorbed dose in the phantom on the X-ray unit SIREGRAPH CF with the calibrated thermo-luminescent dosimeter DTU-01. The measurements were carried out in specified locations of different layers in heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, and stomach at high voltage of

  9. Vectorized Monte Carlo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, F.B.

    1981-01-01

    Examination of the global algorithms and local kernels of conventional general-purpose Monte Carlo codes shows that multigroup Monte Carlo methods have sufficient structure to permit efficient vectorization. A structured multigroup Monte Carlo algorithm for vector computers is developed in which many particle events are treated at once on a cell-by-cell basis. Vectorization of kernels for tracking and variance reduction is described, and a new method for discrete sampling is developed to facilitate the vectorization of collision analysis. To demonstrate the potential of the new method, a vectorized Monte Carlo code for multigroup radiation transport analysis was developed. This code incorporates many features of conventional general-purpose production codes, including general geometry, splitting and Russian roulette, survival biasing, variance estimation via batching, a number of cutoffs, and generalized tallies of collision, tracklength, and surface crossing estimators with response functions. Predictions of vectorized performance characteristics for the CYBER-205 were made using emulated coding and a dynamic model of vector instruction timing. Computation rates were examined for a variety of test problems to determine sensitivities to batch size and vector lengths. Significant speedups are predicted for even a few hundred particles per batch, and asymptotic speedups by about 40 over equivalent Amdahl 470V/8 scalar codes arepredicted for a few thousand particles per batch. The principal conclusion is that vectorization of a general-purpose multigroup Monte Carlo code is well worth the significant effort required for stylized coding and major algorithmic changes

  10. Calculation of power density with MCNP in TRIGA reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Snoj, L.; Ravnik, M.

    2006-01-01

    Modern Monte Carlo codes (e.g. MCNP) allow calculation of power density distribution in 3-D geometry assuming detailed geometry without unit-cell homogenization. To normalize MCNP calculation by the steady-state thermal power of a reactor, one must use appropriate scaling factors. The description of the scaling factors is not adequately described in the MCNP manual and requires detailed knowledge of the code model. As the application of MCNP for power density calculation in TRIGA reactors has not been reported in open literature, the procedure of calculating power density with MCNP and its normalization to the power level of a reactor is described in the paper. (author)

  11. Monte Carlo Codes Invited Session

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Trama, J.C.; Malvagi, F.; Brown, F.

    2013-01-01

    This document lists 22 Monte Carlo codes used in radiation transport applications throughout the world. For each code the names of the organization and country and/or place are given. We have the following computer codes. 1) ARCHER, USA, RPI; 2) COG11, USA, LLNL; 3) DIANE, France, CEA/DAM Bruyeres; 4) FLUKA, Italy and CERN, INFN and CERN; 5) GEANT4, International GEANT4 collaboration; 6) KENO and MONACO (SCALE), USA, ORNL; 7) MC21, USA, KAPL and Bettis; 8) MCATK, USA, LANL; 9) MCCARD, South Korea, Seoul National University; 10) MCNP6, USA, LANL; 11) MCU, Russia, Kurchatov Institute; 12) MONK and MCBEND, United Kingdom, AMEC; 13) MORET5, France, IRSN Fontenay-aux-Roses; 14) MVP2, Japan, JAEA; 15) OPENMC, USA, MIT; 16) PENELOPE, Spain, Barcelona University; 17) PHITS, Japan, JAEA; 18) PRIZMA, Russia, VNIITF; 19) RMC, China, Tsinghua University; 20) SERPENT, Finland, VTT; 21) SUPERMONTECARLO, China, CAS INEST FDS Team Hefei; and 22) TRIPOLI-4, France, CEA Saclay

  12. Adjoint electron Monte Carlo calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jordan, T.M.

    1986-01-01

    Adjoint Monte Carlo is the most efficient method for accurate analysis of space systems exposed to natural and artificially enhanced electron environments. Recent adjoint calculations for isotropic electron environments include: comparative data for experimental measurements on electronics boxes; benchmark problem solutions for comparing total dose prediction methodologies; preliminary assessment of sectoring methods used during space system design; and total dose predictions on an electronics package. Adjoint Monte Carlo, forward Monte Carlo, and experiment are in excellent agreement for electron sources that simulate space environments. For electron space environments, adjoint Monte Carlo is clearly superior to forward Monte Carlo, requiring one to two orders of magnitude less computer time for relatively simple geometries. The solid-angle sectoring approximations used for routine design calculations can err by more than a factor of 2 on dose in simple shield geometries. For critical space systems exposed to severe electron environments, these potential sectoring errors demand the establishment of large design margins and/or verification of shield design by adjoint Monte Carlo/experiment

  13. Automated variance reduction of Monte Carlo shielding calculations using the discrete ordinates adjoint function

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wagner, J.C.; Haghighat, A.

    1998-01-01

    Although the Monte Carlo method is considered to be the most accurate method available for solving radiation transport problems, its applicability is limited by its computational expense. Thus, biasing techniques, which require intuition, guesswork, and iterations involving manual adjustments, are employed to make reactor shielding calculations feasible. To overcome this difficulty, the authors have developed a method for using the S N adjoint function for automated variance reduction of Monte Carlo calculations through source biasing and consistent transport biasing with the weight window technique. They describe the implementation of this method into the standard production Monte Carlo code MCNP and its application to a realistic calculation, namely, the reactor cavity dosimetry calculation. The computational effectiveness of the method, as demonstrated through the increase in calculational efficiency, is demonstrated and quantified. Important issues associated with this method and its efficient use are addressed and analyzed. Additional benefits in terms of the reduction in time and effort required of the user are difficult to quantify but are possibly as important as the computational efficiency. In general, the automated variance reduction method presented is capable of increases in computational performance on the order of thousands, while at the same time significantly reducing the current requirements for user experience, time, and effort. Therefore, this method can substantially increase the applicability and reliability of Monte Carlo for large, real-world shielding applications

  14. Monte Carlo: Basics

    OpenAIRE

    Murthy, K. P. N.

    2001-01-01

    An introduction to the basics of Monte Carlo is given. The topics covered include, sample space, events, probabilities, random variables, mean, variance, covariance, characteristic function, chebyshev inequality, law of large numbers, central limit theorem (stable distribution, Levy distribution), random numbers (generation and testing), random sampling techniques (inversion, rejection, sampling from a Gaussian, Metropolis sampling), analogue Monte Carlo and Importance sampling (exponential b...

  15. Installation and validation of MCNP-4A

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marks, N.A.

    1997-01-01

    MCNP-4A is a multi-purpose Monte Carlo program suitable for the modelling of neutron, photon, and electron transport problems. It is a particularly useful technique when studying systems containing irregular shapes. MCNP has been developed over the last 25 years by Los Alamos, and is distributed internationally via RSIC at Oak Ridge. This document describes the installation of MCNP-4A (henceforth referred to as MCNP) on the Silicon Graphics workstation (bluey.ansto.gov.au). A limited number of benchmarks pertaining to fast and thermal systems were performed to check the installation and validate the code. The results are compared to deterministic calculations performed using the AUS neutronics code system developed at ANSTO. (author)

  16. New developments enhancing MCNP for criticality safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hendricks, J.S.; McKinney, G.W.; Forster, R.A.

    1993-01-01

    Since the early 80's MCNP has had three estimates of k eff : collision, absorption, and track length. MCNP has also had collision and absorption estimators of removal lifetime. These are calculated for every cycle and are averaged over the cycles as simple averages and covariance weighted averages. Correlation coefficients between estimators are also calculated. These criticality estimators are all in addition to the extensive summary information and tally edits used in shielding and other problems. A number of significant new developments have been made to enhance the MCNP Monte Carlo radiation transport code for criticality safety applications. These are available in the newly released MCNP4A version of the code

  17. Applications to shielding design and others of monte carlo method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ito, Daiichiro [Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuiding Co., Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

    2001-01-01

    One-dimensional or two-dimensional Sn computer code (ANISN, DOT3.5, etc.) and a point attenuation kernel integral code (QAD, etc.) have been used widely for shielding design. Application examples of monte carlo method which could follow precisely the three-dimensional configuration of shielding structure are shown as follow: (1) CASTER cask has a complex structure which consists of a large number of fuel baskets (stainless steel), neutron moderators (polyethylene rods), the body (cast iron), and cooling fin. The R-{theta} model of Sn code DOT3.5 cannot follow closely the complex form of polyethylene rods and fuel baskets. A monte carlo code MORSE is used to ascertain the calculation results of DOT3.5. The discrepancy between the calculation results of DOT3.5 and MORSE was in 10% for dose rate at distance of 1 m from the cask surface. (2) The dose rates of an iron cell at 10 cm above the floor are calculated by the code QAD and the MORSE. The reflected components of gamma ray caused by the auxiliary floor shield (lead) are analyzed by the MORSE. (3) A monte carlo code MCNP4A is used for skyshine evaluation of spent fuel carrier ship 'ROKUEIMARU'. The direct and skyshine components of gamma ray and neutron flux are estimated at each center of engine room and wheel house. The skyshine dose rate of neutron flux is 5-15 times larger than the gamma ray. (M. Suetake)

  18. Physical models, cross sections, and numerical approximations used in MCNP and GEANT4 Monte Carlo codes for photon and electron absorbed fraction calculation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoriyaz, Hélio; Moralles, Maurício; Siqueira, Paulo de Tarso Dalledone; Guimarães, Carla da Costa; Cintra, Felipe Belonsi; dos Santos, Adimir

    2009-11-01

    Radiopharmaceutical applications in nuclear medicine require a detailed dosimetry estimate of the radiation energy delivered to the human tissues. Over the past years, several publications addressed the problem of internal dose estimate in volumes of several sizes considering photon and electron sources. Most of them used Monte Carlo radiation transport codes. Despite the widespread use of these codes due to the variety of resources and potentials they offered to carry out dose calculations, several aspects like physical models, cross sections, and numerical approximations used in the simulations still remain an object of study. Accurate dose estimate depends on the correct selection of a set of simulation options that should be carefully chosen. This article presents an analysis of several simulation options provided by two of the most used codes worldwide: MCNP and GEANT4. For this purpose, comparisons of absorbed fraction estimates obtained with different physical models, cross sections, and numerical approximations are presented for spheres of several sizes and composed as five different biological tissues. Considerable discrepancies have been found in some cases not only between the different codes but also between different cross sections and algorithms in the same code. Maximum differences found between the two codes are 5.0% and 10%, respectively, for photons and electrons. Even for simple problems as spheres and uniform radiation sources, the set of parameters chosen by any Monte Carlo code significantly affects the final results of a simulation, demonstrating the importance of the correct choice of parameters in the simulation.

  19. MORSE Monte Carlo code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cramer, S.N.

    1984-01-01

    The MORSE code is a large general-use multigroup Monte Carlo code system. Although no claims can be made regarding its superiority in either theoretical details or Monte Carlo techniques, MORSE has been, since its inception at ORNL in the late 1960s, the most widely used Monte Carlo radiation transport code. The principal reason for this popularity is that MORSE is relatively easy to use, independent of any installation or distribution center, and it can be easily customized to fit almost any specific need. Features of the MORSE code are described

  20. Simulation of density curve for slim borehole using the Monte Carlo code MCNPX

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Souza, Edmilson Monteiro de; Silva, Ademir Xavier da; Lopes, Ricardo Tadeu; Lima, Inaya C.B.; Rocha, Paula L.F.

    2010-01-01

    Borehole logging for formation density has been an important geophysical measurement in oil industry. For calibration of the Gamma Ray nuclear logging tool, numerous rock models of different lithology and densities are necessary. However, the full success of this calibration process is determined by a reliable benchmark, where the complete and precise chemical composition of the standards is necessary. Simulations using the Monte Carlo MCNP have been widely employed in well logging application once it serves as a low-cost substitute for experimental test pits, as well as a means for obtaining data that are difficult to obtain experimentally. Considering this, the purpose of this work is to use the code MCNP to obtain density curves for slim boreholes using Gamma Ray logging tools. For this, a Slim Density Gamma Probe, named TRISOND R , and a 100 mCi Cs-137 gamma source has been modeled with the new version of MCNP code MCNPX. (author)

  1. Simulation of density curve for slim borehole using the Monte Carlo code MCNPX

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Souza, Edmilson Monteiro de; Silva, Ademir Xavier da; Lopes, Ricardo Tadeu, E-mail: emonteiro@nuclear.ufrj.b, E-mail: ademir@nuclear.ufrj.b, E-mail: ricardo@lin.ufrj.b [Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-Graduacao de Engenharia (COPPE/UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Programa de Engenharia Nuclear; Correa, Samanda Cristine Arruda, E-mail: scorrea@nuclear.ufrj.b [Centro Universitario Estadual da Zona Oeste (CCMAT/UEZO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Lima, Inaya C.B., E-mail: inaya@lin.ufrj.b [Universidade Estadual do Rio de Janeiro (IPRJ/UERJ) Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Instituto Politecnico do Rio de Janeiro; Rocha, Paula L.F., E-mail: ferrucio@acd.ufrj.b [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) RJ (Brazil). Dept. de Geologia

    2010-07-01

    Borehole logging for formation density has been an important geophysical measurement in oil industry. For calibration of the Gamma Ray nuclear logging tool, numerous rock models of different lithology and densities are necessary. However, the full success of this calibration process is determined by a reliable benchmark, where the complete and precise chemical composition of the standards is necessary. Simulations using the Monte Carlo MCNP have been widely employed in well logging application once it serves as a low-cost substitute for experimental test pits, as well as a means for obtaining data that are difficult to obtain experimentally. Considering this, the purpose of this work is to use the code MCNP to obtain density curves for slim boreholes using Gamma Ray logging tools. For this, a Slim Density Gamma Probe, named TRISOND{sup R}, and a 100 mCi Cs-137 gamma source has been modeled with the new version of MCNP code MCNPX. (author)

  2. Monte Carlo modeling of a High-Sensitivity MOSFET dosimeter for low- and medium-energy photon sources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Brian; Kim, C.-H.; Xu, X. George

    2004-01-01

    Metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) dosimeters are increasingly utilized in radiation therapy and diagnostic radiology. While it is difficult to characterize the dosimeter responses for monoenergetic sources by experiments, this paper reports a detailed Monte Carlo simulation model of the High-Sensitivity MOSFET dosimeter using Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) 4C. A dose estimator method was used to calculate the dose in the extremely thin sensitive volume. Efforts were made to validate the MCNP model using three experiments: (1) comparison of the simulated dose with the measurement of a Cs-137 source, (2) comparison of the simulated dose with analytical values, and (3) comparison of the simulated energy dependence with theoretical values. Our simulation results show that the MOSFET dosimeter has a maximum response at about 40 keV of photon energy. The energy dependence curve is also found to agree with the predicted value from theory within statistical uncertainties. The angular dependence study shows that the MOSFET dosimeter has a higher response (about 8%) when photons come from the epoxy side, compared with the kapton side for the Cs-137 source

  3. Monte Carlo theory and practice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    James, F.

    1987-01-01

    Historically, the first large-scale calculations to make use of the Monte Carlo method were studies of neutron scattering and absorption, random processes for which it is quite natural to employ random numbers. Such calculations, a subset of Monte Carlo calculations, are known as direct simulation, since the 'hypothetical population' of the narrower definition above corresponds directly to the real population being studied. The Monte Carlo method may be applied wherever it is possible to establish equivalence between the desired result and the expected behaviour of a stochastic system. The problem to be solved may already be of a probabilistic or statistical nature, in which case its Monte Carlo formulation will usually be a straightforward simulation, or it may be of a deterministic or analytic nature, in which case an appropriate Monte Carlo formulation may require some imagination and may appear contrived or artificial. In any case, the suitability of the method chosen will depend on its mathematical properties and not on its superficial resemblance to the problem to be solved. The authors show how Monte Carlo techniques may be compared with other methods of solution of the same physical problem

  4. Implementation, capabilities, and benchmarking of Shift, a massively parallel Monte Carlo radiation transport code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pandya, Tara M.; Johnson, Seth R.; Evans, Thomas M.; Davidson, Gregory G.; Hamilton, Steven P.; Godfrey, Andrew T.

    2015-01-01

    This paper discusses the implementation, capabilities, and validation of Shift, a massively parallel Monte Carlo radiation transport package developed and maintained at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. It has been developed to scale well from laptop to small computing clusters to advanced supercomputers. Special features of Shift include hybrid capabilities for variance reduction such as CADIS and FW-CADIS, and advanced parallel decomposition and tally methods optimized for scalability on supercomputing architectures. Shift has been validated and verified against various reactor physics benchmarks and compares well to other state-of-the-art Monte Carlo radiation transport codes such as MCNP5, CE KENO-VI, and OpenMC. Some specific benchmarks used for verification and validation include the CASL VERA criticality test suite and several Westinghouse AP1000 ® problems. These benchmark and scaling studies show promising results

  5. Processing and benchmarking of evaluated nuclear data file/b-viii.0β4 cross-section library by analysis of a series of critical experimental benchmark using the monte carlo code MCNP(X and NJOY2016

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kabach Ouadie

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available To validate the new Evaluated Nuclear Data File (ENDF/B-VIII.0β4 library, 31 different critical cores were selected and used for a benchmark test of the important parameter keff. The four utilized libraries are processed using Nuclear Data Processing Code (NJOY2016. The results obtained with the ENDF/B-VIII.0β4 library were compared against those calculated with ENDF/B-VI.8, ENDF/B-VII.0, and ENDF/B-VII.1 libraries using the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP(X code. All the MCNP(X calculations of keff values with these four libraries were compared with the experimentally measured results, which are available in the International Critically Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project. The obtained results are discussed and analyzed in this paper.

  6. Monte Carlo simulation of the neutron-induced prompt γ ray spectroscopy of the CW abandoned by Japan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Bairong; Yang Zhongping; Zhang Wenzhong

    2005-01-01

    This paper introduced the principle of identifying the chemical weapon by neutron-induced prompt γ ray, simulated and analyzed the neutron-induced prompt γ ray spectroscopy of chemical weapon abandoned by Japan in the different condition, using the MCNP-4C Monte Carlo program, whereby supply important datum and reference for the aftertime deeper research and disposal of Japan-abandoned chemical weapon. (authors)

  7. Monte Carlo Methods in Physics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santoso, B.

    1997-01-01

    Method of Monte Carlo integration is reviewed briefly and some of its applications in physics are explained. A numerical experiment on random generators used in the monte Carlo techniques is carried out to show the behavior of the randomness of various methods in generating them. To account for the weight function involved in the Monte Carlo, the metropolis method is used. From the results of the experiment, one can see that there is no regular patterns of the numbers generated, showing that the program generators are reasonably good, while the experimental results, shows a statistical distribution obeying statistical distribution law. Further some applications of the Monte Carlo methods in physics are given. The choice of physical problems are such that the models have available solutions either in exact or approximate values, in which comparisons can be mode, with the calculations using the Monte Carlo method. Comparison show that for the models to be considered, good agreement have been obtained

  8. Monte Carlo techniques in radiation therapy

    CERN Document Server

    Verhaegen, Frank

    2013-01-01

    Modern cancer treatment relies on Monte Carlo simulations to help radiotherapists and clinical physicists better understand and compute radiation dose from imaging devices as well as exploit four-dimensional imaging data. With Monte Carlo-based treatment planning tools now available from commercial vendors, a complete transition to Monte Carlo-based dose calculation methods in radiotherapy could likely take place in the next decade. Monte Carlo Techniques in Radiation Therapy explores the use of Monte Carlo methods for modeling various features of internal and external radiation sources, including light ion beams. The book-the first of its kind-addresses applications of the Monte Carlo particle transport simulation technique in radiation therapy, mainly focusing on external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy. It presents the mathematical and technical aspects of the methods in particle transport simulations. The book also discusses the modeling of medical linacs and other irradiation devices; issues specific...

  9. Statistical implications in Monte Carlo depletions - 051

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhiwen, Xu; Rhodes, J.; Smith, K.

    2010-01-01

    As a result of steady advances of computer power, continuous-energy Monte Carlo depletion analysis is attracting considerable attention for reactor burnup calculations. The typical Monte Carlo analysis is set up as a combination of a Monte Carlo neutron transport solver and a fuel burnup solver. Note that the burnup solver is a deterministic module. The statistical errors in Monte Carlo solutions are introduced into nuclide number densities and propagated along fuel burnup. This paper is towards the understanding of the statistical implications in Monte Carlo depletions, including both statistical bias and statistical variations in depleted fuel number densities. The deterministic Studsvik lattice physics code, CASMO-5, is modified to model the Monte Carlo depletion. The statistical bias in depleted number densities is found to be negligible compared to its statistical variations, which, in turn, demonstrates the correctness of the Monte Carlo depletion method. Meanwhile, the statistical variation in number densities generally increases with burnup. Several possible ways of reducing the statistical errors are discussed: 1) to increase the number of individual Monte Carlo histories; 2) to increase the number of time steps; 3) to run additional independent Monte Carlo depletion cases. Finally, a new Monte Carlo depletion methodology, called the batch depletion method, is proposed, which consists of performing a set of independent Monte Carlo depletions and is thus capable of estimating the overall statistical errors including both the local statistical error and the propagated statistical error. (authors)

  10. Monte Carlo simulation for IRRMA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gardner, R.P.; Liu Lianyan

    2000-01-01

    Monte Carlo simulation is fast becoming a standard approach for many radiation applications that were previously treated almost entirely by experimental techniques. This is certainly true for Industrial Radiation and Radioisotope Measurement Applications - IRRMA. The reasons for this include: (1) the increased cost and inadequacy of experimentation for design and interpretation purposes; (2) the availability of low cost, large memory, and fast personal computers; and (3) the general availability of general purpose Monte Carlo codes that are increasingly user-friendly, efficient, and accurate. This paper discusses the history and present status of Monte Carlo simulation for IRRMA including the general purpose (GP) and specific purpose (SP) Monte Carlo codes and future needs - primarily from the experience of the authors

  11. Dosimetric characterization of model Cs-1 Rev2 cesium-131 brachytherapy source in water phantoms and human tissues with MCNP5 Monte Carlo simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Jianhua; Zhang Hualin

    2008-01-01

    A recently developed alternative brachytherapy seed, Cs-1 Rev2 cesium-131, has begun to be used in clinical practice. The dosimetric characteristics of this source in various media, particularly in human tissues, have not been fully evaluated. The aim of this study was to calculate the dosimetric parameters for the Cs-1 Rev2 cesium-131 seed following the recommendations of the AAPM TG-43U1 report [Rivard et al., Med. Phys. 31, 633-674 (2004)] for new sources in brachytherapy applications. Dose rate constants, radial dose functions, and anisotropy functions of the source in water, Virtual Water, and relevant human soft tissues were calculated using MCNP5 Monte Carlo simulations following the TG-43U1 formalism. The results yielded dose rate constants of 1.048, 1.024, 1.041, and 1.044 cGy h -1 U -1 in water, Virtual Water, muscle, and prostate tissue, respectively. The conversion factor for this new source between water and Virtual Water was 1.02, between muscle and water was 1.006, and between prostate and water was 1.004. The authors' calculation of anisotropy functions in a Virtual Water phantom agreed closely with Murphy's measurements [Murphy et al., Med. Phys. 31, 1529-1538 (2004)]. Our calculations of the radial dose function in water and Virtual Water have good agreement with those in previous experimental and Monte Carlo studies. The TG-43U1 parameters for clinical applications in water, muscle, and prostate tissue are presented in this work

  12. Features of MCNP6

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goorley, T.; James, M.; Booth, T.; Brown, F.; Bull, J.; Cox, L.J.; Durkee, J.; Elson, J.; Fensin, M.; Forster, R.A.; Hendricks, J.; Hughes, H.G.; Johns, R.; Kiedrowski, B.; Martz, R.; Mashnik, S.; McKinney, G.; Pelowitz, D.; Prael, R.; Sweezy, J.

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • MCNP6 is simply and accurately described as the merger of MCNP5 and MCNPX capabilities, but it is much more than the sum of these two computer codes. • MCNP6 is the result of six years of effort by the MCNP5 and MCNPX code development teams. • These groups of people, residing in Los Alamos National Laboratory’s X Computational Physics Division, Monte Carlo Codes Group (XCP-3) and Nuclear Engineering and Nonproliferation Division, Radiation Transport Modeling Team (NEN-5) respectively, have combined their code development efforts to produce the next evolution of MCNP. • While maintenance and major bug fixes will continue for MCNP5 1.60 and MCNPX 2.7.0 for upcoming years, new code development capabilities only will be developed and released in MCNP6. • In fact, the initial release of MCNP6 contains numerous new features not previously found in either code. • These new features are summarized in this document. • Packaged with MCNP6 is also the new production release of the ENDF/B-VII.1 nuclear data files usable by MCNP. • The high quality of the overall merged code, usefulness of these new features, along with the desire in the user community to start using the merged code, have led us to make the first MCNP6 production release: MCNP6 version 1. • High confidence in the MCNP6 code is based on its performance with the verification and validation test suites, comparisons to its predecessor codes, our automated nightly software debugger tests, the underlying high quality nuclear and atomic databases, and significant testing by many beta testers. - Abstract: MCNP6 can be described as the merger of MCNP5 and MCNPX capabilities, but it is much more than the sum of these two computer codes. MCNP6 is the result of six years of effort by the MCNP5 and MCNPX code development teams. These groups of people, residing in Los Alamos National Laboratory’s X Computational Physics Division, Monte Carlo Codes Group (XCP-3) and Nuclear Engineering and

  13. Shielding calculations for industrial 5/7.5MeV electron accelerators using the MCNP Monte Carlo Code

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peri, Eyal; Orion, Itzhak

    2017-09-01

    High energy X-rays from accelerators are used to irradiate food ingredients to prevent growth and development of unwanted biological organisms in food, and by that extend the shelf life of the products. The production of X-rays is done by accelerating 5 MeV electrons and bombarding them into a heavy target (high Z). Since 2004, the FDA has approved using 7.5 MeV energy, providing higher production rates with lower treatments costs. In this study we calculated all the essential data needed for a straightforward concrete shielding design of typical food accelerator rooms. The following evaluation is done using the MCNP Monte Carlo code system: (1) Angular dependence (0-180°) of photon dose rate for 5 MeV and 7.5 MeV electron beams bombarding iron, aluminum, gold, tantalum, and tungsten targets. (2) Angular dependence (0-180°) spectral distribution simulations of bremsstrahlung for gold, tantalum, and tungsten bombarded by 5 MeV and 7.5 MeV electron beams. (3) Concrete attenuation calculations in several photon emission angles for the 5 MeV and 7.5 MeV electron beams bombarding a tantalum target. Based on the simulation, we calculated the expected increase in dose rate for facilities intending to increase the energy from 5 MeV to 7.5 MeV, and the concrete width needed to be added in order to keep the existing dose rate unchanged.

  14. Monte Carlo based simulation of LIAC intraoperative radiotherapy accelerator along with beam shaper applicator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N Heidarloo

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Intraoperative electron radiotherapy is one of the radiotherapy methods that delivers a high single fraction of radiation dose to the patient in one session during the surgery. Beam shaper applicator is one of the applicators that is recently employed with this radiotherapy method. This applicator has a considerable application in treatment of large tumors. In this study, the dosimetric characteristics of the electron beam produced by LIAC intraoperative radiotherapy accelerator in conjunction with this applicator have been evaluated through Monte Carlo simulation by MCNP code. The results showed that the electron beam produced by the beam shaper applicator would have the desirable dosimetric characteristics, so that the mentioned applicator can be considered for clinical purposes. Furthermore, the good agreement between the results of simulation and practical dosimetry, confirms the applicability of Monte Carlo method in determining the dosimetric parameters of electron beam  intraoperative radiotherapy

  15. (U) Introduction to Monte Carlo Methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hungerford, Aimee L. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2017-03-20

    Monte Carlo methods are very valuable for representing solutions to particle transport problems. Here we describe a “cook book” approach to handling the terms in a transport equation using Monte Carlo methods. Focus is on the mechanics of a numerical Monte Carlo code, rather than the mathematical foundations of the method.

  16. Forward-weighted CADIS method for variance reduction of Monte Carlo calculations of distributions and multiple localized quantities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wagner, J. C.; Blakeman, E. D.; Peplow, D. E.

    2009-01-01

    This paper presents a new hybrid (Monte Carlo/deterministic) method for increasing the efficiency of Monte Carlo calculations of distributions, such as flux or dose rate distributions (e.g., mesh tallies), as well as responses at multiple localized detectors and spectra. This method, referred to as Forward-Weighted CADIS (FW-CADIS), is a variation on the Consistent Adjoint Driven Importance Sampling (CADIS) method, which has been used for some time to very effectively improve the efficiency of Monte Carlo calculations of localized quantities, e.g., flux, dose, or reaction rate at a specific location. The basis of this method is the development of an importance function that represents the importance of particles to the objective of uniform Monte Carlo particle density in the desired tally regions. Implementation of this method utilizes the results from a forward deterministic calculation to develop a forward-weighted source for a deterministic adjoint calculation. The resulting adjoint function is then used to generate consistent space- and energy-dependent source biasing parameters and weight windows that are used in a forward Monte Carlo calculation to obtain approximately uniform statistical uncertainties in the desired tally regions. The FW-CADIS method has been implemented in the ADVANTG/MCNP framework and has been fully automated within the MAVRIC sequence of SCALE 6. Results of the application of the method to enabling the calculation of dose rates throughout an entire full-scale pressurized-water reactor facility are presented and discussed. (authors)

  17. Use experiences of MCNP in nuclear energy study. 2. Review of variance reduction techniques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sakurai, Kiyoshi; Yamamoto, Toshihiro [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment; eds.

    1998-03-01

    `MCNP Use Experience` Working Group was established in 1996 under the Special Committee on Nuclear Code Evaluation. This year`s main activity of the working group has been focused on the review of variance reduction techniques of Monte Carlo calculations. This working group dealt with the variance reduction techniques of (1) neutron and gamma ray transport calculation of fusion reactor system, (2) concept design of nuclear transmutation system using accelerator, (3) JMTR core calculation, (4) calculation of prompt neutron decay constant, (5) neutron and gamma ray transport calculation for exposure evaluation, (6) neutron and gamma ray transport calculation of shielding system, etc. Furthermore, this working group started an activity to compile `Guideline of Monte Carlo Calculation` which will be a standard in the future. The appendices of this report include this `Guideline`, the use experience of MCNP 4B and examples of Monte Carlo calculations of high energy charged particles. The 11 papers are indexed individually. (J.P.N.)

  18. Use experiences of MCNP in nuclear energy study. 2. Review of variance reduction techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakurai, Kiyoshi; Yamamoto, Toshihiro

    1998-03-01

    ''MCNP Use Experience'' Working Group was established in 1996 under the Special Committee on Nuclear Code Evaluation. This year''s main activity of the working group has been focused on the review of variance reduction techniques of Monte Carlo calculations. This working group dealt with the variance reduction techniques of (1) neutron and gamma ray transport calculation of fusion reactor system, (2) concept design of nuclear transmutation system using accelerator, (3) JMTR core calculation, (4) calculation of prompt neutron decay constant, (5) neutron and gamma ray transport calculation for exposure evaluation, (6) neutron and gamma ray transport calculation of shielding system, etc. Furthermore, this working group started an activity to compile ''Guideline of Monte Carlo Calculation'' which will be a standard in the future. The appendices of this report include this ''Guideline'', the use experience of MCNP 4B and examples of Monte Carlo calculations of high energy charged particles. The 11 papers are indexed individually. (J.P.N.)

  19. MCNP modelling of a combined neutron/gamma counter

    CERN Document Server

    Bourva, L C A; Ottmar, H; Weaver, D R

    1999-01-01

    A series of Monte Carlo neutron calculations for a combined gamma/passive neutron coincidence counter has been performed. This type of device, part of a suite of non-destructive assay instruments utilised for the enforcement of the Euratom nuclear safeguards within the European Union, is to be used for high accuracy measurements of the plutonium content of small samples of nuclear materials. The multi-purpose Monte Carlo N-particle (MCNP) code version 4B has been used to model in detail the neutron coincidence detector and to investigate the leakage self-multiplication of PuO sub 2 and mixed U-Pu oxide (MOX) reference samples used to calibrate the instrument. The MCNP calculations have been used together with a neutron coincidence counting interpretative model to determine characteristic parameters of the detector. A comparative study to both experimental and previous numerical results has been performed. Sensitivity curves of the variation of the detector's efficiency, epsilon, to, alpha, the ratio of (alpha...

  20. Reactor physics simulations with coupled Monte Carlo calculation and computational fluid dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seker, V.; Thomas, J. W.; Downar, T. J.

    2007-01-01

    The interest in high fidelity modeling of nuclear reactor cores has increased over the last few years and has become computationally more feasible because of the dramatic improvements in processor speed and the availability of low cost parallel platforms. In the research here high fidelity, multi-physics analyses was performed by solving the neutron transport equation using Monte Carlo methods and by solving the thermal-hydraulics equations using computational fluid dynamics. A computation tool based on coupling the Monte Carlo code MCNP5 and the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code STAR-CD was developed as an audit tool for lower order nuclear reactor calculations. This paper presents the methodology of the developed computer program 'McSTAR' along with the verification and validation efforts. McSTAR is written in PERL programming language and couples MCNP5 and the commercial CFD code STAR-CD. MCNP uses a continuous energy cross section library produced by the NJOY code system from the raw ENDF/B data. A major part of the work was to develop and implement methods to update the cross section library with the temperature distribution calculated by STAR-CD for every region. Three different methods were investigated and two of them are implemented in McSTAR. The user subroutines in STAR-CD are modified to read the power density data and assign them to the appropriate variables in the program and to write an output data file containing the temperature, density and indexing information to perform the mapping between MCNP and STAR-CD cells. The necessary input file manipulation, data file generation, normalization and multi-processor calculation settings are all done through the program flow in McSTAR. Initial testing of the code was performed using a single pin cell and a 3X3 PWR pin-cell problem. The preliminary results of the single pin-cell problem are compared with those obtained from a STAR-CD coupled calculation with the deterministic transport code De

  1. Preliminary evaluation of pin power distribution for fuel assemblies of SMART by MCNP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Kyo Youn

    1998-08-01

    Monte Carlo transport code MCNP can describe an object sophisticately by use of three-dimensional modelling and can adopt a continuous energy cross-section library. Therefore MCNP has been widely utilized in the field of radiation physics to estimate fluxes and dose rates for nuclear facilities and to review results from conventional methods such a as discrete ordinates method and point kernel method. The Monte Carlo method has recently been introduced to estimated the neutron multiplication factor and pin power distribution in the fuel assembly of a reactor core. The operating thermal power of SMART core is 330 MWt and there are 57 fuel assemblies in the core. In this study it was assumed that the core has 4 types of fuel assemblies. In this study, MCNP4a was used to perform to estimate criticality and normalized pin power distribution in a fuel assembly of SMART core. The results from MCNP4a calculations are able to be used review those from nuclear design/analysis code. It is very complicated to pick up interested data from MCNP output list and to normalize pin power distribution in a fuel assembly because MCNP is not only a nuclear design/analysis code. In this study a program FAPIN was developed to generated a generate a normalized pin power distribution from the MCNP output list. (author). 11 refs

  2. Hybrid SN/Monte Carlo research and results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baker, R.S.

    1993-01-01

    The neutral particle transport equation is solved by a hybrid method that iteratively couples regions where deterministic (S N ) and stochastic (Monte Carlo) methods are applied. The Monte Carlo and S N regions are fully coupled in the sense that no assumption is made about geometrical separation or decoupling. The hybrid Monte Carlo/S N method provides a new means of solving problems involving both optically thick and optically thin regions that neither Monte Carlo nor S N is well suited for by themselves. The hybrid method has been successfully applied to realistic shielding problems. The vectorized Monte Carlo algorithm in the hybrid method has been ported to the massively parallel architecture of the Connection Machine. Comparisons of performance on a vector machine (Cray Y-MP) and the Connection Machine (CM-2) show that significant speedups are obtainable for vectorized Monte Carlo algorithms on massively parallel machines, even when realistic problems requiring variance reduction are considered. However, the architecture of the Connection Machine does place some limitations on the regime in which the Monte Carlo algorithm may be expected to perform well

  3. Use of McCad for the conversion of ITER CAD data to MCNP geometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsige-Tamirat, H.; Fischer, U.; Serikov, A.; Stickel, S.

    2008-01-01

    The program McCad provides a CAD interface for the Monte Carlo transport code MCNP. It is able to convert CAD data into MCNP input geometry description and provides GUI components for modeling, visualization, and data exchange. It performs sequences of tests on CAD data to check its validity and neutronics appropriateness including completion of the final MCNP model by void geometries. McCad has been used to convert a 40 deg. ITER torus sector CAD model to a suitable MCNP geometry model. Results of MCNP calculations performed to validate the converted geometry are presented

  4. SU-E-T-521: Investigation of the Uncertainties Involved in Secondary Neutron/gamma Production in Geant4/MCNP6 Monte Carlo Codes for Proton Therapy Application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mirzakhanian, L; Enger, S; Giusti, V

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: A major concern in proton therapy is the production of secondary neutrons causing secondary cancers, especially in young adults and children. Most utilized Monte Carlo codes in proton therapy are Geant4 and MCNP. However, the default versions of Geant4 and MCNP6 do not have suitable cross sections or physical models to properly handle secondary particle production in proton energy ranges used for therapy. In this study, default versions of Geant4 and MCNP6 were modified to better handle production of secondaries by adding the TENDL-2012 cross-section library. Methods: In-water proton depth-dose was measured at the “The Svedberg Laboratory” in Uppsala (Sweden). The proton beam was mono-energetic with mean energy of 178.25±0.2 MeV. The measurement set-up was simulated by Geant4 version 10.00 (default and modified version) and MCNP6. Proton depth-dose, primary and secondary particle fluence and neutron equivalent dose were calculated. In case of Geant4, the secondary particle fluence was filtered by all the physics processes to identify the main process responsible for the difference between the default and modified version. Results: The proton depth-dose curves and primary proton fluence show a good agreement between both Geant4 versions and MCNP6. With respect to the modified version, default Geant4 underestimates the production of secondary neutrons while overestimates that of gammas. The “ProtonInElastic” process was identified as the main responsible process for the difference between the two versions. MCNP6 shows higher neutron production and lower gamma production than both Geant4 versions. Conclusion: Despite the good agreement on the proton depth dose curve and primary proton fluence, there is a significant discrepancy on secondary neutron production between MCNP6 and both versions of Geant4. Further studies are thus in order to find the possible cause of this discrepancy or more accurate cross-sections/models to handle the nuclear

  5. Radiation calculations using LAHET/MCNP/CINDER90

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Waters, L.

    1994-01-01

    The LAHET monte carlo code system has recently been expanded to include high energy hadronic interactions via the FLUKA code, while retaining the original Los Alamos versions of HETC and ISABEL at lower energies. Electrons and photons are transported with EGS4 or ITS, while the MCNP coupled neutron/photon monte carlo code provides analysis of neutrons with kinetic energies less than 20 MeV. An interface with the CINDER activation code is now in common use. Various other changes have been made to facilitate analysis of high energy accelerator radiation environments and experimental physics apparatus, such as those found at SSC and RHIC. Current code developments and applications are reviewed

  6. Criticality Analysis Of TCA Critical Lattices With MNCP-4C Monte Carlo Calculation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zuhair

    2002-01-01

    The use of uranium-plutonium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel in electric generation light water reactor (PWR, BWR) is being planned in Japan. Therefore, the accuracy evaluations of neutronic analysis code for MOX cores have been employed by many scientists and reactor physicists. Benchmark evaluations for TCA was done using various calculation methods. The Monte Carlo become the most reliable method to predict criticality of various reactor types. In this analysis, the MCNP-4C code was chosen because various superiorities the code has. All in all, the MCNP-4C calculation for TCA core with 38 MOX critical lattice configurations gave the results with high accuracy. The JENDL-3.2 library showed significantly closer results to the ENDF/B-V. The k eff values calculated with the ENDF/B-VI library gave underestimated results. The ENDF/B-V library gave the best estimation. It can be concluded that MCNP-4C calculation, especially with ENDF/B-V and JENDL-3.2 libraries, for MOX fuel utilized NPP design in reactor core is the best choice

  7. Application of SN and Monte Carlo codes to the SHEBA critical assemblies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    O'Dell, R.D.

    1993-01-01

    The Solution High-Energy Burst Assembly (SHEBA) at Los Alamos is a low-enriched (4.95 wt. %) aqueous uranyl fluoride solution critical assembly. There are two SHEBA configurations, both consisting of right circular cylinders with a central control rod. The first configuration, hereafter called the old SHEBA, had a fuel solution diameter of 54.6 cm and a measured critical solution height of 36.5 cm. An improved modification, hereafter called the new SHEBA, has a fuel solution diameter of 48.9 cm but since it is not yet operational, the critical solution height has not yet been measured. In this presentation the application of the discrete-ordinates (S N ) code TWODANT using Hansen-Roach cross sections and the MCNP Monte Carlo code using continuous-energy cross sections for calculating the critical solution heights for both the old and new SHEBA assemblies is described. The code's predictions are compared and it is shown that a single calculation with a standard computer code may yield misleading results, especially when using a Monte Carlo code

  8. MCB. A continuous energy Monte Carlo burnup simulation code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cetnar, J.; Wallenius, J.; Gudowski, W.

    1999-01-01

    A code for integrated simulation of neutrinos and burnup based upon continuous energy Monte Carlo techniques and transmutation trajectory analysis has been developed. Being especially well suited for studies of nuclear waste transmutation systems, the code is an extension of the well validated MCNP transport program of Los Alamos National Laboratory. Among the advantages of the code (named MCB) is a fully integrated data treatment combined with a time-stepping routine that automatically corrects for burnup dependent changes in reaction rates, neutron multiplication, material composition and self-shielding. Fission product yields are treated as continuous functions of incident neutron energy, using a non-equilibrium thermodynamical model of the fission process. In the present paper a brief description of the code and applied methods are given. (author)

  9. Lectures on Monte Carlo methods

    CERN Document Server

    Madras, Neal

    2001-01-01

    Monte Carlo methods form an experimental branch of mathematics that employs simulations driven by random number generators. These methods are often used when others fail, since they are much less sensitive to the "curse of dimensionality", which plagues deterministic methods in problems with a large number of variables. Monte Carlo methods are used in many fields: mathematics, statistics, physics, chemistry, finance, computer science, and biology, for instance. This book is an introduction to Monte Carlo methods for anyone who would like to use these methods to study various kinds of mathemati

  10. Implementation of multileaf collimator in a LINAC MCNP5 simulation coupled with the radiation treatment planing system PLUNC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abella, Vicente; Miro, Rafael; Juste, Belen; Verdu, Gumersindo

    2010-01-01

    Multileaf collimators are used on linear accelerators to provide conformal shaping of radiotherapy treatment beams, being an important tool for radiation therapy dose delivery. In this work, a multileaf collimator has been designed and implemented in the MCNP model of an Elekta Precise Linear Accelerator and introduced in PLUNC, a set of software tools for radiotherapy treatment planning (RTP) which was coupled in previous works with MCNP5 (Monte Carlo N-Particle transport code), with the purpose of comparing its effect on deterministic and Monte Carlo dose calculations. A 3D Shepp-Logan phantom was utilized as the patient model for validation purposes. Once the multileaf collimator model is implemented in the PLUNC LINAC model, a series of Matlab interfaces extract phantom and beam information created with PLUNC during the treatment plan and write it in MCNP5 input deck format. After the Monte Carlo simulation is performed, results are input back again in PLUNC in order to continue with the plan evaluation. The comparison is made via mapping of dose distribution inside the phantom with different field sizes, utilizing the MCNP5 tool EMESH, superimposed mesh tally, which allows registering the results over the problem geometry. This work follows a valid methodology for multileaf LINAC MC calculations during radiation treatment plans. (author)

  11. Monte Carlo simulation in nuclear medicine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morel, Ch.

    2007-01-01

    The Monte Carlo method allows for simulating random processes by using series of pseudo-random numbers. It became an important tool in nuclear medicine to assist in the design of new medical imaging devices, optimise their use and analyse their data. Presently, the sophistication of the simulation tools allows the introduction of Monte Carlo predictions in data correction and image reconstruction processes. The availability to simulate time dependent processes opens up new horizons for Monte Carlo simulation in nuclear medicine. In a near future, these developments will allow to tackle simultaneously imaging and dosimetry issues and soon, case system Monte Carlo simulations may become part of the nuclear medicine diagnostic process. This paper describes some Monte Carlo method basics and the sampling methods that were developed for it. It gives a referenced list of different simulation software used in nuclear medicine and enumerates some of their present and prospective applications. (author)

  12. VIP-Man: An image-based whole-body adult male model constructed from color photographs of the visible human project for multi-particle Monte Carlo calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, X.G.; Chao, T.C.; Bozkurt, A.

    2000-01-01

    Human anatomical models have been indispensable to radiation protection dosimetry using Monte Carlo calculations. Existing MIRD-based mathematical models are easy to compute and standardize, but they are simplified and crude compared to human anatomy. This article describes the development of an image-based whole-body model, called VIP-Man, using transversal color photographic images obtained from the National Library of Medicine's Visible Human Project for Monte Carlo organ dose calculations involving photons, electron, neutrons, and protons. As the first of a series of papers on dose calculations based on VIP-Man, this article provides detailed information about how to construct an image-based model, as well as how to adopt it into well-tested Monte Carlo codes, EGS4, MCNP4B, and MCNPX

  13. Monte Carlo modeling of the Fastscan whole body counter response

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Graham, H.R.; Waller, E.J.

    2015-01-01

    Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) was used to make a model of the Fastscan for the purpose of calibration. Two models were made one for the Pickering Nuclear Site, and one for the Darlington Nuclear Site. Once these models were benchmarked and found to be in good agreement, simulations were run to study the effect different sized phantoms had on the detected response, and the shielding effect of torso fat was not negligible. Simulations into the nature of a source being positioned externally on the anterior or posterior of a person were also conducted to determine a ratio that could be used to determine if a source is externally or internally placed. (author)

  14. Monte Carlo calculation of correction factors for radionuclide neutron source emission rate measurement by manganese bath method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Chunjuan; Liu Yi'na; Zhang Weihua; Wang Zhiqiang

    2014-01-01

    The manganese bath method for measuring the neutron emission rate of radionuclide sources requires corrections to be made for emitted neutrons which are not captured by manganese nuclei. The Monte Carlo particle transport code MCNP was used to simulate the manganese bath system of the standards for the measurement of neutron source intensity. The correction factors were calculated and the reliability of the model was demonstrated through the key comparison for the radionuclide neutron source emission rate measurements organized by BIPM. The uncertainties in the calculated values were evaluated by considering the sensitivities to the solution density, the density of the radioactive material, the positioning of the source, the radius of the bath, and the interaction cross-sections. A new method for the evaluation of the uncertainties in Monte Carlo calculation was given. (authors)

  15. Dose distribution and dosimetry parameters calculation of MED3633 Palladium-103 source in water phantom using MCNP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mowlavi, A. A.; Binesh, A.; Moslehitabar, H.

    2006-01-01

    Palladium-103 ( 103 Pd) is a brachytherapy source for cancer treatment. The Monte Carlo codes are usually applied for dose distribution and effect of shieldings. Monte Carlo calculation of dose distribution in water phantom due to a MED3633 103 Pd source is presented in this work. Materials and Methods: The dose distribution around the 10 3Pd Model MED3633 located in the center of 30*30*30 m 3 water phantom cube was calculated using MCNP code by the Monte Carlo method. The percentage depth dose variation along the different axis parallel and perpendicular to the source was also calculated. Then, the isodose curves for 100%, 75%, 50% and 25% percentage depth dose and dosimetry parameters of TG-43 protocol were determined. Results: The results show that the Monte Carlo Method could calculate dose deposition in high gradient region, near the source, accurately. The isodose curves and dosimetric characteristics obtained for MED3633 103 Pd source are in good agreement with published results. Conclusion: The isodose curves of the MED3633 103 Pd source have been derived form dose calculation by MCNP code. The calculated dosimetry parameters for the source agree quite well with their Monte Carlo calculated and experimental measurement values

  16. The Monte Carlo simulation of the neutron-induced prompt gamma ray spectroscopy of the CW abandoned by Japan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Bairong; Yang Zhongping; Zhan Wenzhong

    2003-01-01

    This paper introduced the principle of identifying the chemical weapon abandoned by Japan by neutron-induced prompt gamma ray. Using the MCNP-4C Monte Carlo program, this paper simulated and analyzed the neutron-induced prompt gamma ray spectroscopy of chemical weapon abandoned by Japan, whereby supply important datum and reference for the aftertime deeper research and disposal of Japan-abandoned chemical weapon. (authors)

  17. Uncertainty analysis in the simulation of an HPGe detector using the Monte Carlo Code MCNP5

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gallardo, Sergio; Pozuelo, Fausto; Querol, Andrea; Verdu, Gumersindo; Rodenas, Jose; Ortiz, J.; Pereira, Claubia

    2013-01-01

    A gamma spectrometer including an HPGe detector is commonly used for environmental radioactivity measurements. Many works have been focused on the simulation of the HPGe detector using Monte Carlo codes such as MCNP5. However, the simulation of this kind of detectors presents important difficulties due to the lack of information from manufacturers and due to loss of intrinsic properties in aging detectors. Some parameters such as the active volume or the Ge dead layer thickness are many times unknown and are estimated during simulations. In this work, a detailed model of an HPGe detector and a petri dish containing a certified gamma source has been done. The certified gamma source contains nuclides to cover the energy range between 50 and 1800 keV. As a result of the simulation, the Pulse Height Distribution (PHD) is obtained and the efficiency curve can be calculated from net peak areas and taking into account the certified activity of the source. In order to avoid errors due to the net area calculation, the simulated PHD is treated using the GammaVision software. On the other hand, it is proposed to use the Noether-Wilks formula to do an uncertainty analysis of model with the main goal of determining the efficiency curve of this detector and its associated uncertainty. The uncertainty analysis has been focused on dead layer thickness at different positions of the crystal. Results confirm the important role of the dead layer thickness in the low energy range of the efficiency curve. In the high energy range (from 300 to 1800 keV) the main contribution to the absolute uncertainty is due to variations in the active volume. (author)

  18. Uncertainty analysis in the simulation of an HPGe detector using the Monte Carlo Code MCNP5

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gallardo, Sergio; Pozuelo, Fausto; Querol, Andrea; Verdu, Gumersindo; Rodenas, Jose, E-mail: sergalbe@upv.es [Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, Valencia, (Spain). Instituto de Seguridad Industrial, Radiofisica y Medioambiental (ISIRYM); Ortiz, J. [Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, Valencia, (Spain). Servicio de Radiaciones. Lab. de Radiactividad Ambiental; Pereira, Claubia [Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil). Departamento de Engenharia Nuclear

    2013-07-01

    A gamma spectrometer including an HPGe detector is commonly used for environmental radioactivity measurements. Many works have been focused on the simulation of the HPGe detector using Monte Carlo codes such as MCNP5. However, the simulation of this kind of detectors presents important difficulties due to the lack of information from manufacturers and due to loss of intrinsic properties in aging detectors. Some parameters such as the active volume or the Ge dead layer thickness are many times unknown and are estimated during simulations. In this work, a detailed model of an HPGe detector and a petri dish containing a certified gamma source has been done. The certified gamma source contains nuclides to cover the energy range between 50 and 1800 keV. As a result of the simulation, the Pulse Height Distribution (PHD) is obtained and the efficiency curve can be calculated from net peak areas and taking into account the certified activity of the source. In order to avoid errors due to the net area calculation, the simulated PHD is treated using the GammaVision software. On the other hand, it is proposed to use the Noether-Wilks formula to do an uncertainty analysis of model with the main goal of determining the efficiency curve of this detector and its associated uncertainty. The uncertainty analysis has been focused on dead layer thickness at different positions of the crystal. Results confirm the important role of the dead layer thickness in the low energy range of the efficiency curve. In the high energy range (from 300 to 1800 keV) the main contribution to the absolute uncertainty is due to variations in the active volume. (author)

  19. AREVA Developments for an Efficient and Reliable use of Monte Carlo codes for Radiation Transport Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chapoutier, Nicolas; Mollier, François; Nolin, Guillaume; Culioli, Matthieu; Mace, Jean-Reynald

    2017-09-01

    In the context of the rising of Monte Carlo transport calculations for any kind of application, AREVA recently improved its suite of engineering tools in order to produce efficient Monte Carlo workflow. Monte Carlo codes, such as MCNP or TRIPOLI, are recognized as reference codes to deal with a large range of radiation transport problems. However the inherent drawbacks of theses codes - laboring input file creation and long computation time - contrast with the maturity of the treatment of the physical phenomena. The goals of the recent AREVA developments were to reach similar efficiency as other mature engineering sciences such as finite elements analyses (e.g. structural or fluid dynamics). Among the main objectives, the creation of a graphical user interface offering CAD tools for geometry creation and other graphical features dedicated to the radiation field (source definition, tally definition) has been reached. The computations times are drastically reduced compared to few years ago thanks to the use of massive parallel runs, and above all, the implementation of hybrid variance reduction technics. From now engineering teams are capable to deliver much more prompt support to any nuclear projects dealing with reactors or fuel cycle facilities from conceptual phase to decommissioning.

  20. Analysis of the TRIGA Mark-II benchmark IEU-COMP-THERM-003 with Monte Carlo code MVP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mahmood, Mohammad Sayem; Nagaya, Yasunobu; Mori, Takamasa

    2004-03-01

    The benchmark experiments of the TRIGA Mark-II reactor in the ICSBEP handbook have been analyzed with the Monte Carlo code MVP using the cross section libraries based on JENDL-3.3, JENDL-3.2 and ENDF/B-VI.8. The MCNP calculations have been also performed with the ENDF/B-VI.6 library for comparison between the MVP and MCNP results. For both cores labeled 132 and 133, which have different core configurations, the ratio of the calculated to the experimental results (C/E) for k eff obtained by the MVP code is 0.999 for JENDL-3.3, 1.003 for JENDL-3.2, and 0.998 for ENDF/B-VI.8. For the MCNP code, the C/E values are 0.998 for both Core 132 and 133. All the calculated results agree with the reference values within the experimental uncertainties. The results obtained by MVP with ENDF/B-VI.8 and MCNP with ENDF/B-VI.6 differ only by 0.02% for Core 132, and by 0.01% for Core 133. (author)

  1. Estimation and interpretation of keff confidence intervals in MCNP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Urbatsch, T.J.

    1995-01-01

    The Monte Carlo code MCNP has three different, but correlated, estimators for calculating k eff in nuclear criticality calculations: collision, absorption, and track length estimators. The combination of these three estimators, the three-combined k eff estimator, is shown to be the best k eff estimator available in MCNP for estimating k eff confidence intervals. Theoretically, the Gauss-Markov theorem provides a solid foundation for MCNP's three-combined estimator. Analytically, a statistical study, where the estimates are drawn using a known covariance matrix, shows that the three-combined estimator is superior to the estimator with the smallest variance. Empirically, MCNP examples for several physical systems demonstrate the three-combined estimator's superiority over each of the three individual estimators and its correct coverage rates. Additionally, the importance of MCNP's statistical checks is demonstrated

  2. Gamma streaming experiments for validation of Monte Carlo code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thilagam, L.; Mohapatra, D.K.; Subbaiah, K.V.; Iliyas Lone, M.; Balasubramaniyan, V.

    2012-01-01

    In-homogeneities in shield structures lead to considerable amount of leakage radiation (streaming) increasing the radiation levels in accessible areas. Development works on experimental as well as computational methods for quantifying this streaming radiation are still continuing. Monte Carlo based radiation transport code, MCNP is usually a tool for modeling and analyzing such problems involving complex geometries. In order to validate this computational method for streaming analysis, it is necessary to carry out some experimental measurements simulating these inhomogeneities like ducts and voids present in the bulk shields for typical cases. The data thus generated will be analysed by simulating the experimental set up employing MCNP code and optimized input parameters for the code in finding solutions for similar radiation streaming problems will be formulated. Comparison of experimental data obtained from radiation streaming experiments through ducts will give a set of thumb rules and analytical fits for total radiation dose rates within and outside the duct. The present study highlights the validation of MCNP code through the gamma streaming experiments carried out with the ducts of various shapes and dimensions. Over all, the present study throws light on suitability of MCNP code for the analysis of gamma radiation streaming problems for all duct configurations considered. In the present study, only dose rate comparisons have been made. Studies on spectral comparison of streaming radiation are in process. Also, it is planned to repeat the experiments with various shield materials. Since the penetrations and ducts through bulk shields are unavoidable in an operating nuclear facility the results on this kind of radiation streaming simulations and experiments will be very useful in the shield structure optimization without compromising the radiation safety

  3. Monte Carlo efficiency calibration of a neutron generator-based total-body irradiator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shypailo, R.J.; Ellis, K.J.

    2009-01-01

    Many body composition measurement systems are calibrated against a single-sized reference phantom. Prompt-gamma neutron activation (PGNA) provides the only direct measure of total body nitrogen (TBN), an index of the body's lean tissue mass. In PGNA systems, body size influences neutron flux attenuation, induced gamma signal distribution, and counting efficiency. Thus, calibration based on a single-sized phantom could result in inaccurate TBN values. We used Monte Carlo simulations (MCNP-5; Los Alamos National Laboratory) in order to map a system's response to the range of body weights (65-160 kg) and body fat distributions (25-60%) in obese humans. Calibration curves were constructed to derive body-size correction factors relative to a standard reference phantom, providing customized adjustments to account for differences in body habitus of obese adults. The use of MCNP-generated calibration curves should allow for a better estimate of the true changes in lean tissue mass that many occur during intervention programs focused only on weight loss. (author)

  4. Advanced Multilevel Monte Carlo Methods

    KAUST Repository

    Jasra, Ajay

    2017-04-24

    This article reviews the application of advanced Monte Carlo techniques in the context of Multilevel Monte Carlo (MLMC). MLMC is a strategy employed to compute expectations which can be biased in some sense, for instance, by using the discretization of a associated probability law. The MLMC approach works with a hierarchy of biased approximations which become progressively more accurate and more expensive. Using a telescoping representation of the most accurate approximation, the method is able to reduce the computational cost for a given level of error versus i.i.d. sampling from this latter approximation. All of these ideas originated for cases where exact sampling from couples in the hierarchy is possible. This article considers the case where such exact sampling is not currently possible. We consider Markov chain Monte Carlo and sequential Monte Carlo methods which have been introduced in the literature and we describe different strategies which facilitate the application of MLMC within these methods.

  5. Advanced Multilevel Monte Carlo Methods

    KAUST Repository

    Jasra, Ajay; Law, Kody; Suciu, Carina

    2017-01-01

    This article reviews the application of advanced Monte Carlo techniques in the context of Multilevel Monte Carlo (MLMC). MLMC is a strategy employed to compute expectations which can be biased in some sense, for instance, by using the discretization of a associated probability law. The MLMC approach works with a hierarchy of biased approximations which become progressively more accurate and more expensive. Using a telescoping representation of the most accurate approximation, the method is able to reduce the computational cost for a given level of error versus i.i.d. sampling from this latter approximation. All of these ideas originated for cases where exact sampling from couples in the hierarchy is possible. This article considers the case where such exact sampling is not currently possible. We consider Markov chain Monte Carlo and sequential Monte Carlo methods which have been introduced in the literature and we describe different strategies which facilitate the application of MLMC within these methods.

  6. Monte Carlo - Advances and Challenges

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, Forrest B.; Mosteller, Russell D.; Martin, William R.

    2008-01-01

    Abstract only, full text follows: With ever-faster computers and mature Monte Carlo production codes, there has been tremendous growth in the application of Monte Carlo methods to the analysis of reactor physics and reactor systems. In the past, Monte Carlo methods were used primarily for calculating k eff of a critical system. More recently, Monte Carlo methods have been increasingly used for determining reactor power distributions and many design parameters, such as β eff , l eff , τ, reactivity coefficients, Doppler defect, dominance ratio, etc. These advanced applications of Monte Carlo methods are now becoming common, not just feasible, but bring new challenges to both developers and users: Convergence of 3D power distributions must be assured; confidence interval bias must be eliminated; iterated fission probabilities are required, rather than single-generation probabilities; temperature effects including Doppler and feedback must be represented; isotopic depletion and fission product buildup must be modeled. This workshop focuses on recent advances in Monte Carlo methods and their application to reactor physics problems, and on the resulting challenges faced by code developers and users. The workshop is partly tutorial, partly a review of the current state-of-the-art, and partly a discussion of future work that is needed. It should benefit both novice and expert Monte Carlo developers and users. In each of the topic areas, we provide an overview of needs, perspective on past and current methods, a review of recent work, and discussion of further research and capabilities that are required. Electronic copies of all workshop presentations and material will be available. The workshop is structured as 2 morning and 2 afternoon segments: - Criticality Calculations I - convergence diagnostics, acceleration methods, confidence intervals, and the iterated fission probability, - Criticality Calculations II - reactor kinetics parameters, dominance ratio, temperature

  7. MCNP load balancing and fault tolerance with PVM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McKinney, G.W.

    1995-01-01

    Version 4A of the Monte Carlo neutron, photon, and electron transport code MCNP, developed by LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory), supports distributed-memory multiprocessing through the software package PVM (Parallel Virtual Machine, version 3.1.4). Using PVM for interprocessor communication, MCNP can simultaneously execute a single problem on a cluster of UNIX-based workstations. This capability provided system efficiencies that exceeded 80% on dedicated workstation clusters, however, on heterogeneous or multiuser systems, the performance was limited by the slowest processor (i.e., equal work was assigned to each processor). The next public release of MCNP will provide multiprocessing enhancements that include load balancing and fault tolerance which are shown to dramatically increase multiuser system efficiency and reliability

  8. Monte Carlo characterization of the Gamma-Med Hdr plus Ir-192 brachytherapy source

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reyes, E.; Sosa, M. A.; Gil V, A. [Universidad de Guanajuato, Division de Ciencias e Ingenierias, Av. Insurgentes 2354, 37150 Leon, Guanajuato (Mexico); Monzon, E., E-mail: eric_1985@fisica.ugto.mx [IMSS, Unidad Medica de Alta Especialidad No. 1, Av. Adolfo Lopez Mateos 1813, 37340 Leon, Guanajuato (Mexico)

    2015-10-15

    Full text: The MCNP4C Monte Carlo code was used to simulate the dosimetry around the Gamma-Med Hdr Plus iridium-192 brachytherapy source in both air/vacuum and water environments. Dosimetry data in water was calculated and are presented into an away-along table. All dosimetric quantities recommended by the AAPM Task Group 43 report have been also calculated. These quantities are air kerma strength, dose rate constant, radial dose function and anisotropy function. The obtained data are compared to this source reference data, finding results in good agreement with them. In this study, recommendations of the AAPM TG-43U1 report have been followed and comply with the most recent AAPM and ESTRO physics committee recommendations about Monte Carlo techniques. The data in the present study complement published data and can be used as input in the Tps or as benchmark data to verify the results of the treatment planning systems as well as a means of comparison with other datasets from this source. (Author)

  9. Monte Carlo characterization of the Gamma-Med Hdr plus Ir-192 brachytherapy source

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reyes, E.; Sosa, M. A.; Gil V, A.; Monzon, E.

    2015-10-01

    Full text: The MCNP4C Monte Carlo code was used to simulate the dosimetry around the Gamma-Med Hdr Plus iridium-192 brachytherapy source in both air/vacuum and water environments. Dosimetry data in water was calculated and are presented into an away-along table. All dosimetric quantities recommended by the AAPM Task Group 43 report have been also calculated. These quantities are air kerma strength, dose rate constant, radial dose function and anisotropy function. The obtained data are compared to this source reference data, finding results in good agreement with them. In this study, recommendations of the AAPM TG-43U1 report have been followed and comply with the most recent AAPM and ESTRO physics committee recommendations about Monte Carlo techniques. The data in the present study complement published data and can be used as input in the Tps or as benchmark data to verify the results of the treatment planning systems as well as a means of comparison with other datasets from this source. (Author)

  10. Absolute on-line in-pile measurement of neutron fluxes using self-powered neutron detectors: Monte Carlo sensitivity calculations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vermeeren, L. [SCK/CEN, B-2400 Mol (Belgium)

    2001-07-01

    Self-powered neutron detectors (SPND) are well suited to monitor continuously the neutronic operating conditions of driver fuel of research reactors and to follow its burnup evolution. This is of particular importance when advanced or new MTR fuel designs need to be qualified. We have developed a detailed MCNP-4B based Monte Carlo approach for the calculation of neutron sensitivities of SPNDs. Results for the neutron sensitivity of a Rh SPND are in excellent agreement with experimental data recently obtained at the BR2 research reactor. A critical comparison of the Monte Carlo results with results from standard analytical methods reveals an important deficiency of the analytical methods in the description of the electron transport efficiency. Our calculation method allows a reliable on-line determination of the absolute in-pile neutron flux. (author)

  11. Absolute on-line in-pile measurement of neutron fluxes using self-powered neutron detectors: Monte Carlo sensitivity calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vermeeren, L.

    2001-01-01

    Self-powered neutron detectors (SPND) are well suited to monitor continuously the neutronic operating conditions of driver fuel of research reactors and to follow its burnup evolution. This is of particular importance when advanced or new MTR fuel designs need to be qualified. We have developed a detailed MCNP-4B based Monte Carlo approach for the calculation of neutron sensitivities of SPNDs. Results for the neutron sensitivity of a Rh SPND are in excellent agreement with experimental data recently obtained at the BR2 research reactor. A critical comparison of the Monte Carlo results with results from standard analytical methods reveals an important deficiency of the analytical methods in the description of the electron transport efficiency. Our calculation method allows a reliable on-line determination of the absolute in-pile neutron flux. (author)

  12. Comparative Dosimetric Estimates of a 25 keV Electron Micro-beam with three Monte Carlo Codes

    CERN Document Server

    Mainardi, E; Donahue, R J

    2002-01-01

    The calculations presented compare the different performances of the three Monte Carlo codes PENELOPE-1999, MCNP-4C and PITS, for the evaluation of Dose profiles from a 25 keV electron micro-beam traversing individual cells. The overall model of a cell is a water cylinder equivalent for the three codes but with a different internal scoring geometry: hollow cylinders for PENELOPE and MCNP, whereas spheres are used for the PITS code. A cylindrical cell geometry with scoring volumes with the shape of hollow cylinders was initially selected for PENELOPE and MCNP because of its superior simulation of the actual shape and dimensions of a cell and for its improved computer-time efficiency if compared to spherical internal volumes. Some of the transfer points and energy transfer that constitute a radiation track may actually fall in the space between spheres, that would be outside the spherical scoring volume. This internal geometry, along with the PENELOPE algorithm, drastically reduced the computer time when using ...

  13. Fast sequential Monte Carlo methods for counting and optimization

    CERN Document Server

    Rubinstein, Reuven Y; Vaisman, Radislav

    2013-01-01

    A comprehensive account of the theory and application of Monte Carlo methods Based on years of research in efficient Monte Carlo methods for estimation of rare-event probabilities, counting problems, and combinatorial optimization, Fast Sequential Monte Carlo Methods for Counting and Optimization is a complete illustration of fast sequential Monte Carlo techniques. The book provides an accessible overview of current work in the field of Monte Carlo methods, specifically sequential Monte Carlo techniques, for solving abstract counting and optimization problems. Written by authorities in the

  14. The MC21 Monte Carlo Transport Code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sutton TM; Donovan TJ; Trumbull TH; Dobreff PS; Caro E; Griesheimer DP; Tyburski LJ; Carpenter DC; Joo H

    2007-01-01

    MC21 is a new Monte Carlo neutron and photon transport code currently under joint development at the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory and the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory. MC21 is the Monte Carlo transport kernel of the broader Common Monte Carlo Design Tool (CMCDT), which is also currently under development. The vision for CMCDT is to provide an automated, computer-aided modeling and post-processing environment integrated with a Monte Carlo solver that is optimized for reactor analysis. CMCDT represents a strategy to push the Monte Carlo method beyond its traditional role as a benchmarking tool or ''tool of last resort'' and into a dominant design role. This paper describes various aspects of the code, including the neutron physics and nuclear data treatments, the geometry representation, and the tally and depletion capabilities

  15. Monte Carlo Treatment Planning for Advanced Radiotherapy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cronholm, Rickard

    This Ph.d. project describes the development of a workflow for Monte Carlo Treatment Planning for clinical radiotherapy plans. The workflow may be utilized to perform an independent dose verification of treatment plans. Modern radiotherapy treatment delivery is often conducted by dynamically...... modulating the intensity of the field during the irradiation. The workflow described has the potential to fully model the dynamic delivery, including gantry rotation during irradiation, of modern radiotherapy. Three corner stones of Monte Carlo Treatment Planning are identified: Building, commissioning...... and validation of a Monte Carlo model of a medical linear accelerator (i), converting a CT scan of a patient to a Monte Carlo compliant phantom (ii) and translating the treatment plan parameters (including beam energy, angles of incidence, collimator settings etc) to a Monte Carlo input file (iii). A protocol...

  16. Application of Monte Carlo method for dose calculation in thyroid follicle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silva, Frank Sinatra Gomes da

    2008-02-01

    The Monte Carlo method is an important tool to simulate radioactive particles interaction with biologic medium. The principal advantage of the method when compared with deterministic methods is the ability to simulate a complex geometry. Several computational codes use the Monte Carlo method to simulate the particles transport and they have the capacity to simulate energy deposition in models of organs and/or tissues, as well models of cells of human body. Thus, the calculation of the absorbed dose to thyroid's follicles (compound of colloid and follicles' cells) have a fundamental importance to dosimetry, because these cells are radiosensitive due to ionizing radiation exposition, in particular, exposition due to radioisotopes of iodine, because a great amount of radioiodine may be released into the environment in case of a nuclear accidents. In this case, the goal of this work was use the code of particles transport MNCP4C to calculate absorbed doses in models of thyroid's follicles, for Auger electrons, internal conversion electrons and beta particles, by iodine-131 and short-lived iodines (131, 132, 133, 134 e 135), with diameters varying from 30 to 500 μm. The results obtained from simulation with the MCNP4C code shown an average percentage of the 25% of total absorbed dose by colloid to iodine- 131 and 75% to short-lived iodine's. For follicular cells, this percentage was of 13% to iodine-131 and 87% to short-lived iodine's. The contributions from particles with low energies, like Auger and internal conversion electrons should not be neglected, to assessment the absorbed dose in cellular level. Agglomerative hierarchical clustering was used to compare doses obtained by codes MCNP4C, EPOTRAN, EGS4 and by deterministic methods. (author)

  17. Characterization of array scintillation detector for follicle thyroid 2D imaging acquisition using Monte Carlo simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silva, Carlos Borges da

    2007-05-01

    The image acquisition methods applied to nuclear medicine and radiobiology are a valuable research study for determination of thyroid anatomy to seek disorders associated to follicular cells. The Monte Carlo (MC) simulation has also been used in problems related to radiation detection in order to map medical images since the improvement of data processing compatible with personnel computers (PC). This work presents an innovative study to find out the adequate scintillation inorganic detector array that could be coupled to a specific light photo sensor, a charge coupled device (CCD) through a fiber optic plate in order to map the follicles of thyroid gland. The goal is to choose the type of detector that fits the application suggested here with spatial resolution of 10 μm and good detector efficiency. The methodology results are useful to map a follicle image using gamma radiation emission. A source - detector simulation is performed by using a MCNP4B (Monte Carlo for Neutron Photon transport) general code considering different source energies, detector materials and geometries including pixel sizes and reflector types. The results demonstrate that by using MCNP4B code is possible to searching for useful parameters related to the systems used in nuclear medicine, specifically in radiobiology applied to endocrine physiology studies to acquiring thyroid follicles images. (author)

  18. Monte Carlo calculations of the neutron coincidence gate utilisation factor for passive neutron coincidence counting

    CERN Document Server

    Bourva, L C A

    1999-01-01

    The general purpose neutron-photon-electron Monte Carlo N-Particle code, MCNP sup T sup M , has been used to simulate the neutronic characteristics of the on-site laboratory passive neutron coincidence counter to be installed, under Euratom Safeguards Directorate supervision, at the Sellafield reprocessing plant in Cumbria, UK. This detector is part of a series of nondestructive assay instruments to be installed for the accurate determination of the plutonium content of nuclear materials. The present work focuses on one aspect of this task, namely, the accurate calculation of the coincidence gate utilisation factor. This parameter is an important term in the interpretative model used to analyse the passive neutron coincidence count data acquired using pulse train deconvolution electronics based on the shift register technique. It accounts for the limited proportion of neutrons detected within the time interval for which the electronics gate is open. The Monte Carlo code MCF, presented in this work, represents...

  19. State of the art of Monte Carlo technics for reliable activated waste evaluations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Culioli, Matthieu; Chapoutier, Nicolas; Barbier, Samuel; Janski, Sylvain

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents the calculation scheme used for many studies to assess the activities inventory of French shutdown reactors (including Pressurized Water Reactor, Heavy Water Reactor, Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor and Natural Uranium Gas Cooled or UNGG). This calculation scheme is based on Monte Carlo calculations (MCNP) and involves advanced technique for source modeling, geometry modeling (with Computer-Aided Design integration), acceleration methods and depletion calculations coupling on 3D meshes. All these techniques offer efficient and reliable evaluations on large scale model with a high level of details reducing the risks of underestimation or conservatisms. (authors)

  20. GB - a preliminary linking code between MCNP4C and Origen2.1 - DEN/UFMG version

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Campolina, Daniel; Pereira, Claubia; Veloso, Maria Auxiliadora Fortini; Cavatoni, Andre

    2009-01-01

    Nowadays it is possible to perform burnup simulation in a detailed 3D geometry and a continuous energy description by the Monte Carlo method. This paper describes an initial project to create and verify a connection code to link Origen2.1 (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) and MCNP4C (Los Alamos National Laboratory). Essentially the code includes point depletion capability to the MCNP code. The incorporation of point depletion capability is explicit and can be summarized by three steps: 1-Monte Carlo determines reaction rates, 2-the reaction rates are used to determine microscopic cross sections for depletion equations, 3-solution of depletion equations (given by Origen2.1) determines number densities for next MCNP step. To evaluate the initial version of the program, we focused on comparing the results with one of the major Monte Carlo burnup codes: MCNPX version 2.6.0. The input files for all codes share the same MCNP geometry, nuclear data library and core thermal power. While simulating 75 time steps at 800 kw of a Heat Pipe Power System model, we have found that the codes generate very similar results. The neutron flux and criticality value of the core agree, especially in the begin of burnup when the influence of fission products are not very considerable. The small difference encountered was probably caused by the difference in the number of isotopes considered in the transport models (89 MCNPX x 25 GB (author)

  1. Criticality assessment for prismatic high temperature reactors by fuel stochastic Monte Carlo modeling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zakova, Jitka [Department of Nuclear and Reactor Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, KTH, Roslagstullsbacken 21, S-10691 Stockholm (Sweden)], E-mail: jitka.zakova@neutron.kth.se; Talamo, Alberto [Nuclear Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, ANL, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States)], E-mail: alby@anl.gov

    2008-05-15

    Modeling of prismatic high temperature reactors requires a high precision description due to the triple heterogeneity of the core and also to the random distribution of fuel particles inside the fuel pins. On the latter issue, even with the most advanced Monte Carlo techniques, some approximation often arises while assessing the criticality level: first, a regular lattice of TRISO particles inside the fuel pins and, second, the cutting of TRISO particles by the fuel boundaries. We utilized two of the most accurate Monte Codes: MONK and MCNP, which are both used for licensing nuclear power plants in United Kingdom and in the USA, respectively, to evaluate the influence of the two previous approximations on estimating the criticality level of the Gas Turbine Modular Helium Reactor. The two codes exactly shared the same geometry and nuclear data library, ENDF/B, and only modeled different lattices of TRISO particles inside the fuel pins. More precisely, we investigated the difference between a regular lattice that cuts TRISO particles and a random lattice that axially repeats a region containing over 3000 non-cut particles. We have found that both Monte Carlo codes provide similar excesses of reactivity, provided that they share the same approximations.

  2. Monte carlo simulation for soot dynamics

    KAUST Repository

    Zhou, Kun

    2012-01-01

    A new Monte Carlo method termed Comb-like frame Monte Carlo is developed to simulate the soot dynamics. Detailed stochastic error analysis is provided. Comb-like frame Monte Carlo is coupled with the gas phase solver Chemkin II to simulate soot formation in a 1-D premixed burner stabilized flame. The simulated soot number density, volume fraction, and particle size distribution all agree well with the measurement available in literature. The origin of the bimodal distribution of particle size distribution is revealed with quantitative proof.

  3. Statistical estimation Monte Carlo for unreliability evaluation of highly reliable system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiao Gang; Su Guanghui; Jia Dounan; Li Tianduo

    2000-01-01

    Based on analog Monte Carlo simulation, statistical Monte Carlo methods for unreliable evaluation of highly reliable system are constructed, including direct statistical estimation Monte Carlo method and weighted statistical estimation Monte Carlo method. The basal element is given, and the statistical estimation Monte Carlo estimators are derived. Direct Monte Carlo simulation method, bounding-sampling method, forced transitions Monte Carlo method, direct statistical estimation Monte Carlo and weighted statistical estimation Monte Carlo are used to evaluate unreliability of a same system. By comparing, weighted statistical estimation Monte Carlo estimator has smallest variance, and has highest calculating efficiency

  4. Multilevel sequential Monte Carlo samplers

    KAUST Repository

    Beskos, Alexandros; Jasra, Ajay; Law, Kody; Tempone, Raul; Zhou, Yan

    2016-01-01

    In this article we consider the approximation of expectations w.r.t. probability distributions associated to the solution of partial differential equations (PDEs); this scenario appears routinely in Bayesian inverse problems. In practice, one often has to solve the associated PDE numerically, using, for instance finite element methods which depend on the step-size level . hL. In addition, the expectation cannot be computed analytically and one often resorts to Monte Carlo methods. In the context of this problem, it is known that the introduction of the multilevel Monte Carlo (MLMC) method can reduce the amount of computational effort to estimate expectations, for a given level of error. This is achieved via a telescoping identity associated to a Monte Carlo approximation of a sequence of probability distributions with discretization levels . ∞>h0>h1⋯>hL. In many practical problems of interest, one cannot achieve an i.i.d. sampling of the associated sequence and a sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) version of the MLMC method is introduced to deal with this problem. It is shown that under appropriate assumptions, the attractive property of a reduction of the amount of computational effort to estimate expectations, for a given level of error, can be maintained within the SMC context. That is, relative to exact sampling and Monte Carlo for the distribution at the finest level . hL. The approach is numerically illustrated on a Bayesian inverse problem. © 2016 Elsevier B.V.

  5. Multilevel sequential Monte Carlo samplers

    KAUST Repository

    Beskos, Alexandros

    2016-08-29

    In this article we consider the approximation of expectations w.r.t. probability distributions associated to the solution of partial differential equations (PDEs); this scenario appears routinely in Bayesian inverse problems. In practice, one often has to solve the associated PDE numerically, using, for instance finite element methods which depend on the step-size level . hL. In addition, the expectation cannot be computed analytically and one often resorts to Monte Carlo methods. In the context of this problem, it is known that the introduction of the multilevel Monte Carlo (MLMC) method can reduce the amount of computational effort to estimate expectations, for a given level of error. This is achieved via a telescoping identity associated to a Monte Carlo approximation of a sequence of probability distributions with discretization levels . ∞>h0>h1⋯>hL. In many practical problems of interest, one cannot achieve an i.i.d. sampling of the associated sequence and a sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) version of the MLMC method is introduced to deal with this problem. It is shown that under appropriate assumptions, the attractive property of a reduction of the amount of computational effort to estimate expectations, for a given level of error, can be maintained within the SMC context. That is, relative to exact sampling and Monte Carlo for the distribution at the finest level . hL. The approach is numerically illustrated on a Bayesian inverse problem. © 2016 Elsevier B.V.

  6. Applications of Monte Carlo method in Medical Physics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diez Rios, A.; Labajos, M.

    1989-01-01

    The basic ideas of Monte Carlo techniques are presented. Random numbers and their generation by congruential methods, which underlie Monte Carlo calculations are shown. Monte Carlo techniques to solve integrals are discussed. The evaluation of a simple monodimensional integral with a known answer, by means of two different Monte Carlo approaches are discussed. The basic principles to simualate on a computer photon histories reduce variance and the current applications in Medical Physics are commented. (Author)

  7. SU-F-T-111: Investigation of the Attila Deterministic Solver as a Supplement to Monte Carlo for Calculating Out-Of-Field Radiotherapy Dose

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mille, M; Lee, C [Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD (United States); Failla, G [Varian Medical Systems, Gig Harbor, WA (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: To use the Attila deterministic solver as a supplement to Monte Carlo for calculating out-of-field organ dose in support of epidemiological studies looking at the risks of second cancers. Supplemental dosimetry tools are needed to speed up dose calculations for studies involving large-scale patient cohorts. Methods: Attila is a multi-group discrete ordinates code which can solve the 3D photon-electron coupled linear Boltzmann radiation transport equation on a finite-element mesh. Dose is computed by multiplying the calculated particle flux in each mesh element by a medium-specific energy deposition cross-section. The out-of-field dosimetry capability of Attila is investigated by comparing average organ dose to that which is calculated by Monte Carlo simulation. The test scenario consists of a 6 MV external beam treatment of a female patient with a tumor in the left breast. The patient is simulated by a whole-body adult reference female computational phantom. Monte Carlo simulations were performed using MCNP6 and XVMC. Attila can export a tetrahedral mesh for MCNP6, allowing for a direct comparison between the two codes. The Attila and Monte Carlo methods were also compared in terms of calculation speed and complexity of simulation setup. A key perquisite for this work was the modeling of a Varian Clinac 2100 linear accelerator. Results: The solid mesh of the torso part of the adult female phantom for the Attila calculation was prepared using the CAD software SpaceClaim. Preliminary calculations suggest that Attila is a user-friendly software which shows great promise for our intended application. Computational performance is related to the number of tetrahedral elements included in the Attila calculation. Conclusion: Attila is being explored as a supplement to the conventional Monte Carlo radiation transport approach for performing retrospective patient dosimetry. The goal is for the dosimetry to be sufficiently accurate for use in retrospective

  8. Confidence interval procedures for Monte Carlo transport simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pederson, S.P.

    1997-01-01

    The problem of obtaining valid confidence intervals based on estimates from sampled distributions using Monte Carlo particle transport simulation codes such as MCNP is examined. Such intervals can cover the true parameter of interest at a lower than nominal rate if the sampled distribution is extremely right-skewed by large tallies. Modifications to the standard theory of confidence intervals are discussed and compared with some existing heuristics, including batched means normality tests. Two new types of diagnostics are introduced to assess whether the conditions of central limit theorem-type results are satisfied: the relative variance of the variance determines whether the sample size is sufficiently large, and estimators of the slope of the right tail of the distribution are used to indicate the number of moments that exist. A simulation study is conducted to quantify the relationship between various diagnostics and coverage rates and to find sample-based quantities useful in indicating when intervals are expected to be valid. Simulated tally distributions are chosen to emulate behavior seen in difficult particle transport problems. Measures of variation in the sample variance s 2 are found to be much more effective than existing methods in predicting when coverage will be near nominal rates. Batched means tests are found to be overly conservative in this regard. A simple but pathological MCNP problem is presented as an example of false convergence using existing heuristics. The new methods readily detect the false convergence and show that the results of the problem, which are a factor of 4 too small, should not be used. Recommendations are made for applying these techniques in practice, using the statistical output currently produced by MCNP

  9. Experience with the Monte Carlo Method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hussein, E M.A. [Department of Mechanical Engineering University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, N.B., (Canada)

    2007-06-15

    Monte Carlo simulation of radiation transport provides a powerful research and design tool that resembles in many aspects laboratory experiments. Moreover, Monte Carlo simulations can provide an insight not attainable in the laboratory. However, the Monte Carlo method has its limitations, which if not taken into account can result in misleading conclusions. This paper will present the experience of this author, over almost three decades, in the use of the Monte Carlo method for a variety of applications. Examples will be shown on how the method was used to explore new ideas, as a parametric study and design optimization tool, and to analyze experimental data. The consequences of not accounting in detail for detector response and the scattering of radiation by surrounding structures are two of the examples that will be presented to demonstrate the pitfall of condensed.

  10. Experience with the Monte Carlo Method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hussein, E.M.A.

    2007-01-01

    Monte Carlo simulation of radiation transport provides a powerful research and design tool that resembles in many aspects laboratory experiments. Moreover, Monte Carlo simulations can provide an insight not attainable in the laboratory. However, the Monte Carlo method has its limitations, which if not taken into account can result in misleading conclusions. This paper will present the experience of this author, over almost three decades, in the use of the Monte Carlo method for a variety of applications. Examples will be shown on how the method was used to explore new ideas, as a parametric study and design optimization tool, and to analyze experimental data. The consequences of not accounting in detail for detector response and the scattering of radiation by surrounding structures are two of the examples that will be presented to demonstrate the pitfall of condensed

  11. Monte Carlo alpha calculation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brockway, D.; Soran, P.; Whalen, P.

    1985-01-01

    A Monte Carlo algorithm to efficiently calculate static alpha eigenvalues, N = ne/sup ..cap alpha..t/, for supercritical systems has been developed and tested. A direct Monte Carlo approach to calculating a static alpha is to simply follow the buildup in time of neutrons in a supercritical system and evaluate the logarithmic derivative of the neutron population with respect to time. This procedure is expensive, and the solution is very noisy and almost useless for a system near critical. The modified approach is to convert the time-dependent problem to a static ..cap alpha../sup -/eigenvalue problem and regress ..cap alpha.. on solutions of a/sup -/ k/sup -/eigenvalue problem. In practice, this procedure is much more efficient than the direct calculation, and produces much more accurate results. Because the Monte Carlo codes are intrinsically three-dimensional and use elaborate continuous-energy cross sections, this technique is now used as a standard for evaluating other calculational techniques in odd geometries or with group cross sections.

  12. AREVA Developments for an Efficient and Reliable use of Monte Carlo codes for Radiation Transport Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chapoutier Nicolas

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In the context of the rising of Monte Carlo transport calculations for any kind of application, AREVA recently improved its suite of engineering tools in order to produce efficient Monte Carlo workflow. Monte Carlo codes, such as MCNP or TRIPOLI, are recognized as reference codes to deal with a large range of radiation transport problems. However the inherent drawbacks of theses codes - laboring input file creation and long computation time - contrast with the maturity of the treatment of the physical phenomena. The goals of the recent AREVA developments were to reach similar efficiency as other mature engineering sciences such as finite elements analyses (e.g. structural or fluid dynamics. Among the main objectives, the creation of a graphical user interface offering CAD tools for geometry creation and other graphical features dedicated to the radiation field (source definition, tally definition has been reached. The computations times are drastically reduced compared to few years ago thanks to the use of massive parallel runs, and above all, the implementation of hybrid variance reduction technics. From now engineering teams are capable to deliver much more prompt support to any nuclear projects dealing with reactors or fuel cycle facilities from conceptual phase to decommissioning.

  13. Monte Carlo simulations of neutron scattering instruments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aestrand, Per-Olof; Copenhagen Univ.; Lefmann, K.; Nielsen, K.

    2001-01-01

    A Monte Carlo simulation is an important computational tool used in many areas of science and engineering. The use of Monte Carlo techniques for simulating neutron scattering instruments is discussed. The basic ideas, techniques and approximations are presented. Since the construction of a neutron scattering instrument is very expensive, Monte Carlo software used for design of instruments have to be validated and tested extensively. The McStas software was designed with these aspects in mind and some of the basic principles of the McStas software will be discussed. Finally, some future prospects are discussed for using Monte Carlo simulations in optimizing neutron scattering experiments. (R.P.)

  14. Verification of tritium production evaluation procedure using Monte Carlo code MCNP for in-pile test of fusion blanket with JMTR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagao, Y.; Nakamichi, K.; Tsuchiya, M.; Ishitsuka, E.; Kawamura, H.

    2000-01-01

    To evaluate exactly the total amount of tritium production in tritium breeding materials during in-pile test with JMTR, the 'tritium monitor' has been produced and evaluation of total tritium generation was done by using 'tritium monitor' in preliminary in-pile mock-up, and verification of procedure concerning tritium production evaluation was conducted by using Monte Carlo code MCNP and nuclear cross section library of FSXLIBJ3R2. Li-Al alloy (Li 3.4 wt.%, 95.5% enrichment of 6 Li) was selected as tritium monitor material for the evaluation on the total amount of tritium production in high 6 Li enriched materials. From the results of preliminary experiment, calculated amounts of total tritium production at each 'tritium monitor', which was installed in the preliminary in-pile mock-up, were about 50-290% higher than the measured values. Concerning tritium measurement, increase of measurement error in tritium leak form measuring system to measure small amount of tritium (0.2-0.7 mCi in tritium monitor) was found in the results of present experiment. The tendency for overestimation of calculated thermal neutron flux in the range of 1-6x10 13 n cm -2 per s was found in JMTR and the reason may be due to the beryllium cross section data base in JENDL3.2

  15. Verification of tritium production evaluation procedure using Monte Carlo code MCNP for in-pile test of fusion blanket with JMTR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nagao, Y. E-mail: nagao@jmtr.oarai.jaeri.go.jp; Nakamichi, K.; Tsuchiya, M.; Ishitsuka, E.; Kawamura, H

    2000-11-01

    To evaluate exactly the total amount of tritium production in tritium breeding materials during in-pile test with JMTR, the 'tritium monitor' has been produced and evaluation of total tritium generation was done by using 'tritium monitor' in preliminary in-pile mock-up, and verification of procedure concerning tritium production evaluation was conducted by using Monte Carlo code MCNP and nuclear cross section library of FSXLIBJ3R2. Li-Al alloy (Li 3.4 wt.%, 95.5% enrichment of {sup 6}Li) was selected as tritium monitor material for the evaluation on the total amount of tritium production in high {sup 6}Li enriched materials. From the results of preliminary experiment, calculated amounts of total tritium production at each 'tritium monitor', which was installed in the preliminary in-pile mock-up, were about 50-290% higher than the measured values. Concerning tritium measurement, increase of measurement error in tritium leak form measuring system to measure small amount of tritium (0.2-0.7 mCi in tritium monitor) was found in the results of present experiment. The tendency for overestimation of calculated thermal neutron flux in the range of 1-6x10{sup 13} n cm{sup -2} per s was found in JMTR and the reason may be due to the beryllium cross section data base in JENDL3.2.

  16. Generating and verification of ACE-multigroup library for MCNP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Chaobin; Hu Zehua; Chen Yixue; Wu Jun; Yang Shouhai

    2012-01-01

    The Monte Carlo code MCNP can handle multigroup calculations and a sample multigroup set based on ENDF/B-V, MGXSNP, is available for MCNP for coupled neutron-photon transport. However, this library is not suit- able for all problems, and there is a need for users to be able to generate multigroup libraries tailored to their specific applications. For these purposes CSPT (cross section processing tool) is created to generate multigroup library for MCNP from deterministic multigroup cross sections (GENDF or ANISN format at present). Several ACE-multigroup libraries based on ENDF/B-VII.0 converted and verified in this work, we drawn the conclusion that the CSPT code works correctly and the libraries produced are credible. (authors)

  17. An enhanced geometry-independent mesh weight window generator for MCNP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Evans, T.M.; Hendricks, J.S.

    1997-01-01

    A new, enhanced, weight window generator suite has been developed for MCNP trademark. The new generator correctly estimates importances in either an user-specified, geometry-independent orthogonal grid or in MCNP geometric cells. The geometry-independent option alleviates the need to subdivide the MCNP cell geometry for variance reduction purposes. In addition, the new suite corrects several pathologies in the existing MCNP weight window generator. To verify the correctness of the new implementation, comparisons are performed with the analytical solution for the cell importance. Using the new generator, differences between Monte Carlo generated and analytical importances are less than 0.1%. Also, assumptions implicit in the original MCNP generator are shown to be poor in problems with high scattering media. The new generator is fully compatible with MCNP's AVATAR trademark automatic variance reduction method. The new generator applications, together with AVATAR, gives MCNP an enhanced suite of variance reduction methods. The flexibility and efficacy of this suite is demonstrated in a neutron porosity tool well-logging problem

  18. Comparison of MCNP5 and experimental results on neutron shielding effects for materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Torres, D. A. (Daniel A.); Mosteller, R. D. (Russell D.); Sweezy, J. E. (Jeremy E.)

    2004-01-01

    The MCNP Radiation-Shielding Validation Suite was created to assess the impact on dose rates and attenuation factors of future improvements in the MCNP Monte Carlo code or its nuclear data libraries. However, it does not currently contain any deep-penetration cases. For this reason, a set of deep-penetration benchmarks has been investigated for possible inclusion in the Suite. Overall, the MCNP5 results match the measured values quite well. Furthermore, with the exception of Resin-F, there is no systematic trend in the ratio of calculated to measured results.

  19. Impact of MCNP Unresolved Resonance Probability-Table Treatment on Uranium and Plutonium Benchmarks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mosteller, R.D.; Little, R.C.

    1999-01-01

    A probability-table treatment recently has been incorporated into an intermediate version of the MCNP Monte Carlo code named MCNP4XS. This paper presents MCNP4XS results for a variety of uranium and plutonium criticality benchmarks, calculated with and without the probability-table treatment. It is shown that the probability-table treatment can produce small but significant reactivity changes for plutonium and 233 U systems with intermediate spectra. More importantly, it can produce substantial reactivity increases for systems with large amounts of 238 U and intermediate spectra

  20. Study of an extrapolation chamber in a standard diagnostic radiology beam by Monte Carlo simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vedovato, Uly Pita; Silva, Rayre Janaina Vieira; Neves, Lucio Pereira; Santos, William S.; Perini, Ana Paula; Belinato, Walmir

    2016-01-01

    In this work, we studied the influence of the components of an extrapolation ionization chamber in its response. This study was undertaken using the MCNP-5 Monte Carlo code, and the standard diagnostic radiology quality for direct beams (RQR5). Using tally F6 and 2.1 x 10"9 simulated histories, the results showed that the chamber design and material not alter significantly the energy deposited in its sensitive volume. The collecting electrode and support board were the components with more influence on the chamber response. (author)

  1. Linear filtering applied to Monte Carlo criticality calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morrison, G.W.; Pike, D.H.; Petrie, L.M.

    1975-01-01

    A significant improvement in the acceleration of the convergence of the eigenvalue computed by Monte Carlo techniques has been developed by applying linear filtering theory to Monte Carlo calculations for multiplying systems. A Kalman filter was applied to a KENO Monte Carlo calculation of an experimental critical system consisting of eight interacting units of fissile material. A comparison of the filter estimate and the Monte Carlo realization was made. The Kalman filter converged in five iterations to 0.9977. After 95 iterations, the average k-eff from the Monte Carlo calculation was 0.9981. This demonstrates that the Kalman filter has the potential of reducing the calculational effort of multiplying systems. Other examples and results are discussed

  2. Burnup calculations using Monte Carlo method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ghosh, Biplab; Degweker, S.B.

    2009-01-01

    In the recent years, interest in burnup calculations using Monte Carlo methods has gained momentum. Previous burn up codes have used multigroup transport theory based calculations followed by diffusion theory based core calculations for the neutronic portion of codes. The transport theory methods invariably make approximations with regard to treatment of the energy and angle variables involved in scattering, besides approximations related to geometry simplification. Cell homogenisation to produce diffusion, theory parameters adds to these approximations. Moreover, while diffusion theory works for most reactors, it does not produce accurate results in systems that have strong gradients, strong absorbers or large voids. Also, diffusion theory codes are geometry limited (rectangular, hexagonal, cylindrical, and spherical coordinates). Monte Carlo methods are ideal to solve very heterogeneous reactors and/or lattices/assemblies in which considerable burnable poisons are used. The key feature of this approach is that Monte Carlo methods permit essentially 'exact' modeling of all geometrical detail, without resort to ene and spatial homogenization of neutron cross sections. Monte Carlo method would also be better for in Accelerator Driven Systems (ADS) which could have strong gradients due to the external source and a sub-critical assembly. To meet the demand for an accurate burnup code, we have developed a Monte Carlo burnup calculation code system in which Monte Carlo neutron transport code is coupled with a versatile code (McBurn) for calculating the buildup and decay of nuclides in nuclear materials. McBurn is developed from scratch by the authors. In this article we will discuss our effort in developing the continuous energy Monte Carlo burn-up code, McBurn. McBurn is intended for entire reactor core as well as for unit cells and assemblies. Generally, McBurn can do burnup of any geometrical system which can be handled by the underlying Monte Carlo transport code

  3. Monte Carlo simulations for plasma physics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okamoto, M.; Murakami, S.; Nakajima, N.; Wang, W.X.

    2000-07-01

    Plasma behaviours are very complicated and the analyses are generally difficult. However, when the collisional processes play an important role in the plasma behaviour, the Monte Carlo method is often employed as a useful tool. For examples, in neutral particle injection heating (NBI heating), electron or ion cyclotron heating, and alpha heating, Coulomb collisions slow down high energetic particles and pitch angle scatter them. These processes are often studied by the Monte Carlo technique and good agreements can be obtained with the experimental results. Recently, Monte Carlo Method has been developed to study fast particle transports associated with heating and generating the radial electric field. Further it is applied to investigating the neoclassical transport in the plasma with steep gradients of density and temperatures which is beyong the conventional neoclassical theory. In this report, we briefly summarize the researches done by the present authors utilizing the Monte Carlo method. (author)

  4. Calculation of self–shielding factor for neutron activation experiments using GEANT4 and MCNP

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Romero–Barrientos, Jaime, E-mail: jaromero@ing.uchile.cl [Comisión Chilena de Energía Nuclear, Nueva Bilbao 12501, Las Condes, Santiago (Chile); Universidad de Chile, DFI, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas Y Matemáticas, Avenida Blanco Encalada 2008, Santiago (Chile); Molina, F. [Comisión Chilena de Energía Nuclear, Nueva Bilbao 12501, Las Condes, Santiago (Chile); Aguilera, Pablo [Comisión Chilena de Energía Nuclear, Nueva Bilbao 12501, Las Condes, Santiago (Chile); Universidad de Chile, Depto. de Física, Facultad de Ciencias, Las Palmeras 3425, Ñuñoa, Santiago (Chile); Arellano, H. F. [Universidad de Chile, DFI, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas Y Matemáticas, Avenida Blanco Encalada 2008, Santiago (Chile)

    2016-07-07

    The neutron self–shielding factor G as a function of the neutron energy was obtained for 14 pure metallic samples in 1000 isolethargic energy bins from 1·10{sup −5}eV to 2·10{sup 7}eV using Monte Carlo simulations in GEANT4 and MCNP6. The comparison of these two Monte Carlo codes shows small differences in the final self–shielding factor mostly due to the different cross section databases that each program uses.

  5. Characterization of an extrapolation chamber for low-energy X-rays: Experimental and Monte Carlo preliminary results

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Neves, Lucio P., E-mail: lpneves@ipen.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN-CNEN), Comissao Nacional de Energia Nuclear, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes 2242, 05508-000 Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil); Silva, Eric A.B., E-mail: ebrito@usp.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN-CNEN), Comissao Nacional de Energia Nuclear, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes 2242, 05508-000 Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil); Perini, Ana P., E-mail: aperini@ipen.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN-CNEN), Comissao Nacional de Energia Nuclear, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes 2242, 05508-000 Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil); Maidana, Nora L., E-mail: nmaidana@if.usp.br [Universidade de Sao Paulo, Instituto de Fisica, Travessa R 187, 05508-900 Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil); Caldas, Linda V.E., E-mail: lcaldas@ipen.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN-CNEN), Comissao Nacional de Energia Nuclear, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes 2242, 05508-000 Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

    2012-07-15

    The extrapolation chamber is a parallel-plate ionization chamber that allows variation of its air-cavity volume. In this work, an experimental study and MCNP-4C Monte Carlo code simulations of an ionization chamber designed and constructed at the Calibration Laboratory at IPEN to be used as a secondary dosimetry standard for low-energy X-rays are reported. The results obtained were within the international recommendations, and the simulations showed that the components of the extrapolation chamber may influence its response up to 11.0%. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A homemade extrapolation chamber was studied experimentally and with Monte Carlo. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer It was characterized as a secondary dosimetry standard, for low energy X-rays. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Several characterization tests were performed and the results were satisfactory. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Simulation showed that its components may influence the response up to 11.0%. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer This chamber may be used as a secondary standard at our laboratory.

  6. Monte Carlo methods and models in finance and insurance

    CERN Document Server

    Korn, Ralf; Kroisandt, Gerald

    2010-01-01

    Offering a unique balance between applications and calculations, Monte Carlo Methods and Models in Finance and Insurance incorporates the application background of finance and insurance with the theory and applications of Monte Carlo methods. It presents recent methods and algorithms, including the multilevel Monte Carlo method, the statistical Romberg method, and the Heath-Platen estimator, as well as recent financial and actuarial models, such as the Cheyette and dynamic mortality models. The authors separately discuss Monte Carlo techniques, stochastic process basics, and the theoretical background and intuition behind financial and actuarial mathematics, before bringing the topics together to apply the Monte Carlo methods to areas of finance and insurance. This allows for the easy identification of standard Monte Carlo tools and for a detailed focus on the main principles of financial and insurance mathematics. The book describes high-level Monte Carlo methods for standard simulation and the simulation of...

  7. Monte Carlo approaches to light nuclei

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carlson, J.

    1990-01-01

    Significant progress has been made recently in the application of Monte Carlo methods to the study of light nuclei. We review new Green's function Monte Carlo results for the alpha particle, Variational Monte Carlo studies of 16 O, and methods for low-energy scattering and transitions. Through these calculations, a coherent picture of the structure and electromagnetic properties of light nuclei has arisen. In particular, we examine the effect of the three-nucleon interaction and the importance of exchange currents in a variety of experimentally measured properties, including form factors and capture cross sections. 29 refs., 7 figs

  8. Monte Carlo approaches to light nuclei

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Carlson, J.

    1990-01-01

    Significant progress has been made recently in the application of Monte Carlo methods to the study of light nuclei. We review new Green's function Monte Carlo results for the alpha particle, Variational Monte Carlo studies of {sup 16}O, and methods for low-energy scattering and transitions. Through these calculations, a coherent picture of the structure and electromagnetic properties of light nuclei has arisen. In particular, we examine the effect of the three-nucleon interaction and the importance of exchange currents in a variety of experimentally measured properties, including form factors and capture cross sections. 29 refs., 7 figs.

  9. Computational Model of D-Region Ion Production Caused by Energetic Electron Precipitations Based on General Monte Carlo Transport Calculations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kouznetsov, A.; Cully, C. M.

    2017-12-01

    During enhanced magnetic activities, large ejections of energetic electrons from radiation belts are deposited in the upper polar atmosphere where they play important roles in its physical and chemical processes, including VLF signals subionospheric propagation. Electron deposition can affect D-Region ionization, which are estimated based on ionization rates derived from energy depositions. We present a model of D-region ion production caused by an arbitrary (in energy and pitch angle) distribution of fast (10 keV - 1 MeV) electrons. The model relies on a set of pre-calculated results obtained using a general Monte Carlo approach with the latest version of the MCNP6 (Monte Carlo N-Particle) code for the explicit electron tracking in magnetic fields. By expressing those results using the ionization yield functions, the pre-calculated results are extended to cover arbitrary magnetic field inclinations and atmospheric density profiles, allowing ionization rate altitude profile computations in the range of 20 and 200 km at any geographic point of interest and date/time by adopting results from an external atmospheric density model (e.g. NRLMSISE-00). The pre-calculated MCNP6 results are stored in a CDF (Common Data Format) file, and IDL routines library is written to provide an end-user interface to the model.

  10. Monte Carlo N-particle simulation of neutron-based sterilisation of anthrax contamination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, B; Xu, J; Liu, T; Ouyang, X

    2012-10-01

    To simulate the neutron-based sterilisation of anthrax contamination by Monte Carlo N-particle (MCNP) 4C code. Neutrons are elementary particles that have no charge. They are 20 times more effective than electrons or γ-rays in killing anthrax spores on surfaces and inside closed containers. Neutrons emitted from a (252)Cf neutron source are in the 100 keV to 2 MeV energy range. A 2.5 MeV D-D neutron generator can create neutrons at up to 10(13) n s(-1) with current technology. All these enable an effective and low-cost method of killing anthrax spores. There is no effect on neutron energy deposition on the anthrax sample when using a reflector that is thicker than its saturation thickness. Among all three reflecting materials tested in the MCNP simulation, paraffin is the best because it has the thinnest saturation thickness and is easy to machine. The MCNP radiation dose and fluence simulation calculation also showed that the MCNP-simulated neutron fluence that is needed to kill the anthrax spores agrees with previous analytical estimations very well. The MCNP simulation indicates that a 10 min neutron irradiation from a 0.5 g (252)Cf neutron source or a 1 min neutron irradiation from a 2.5 MeV D-D neutron generator may kill all anthrax spores in a sample. This is a promising result because a 2.5 MeV D-D neutron generator output >10(13) n s(-1) should be attainable in the near future. This indicates that we could use a D-D neutron generator to sterilise anthrax contamination within several seconds.

  11. Simulation and the Monte Carlo method

    CERN Document Server

    Rubinstein, Reuven Y

    2016-01-01

    Simulation and the Monte Carlo Method, Third Edition reflects the latest developments in the field and presents a fully updated and comprehensive account of the major topics that have emerged in Monte Carlo simulation since the publication of the classic First Edition over more than a quarter of a century ago. While maintaining its accessible and intuitive approach, this revised edition features a wealth of up-to-date information that facilitates a deeper understanding of problem solving across a wide array of subject areas, such as engineering, statistics, computer science, mathematics, and the physical and life sciences. The book begins with a modernized introduction that addresses the basic concepts of probability, Markov processes, and convex optimization. Subsequent chapters discuss the dramatic changes that have occurred in the field of the Monte Carlo method, with coverage of many modern topics including: Markov Chain Monte Carlo, variance reduction techniques such as the transform likelihood ratio...

  12. Lecture 1. Monte Carlo basics. Lecture 2. Adjoint Monte Carlo. Lecture 3. Coupled Forward-Adjoint calculations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hoogenboom, J.E. [Delft University of Technology, Interfaculty Reactor Institute, Delft (Netherlands)

    2000-07-01

    The Monte Carlo method is a statistical method to solve mathematical and physical problems using random numbers. The principle of the methods will be demonstrated for a simple mathematical problem and for neutron transport. Various types of estimators will be discussed, as well as generally applied variance reduction methods like splitting, Russian roulette and importance biasing. The theoretical formulation for solving eigenvalue problems for multiplying systems will be shown. Some reflections will be given about the applicability of the Monte Carlo method, its limitations and its future prospects for reactor physics calculations. Adjoint Monte Carlo is a Monte Carlo game to solve the adjoint neutron (or photon) transport equation. The adjoint transport equation can be interpreted in terms of simulating histories of artificial particles, which show properties of neutrons that move backwards in history. These particles will start their history at the detector from which the response must be estimated and give a contribution to the estimated quantity when they hit or pass through the neutron source. Application to multigroup transport formulation will be demonstrated Possible implementation for the continuous energy case will be outlined. The inherent advantages and disadvantages of the method will be discussed. The Midway Monte Carlo method will be presented for calculating a detector response due to a (neutron or photon) source. A derivation will be given of the basic formula for the Midway Monte Carlo method The black absorber technique, allowing for a cutoff of particle histories when reaching the midway surface in one of the calculations will be derived. An extension of the theory to coupled neutron-photon problems is given. The method will be demonstrated for an oil well logging problem, comprising a neutron source in a borehole and photon detectors to register the photons generated by inelastic neutron scattering. (author)

  13. Lecture 1. Monte Carlo basics. Lecture 2. Adjoint Monte Carlo. Lecture 3. Coupled Forward-Adjoint calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoogenboom, J.E.

    2000-01-01

    The Monte Carlo method is a statistical method to solve mathematical and physical problems using random numbers. The principle of the methods will be demonstrated for a simple mathematical problem and for neutron transport. Various types of estimators will be discussed, as well as generally applied variance reduction methods like splitting, Russian roulette and importance biasing. The theoretical formulation for solving eigenvalue problems for multiplying systems will be shown. Some reflections will be given about the applicability of the Monte Carlo method, its limitations and its future prospects for reactor physics calculations. Adjoint Monte Carlo is a Monte Carlo game to solve the adjoint neutron (or photon) transport equation. The adjoint transport equation can be interpreted in terms of simulating histories of artificial particles, which show properties of neutrons that move backwards in history. These particles will start their history at the detector from which the response must be estimated and give a contribution to the estimated quantity when they hit or pass through the neutron source. Application to multigroup transport formulation will be demonstrated Possible implementation for the continuous energy case will be outlined. The inherent advantages and disadvantages of the method will be discussed. The Midway Monte Carlo method will be presented for calculating a detector response due to a (neutron or photon) source. A derivation will be given of the basic formula for the Midway Monte Carlo method The black absorber technique, allowing for a cutoff of particle histories when reaching the midway surface in one of the calculations will be derived. An extension of the theory to coupled neutron-photon problems is given. The method will be demonstrated for an oil well logging problem, comprising a neutron source in a borehole and photon detectors to register the photons generated by inelastic neutron scattering. (author)

  14. Response matrix of regular moderator volumes with 3He detector using Monte Carlo methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baltazar R, A.; Vega C, H. R.; Ortiz R, J. M.; Solis S, L. O.; Castaneda M, R.; Soto B, T. G.; Medina C, D.

    2017-10-01

    In the last three decades the uses of Monte Carlo methods, for the estimation of physical phenomena associated with the interaction of radiation with matter, have increased considerably. The reason is due to the increase in computing capabilities and the reduction of computer prices. Monte Carlo methods allow modeling and simulating real systems before their construction, saving time and costs. The interaction mechanisms between neutrons and matter are diverse and range from elastic dispersion to nuclear fission; to facilitate the neutrons detection, is necessary to moderate them until reaching electronic equilibrium with the medium at standard conditions of pressure and temperature, in this state the total cross section of the 3 He is large. The objective of the present work was to estimate the response matrix of a proportional detector of 3 He using regular volumes of moderator through Monte Carlo methods. Neutron monoenergetic sources with energies of 10 -9 to 20 MeV and polyethylene moderators of different sizes were used. The calculations were made with the MCNP5 code; the number of stories for each detector-moderator combination was large enough to obtain errors less than 1.5%. We found that for small moderators the highest response is obtained for lower energy neutrons, when increasing the moderator dimension we observe that the response decreases for neutrons of lower energy and increases for higher energy neutrons. The total sum of the responses of each moderator allows obtaining a response close to a constant function. (Author)

  15. Monte Carlo Simulation of a Linear Accelerator and Electron Beam Parameters Used in Radiotherapy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Taghi Bahreyni Toossi

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: In recent decades, several Monte Carlo codes have been introduced for research and medical applications. These methods provide both accurate and detailed calculation of particle transport from linear accelerators. The main drawback of Monte Carlo techniques is the extremely long computing time that is required in order to obtain a dose distribution with good statistical accuracy. Material and Methods: In this study, the MCNP-4C Monte Carlo code was used to simulate the electron beams generated by a Neptun 10 PC linear accelerator. The depth dose curves and related parameters to depth dose and beam profiles were calculated for 6, 8 and 10 MeV electron beams with different field sizes and these data were compared with the corresponding measured values. The actual dosimetry was performed by employing a Welhofer-Scanditronix dose scanning system, semiconductor detectors and ionization chambers. Results: The result showed good agreement (better than 2% between calculated and measured depth doses and lateral dose profiles for all energies in different field sizes. Also good agreements were achieved between calculated and measured related electron beam parameters such as E0, Rq, Rp and R50. Conclusion: The simulated model of the linac developed in this study is capable of computing electron beam data in a water phantom for different field sizes and the resulting data can be used to predict the dose distributions in other complex geometries.

  16. Monte Carlo Transport for Electron Thermal Transport

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chenhall, Jeffrey; Cao, Duc; Moses, Gregory

    2015-11-01

    The iSNB (implicit Schurtz Nicolai Busquet multigroup electron thermal transport method of Cao et al. is adapted into a Monte Carlo transport method in order to better model the effects of non-local behavior. The end goal is a hybrid transport-diffusion method that combines Monte Carlo Transport with a discrete diffusion Monte Carlo (DDMC). The hybrid method will combine the efficiency of a diffusion method in short mean free path regions with the accuracy of a transport method in long mean free path regions. The Monte Carlo nature of the approach allows the algorithm to be massively parallelized. Work to date on the method will be presented. This work was supported by Sandia National Laboratory - Albuquerque and the University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics.

  17. Characterization of array scintillation detector for follicle thyroid 2D imaging acquisition using Monte Carlo simulation; Caracterizacao de uma matriz detectora cintiladora para aquisicao de imagem 2D da regiao folicular da glandula tireoide por emissao radioativa usando simulacao Monte Carlo

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Silva, Carlos Borges da

    2007-05-15

    The image acquisition methods applied to nuclear medicine and radiobiology are a valuable research study for determination of thyroid anatomy to seek disorders associated to follicular cells. The Monte Carlo (MC) simulation has also been used in problems related to radiation detection in order to map medical images since the improvement of data processing compatible with personnel computers (PC). This work presents an innovative study to find out the adequate scintillation inorganic detector array that could be coupled to a specific light photo sensor, a charge coupled device (CCD) through a fiber optic plate in order to map the follicles of thyroid gland. The goal is to choose the type of detector that fits the application suggested here with spatial resolution of 10 {mu}m and good detector efficiency. The methodology results are useful to map a follicle image using gamma radiation emission. A source - detector simulation is performed by using a MCNP4B (Monte Carlo for Neutron Photon transport) general code considering different source energies, detector materials and geometries including pixel sizes and reflector types. The results demonstrate that by using MCNP4B code is possible to searching for useful parameters related to the systems used in nuclear medicine, specifically in radiobiology applied to endocrine physiology studies to acquiring thyroid follicles images. (author)

  18. Reactor physics verification of the MCNP6 unstructured mesh capability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burke, T. P.; Kiedrowski, B. C.; Martz, R. L.; Martin, W. R.

    2013-01-01

    The Monte Carlo software package MCNP6 has the ability to transport particles on unstructured meshes generated from the Computed-Aided Engineering software Abaqus. Verification is performed using benchmarks with features relevant to reactor physics - Big Ten and the C5G7 computational benchmark. Various meshing strategies are tested and results are compared to reference solutions. Computational performance results are also given. The conclusions show MCNP6 is capable of producing accurate calculations for reactor physics geometries and the computational requirements for small lattice benchmarks are reasonable on modern computing platforms. (authors)

  19. Reactor physics verification of the MCNP6 unstructured mesh capability

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Burke, T. P. [Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan, 2355 Bonisteel Boulevard, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Kiedrowski, B. C.; Martz, R. L. [X-Computational Physics Division, Monte Carlo Codes Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Martin, W. R. [Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan, 2355 Bonisteel Boulevard, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States)

    2013-07-01

    The Monte Carlo software package MCNP6 has the ability to transport particles on unstructured meshes generated from the Computed-Aided Engineering software Abaqus. Verification is performed using benchmarks with features relevant to reactor physics - Big Ten and the C5G7 computational benchmark. Various meshing strategies are tested and results are compared to reference solutions. Computational performance results are also given. The conclusions show MCNP6 is capable of producing accurate calculations for reactor physics geometries and the computational requirements for small lattice benchmarks are reasonable on modern computing platforms. (authors)

  20. New Tools to Prepare ACE Cross-section Files for MCNP Analytic Test Problems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, Forrest B.

    2016-01-01

    Monte Carlo calculations using one-group cross sections, multigroup cross sections, or simple continuous energy cross sections are often used to: (1) verify production codes against known analytical solutions, (2) verify new methods and algorithms that do not involve detailed collision physics, (3) compare Monte Carlo calculation methods with deterministic methods, and (4) teach fundamentals to students. In this work we describe 2 new tools for preparing the ACE cross-section files to be used by MCNP ® for these analytic test problems, simple a ce.pl and simple a ce m g.pl.

  1. Generalized hybrid Monte Carlo - CMFD methods for fission source convergence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wolters, Emily R.; Larsen, Edward W.; Martin, William R.

    2011-01-01

    In this paper, we generalize the recently published 'CMFD-Accelerated Monte Carlo' method and present two new methods that reduce the statistical error in CMFD-Accelerated Monte Carlo. The CMFD-Accelerated Monte Carlo method uses Monte Carlo to estimate nonlinear functionals used in low-order CMFD equations for the eigenfunction and eigenvalue. The Monte Carlo fission source is then modified to match the resulting CMFD fission source in a 'feedback' procedure. The two proposed methods differ from CMFD-Accelerated Monte Carlo in the definition of the required nonlinear functionals, but they have identical CMFD equations. The proposed methods are compared with CMFD-Accelerated Monte Carlo on a high dominance ratio test problem. All hybrid methods converge the Monte Carlo fission source almost immediately, leading to a large reduction in the number of inactive cycles required. The proposed methods stabilize the fission source more efficiently than CMFD-Accelerated Monte Carlo, leading to a reduction in the number of active cycles required. Finally, as in CMFD-Accelerated Monte Carlo, the apparent variance of the eigenfunction is approximately equal to the real variance, so the real error is well-estimated from a single calculation. This is an advantage over standard Monte Carlo, in which the real error can be underestimated due to inter-cycle correlation. (author)

  2. Is Monte Carlo embarrassingly parallel?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hoogenboom, J. E. [Delft Univ. of Technology, Mekelweg 15, 2629 JB Delft (Netherlands); Delft Nuclear Consultancy, IJsselzoom 2, 2902 LB Capelle aan den IJssel (Netherlands)

    2012-07-01

    Monte Carlo is often stated as being embarrassingly parallel. However, running a Monte Carlo calculation, especially a reactor criticality calculation, in parallel using tens of processors shows a serious limitation in speedup and the execution time may even increase beyond a certain number of processors. In this paper the main causes of the loss of efficiency when using many processors are analyzed using a simple Monte Carlo program for criticality. The basic mechanism for parallel execution is MPI. One of the bottlenecks turn out to be the rendez-vous points in the parallel calculation used for synchronization and exchange of data between processors. This happens at least at the end of each cycle for fission source generation in order to collect the full fission source distribution for the next cycle and to estimate the effective multiplication factor, which is not only part of the requested results, but also input to the next cycle for population control. Basic improvements to overcome this limitation are suggested and tested. Also other time losses in the parallel calculation are identified. Moreover, the threading mechanism, which allows the parallel execution of tasks based on shared memory using OpenMP, is analyzed in detail. Recommendations are given to get the maximum efficiency out of a parallel Monte Carlo calculation. (authors)

  3. Is Monte Carlo embarrassingly parallel?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoogenboom, J. E.

    2012-01-01

    Monte Carlo is often stated as being embarrassingly parallel. However, running a Monte Carlo calculation, especially a reactor criticality calculation, in parallel using tens of processors shows a serious limitation in speedup and the execution time may even increase beyond a certain number of processors. In this paper the main causes of the loss of efficiency when using many processors are analyzed using a simple Monte Carlo program for criticality. The basic mechanism for parallel execution is MPI. One of the bottlenecks turn out to be the rendez-vous points in the parallel calculation used for synchronization and exchange of data between processors. This happens at least at the end of each cycle for fission source generation in order to collect the full fission source distribution for the next cycle and to estimate the effective multiplication factor, which is not only part of the requested results, but also input to the next cycle for population control. Basic improvements to overcome this limitation are suggested and tested. Also other time losses in the parallel calculation are identified. Moreover, the threading mechanism, which allows the parallel execution of tasks based on shared memory using OpenMP, is analyzed in detail. Recommendations are given to get the maximum efficiency out of a parallel Monte Carlo calculation. (authors)

  4. Experimental characterization and Monte Carlo simulation of Si(Li) detector efficiency by radioactive sources and PIXE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mesradi, M. [Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert-Curien, UMR 7178 CNRS/IN2P3 et Universite Louis Pasteur, 23 rue du Loess, BP 28, F-67037 Strasbourg Cedex 2 (France); Elanique, A. [Departement de Physique, FS/BP 8106, Universite Ibn Zohr, Agadir, Maroc (Morocco); Nourreddine, A. [Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert-Curien, UMR 7178 CNRS/IN2P3 et Universite Louis Pasteur, 23 rue du Loess, BP 28, F-67037 Strasbourg Cedex 2 (France)], E-mail: abdelmjid.nourreddine@ires.in2p3.fr; Pape, A.; Raiser, D.; Sellam, A. [Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert-Curien, UMR 7178 CNRS/IN2P3 et Universite Louis Pasteur, 23 rue du Loess, BP 28, F-67037 Strasbourg Cedex 2 (France)

    2008-06-15

    This work relates to the study and characterization of the response function of an X-ray spectrometry system. The intrinsic efficiency of a Si(Li) detector has been simulated with the Monte Carlo codes MCNP and GEANT4 in the photon energy range of 2.6-59.5 keV. After finding it necessary to take a radiograph of the detector inside its cryostat to learn the correct dimensions, agreement within 10% between the simulations and experimental measurements with several point-like sources and PIXE results was obtained.

  5. Mean field simulation for Monte Carlo integration

    CERN Document Server

    Del Moral, Pierre

    2013-01-01

    In the last three decades, there has been a dramatic increase in the use of interacting particle methods as a powerful tool in real-world applications of Monte Carlo simulation in computational physics, population biology, computer sciences, and statistical machine learning. Ideally suited to parallel and distributed computation, these advanced particle algorithms include nonlinear interacting jump diffusions; quantum, diffusion, and resampled Monte Carlo methods; Feynman-Kac particle models; genetic and evolutionary algorithms; sequential Monte Carlo methods; adaptive and interacting Marko

  6. Variational Variance Reduction for Monte Carlo Criticality Calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Densmore, Jeffery D.; Larsen, Edward W.

    2001-01-01

    A new variational variance reduction (VVR) method for Monte Carlo criticality calculations was developed. This method employs (a) a variational functional that is more accurate than the standard direct functional, (b) a representation of the deterministically obtained adjoint flux that is especially accurate for optically thick problems with high scattering ratios, and (c) estimates of the forward flux obtained by Monte Carlo. The VVR method requires no nonanalog Monte Carlo biasing, but it may be used in conjunction with Monte Carlo biasing schemes. Some results are presented from a class of criticality calculations involving alternating arrays of fuel and moderator regions

  7. A Monte Carlo dosimetry study using Henschke applicator for cervical brachytherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu, Pei-Chieh; Chao, Tsi-Chian; Lee, Chung-Chi; Wu, Ching-Jung; Tung, Chuan-Jong

    2010-01-01

    In recent years the Henschke applicator has been widely used for gynecologic patients treated by brachytherapy in Taiwan. However, the commercial brachytherapy planning system did not properly evaluate the dose perturbation caused by the Henschke applicator. Since the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology advised that the effect of source shielding should be incorporated into the brachytherapy planning system, it required calculation and comparison of the dose distribution around the applicator. This study used the Monte Carlo MCNP code to simulate the dose distribution in a water phantom that contained the Henschke applicator with one tandem and two ovoids. Three dwell positions of a high dose rate 192 Ir source were simulated by including and excluding the applicator. The mesh tally option of the MCNP was applied to facilitate the calculation of a large number of tallies in the phantom. The voxel size effect and the charge particle equilibrium were studied by comparing the results calculated with different tally options. The calculated results showed that the brachytherapy planning system overestimated the rectal dose and that the shielding material in the applicator contributed more than 40% to the rectal dose.

  8. Monte Carlo Solutions for Blind Phase Noise Estimation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Çırpan Hakan

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates the use of Monte Carlo sampling methods for phase noise estimation on additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN channels. The main contributions of the paper are (i the development of a Monte Carlo framework for phase noise estimation, with special attention to sequential importance sampling and Rao-Blackwellization, (ii the interpretation of existing Monte Carlo solutions within this generic framework, and (iii the derivation of a novel phase noise estimator. Contrary to the ad hoc phase noise estimators that have been proposed in the past, the estimators considered in this paper are derived from solid probabilistic and performance-determining arguments. Computer simulations demonstrate that, on one hand, the Monte Carlo phase noise estimators outperform the existing estimators and, on the other hand, our newly proposed solution exhibits a lower complexity than the existing Monte Carlo solutions.

  9. Accelerating Pseudo-Random Number Generator for MCNP on GPU

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gong, Chunye; Liu, Jie; Chi, Lihua; Hu, Qingfeng; Deng, Li; Gong, Zhenghu

    2010-09-01

    Pseudo-random number generators (PRNG) are intensively used in many stochastic algorithms in particle simulations, artificial neural networks and other scientific computation. The PRNG in Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code (MCNP) requires long period, high quality, flexible jump and fast enough. In this paper, we implement such a PRNG for MCNP on NVIDIA's GTX200 Graphics Processor Units (GPU) using CUDA programming model. Results shows that 3.80 to 8.10 times speedup are achieved compared with 4 to 6 cores CPUs and more than 679.18 million double precision random numbers can be generated per second on GPU.

  10. An Electron/Photon/Relaxation Data Library for MCNP6

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hughes, III, H. Grady [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2015-08-07

    The capabilities of the MCNP6 Monte Carlo code in simulation of electron transport, photon transport, and atomic relaxation have recently been significantly expanded. The enhancements include not only the extension of existing data and methods to lower energies, but also the introduction of new categories of data and methods. Support of these new capabilities has required major additions to and redesign of the associated data tables. In this paper we present the first complete documentation of the contents and format of the new electron-photon-relaxation data library now available with the initial production release of MCNP6.

  11. Estimation and interpretation of keff confidence intervals in MCNP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Urbatsch, T.J.

    1995-11-01

    MCNP's criticality methodology and some basic statistics are reviewed. Confidence intervals are discussed, as well as how to build them and their importance in the presentation of a Monte Carlo result. The combination of MCNP's three k eff estimators is shown, theoretically and empirically, by statistical studies and examples, to be the best k eff estimator. The method of combining estimators is based on a solid theoretical foundation, namely, the Gauss-Markov Theorem in regard to the least squares method. The confidence intervals of the combined estimator are also shown to have correct coverage rates for the examples considered

  12. Monte Carlo based diffusion coefficients for LMFBR analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van Rooijen, Willem F.G.; Takeda, Toshikazu; Hazama, Taira

    2010-01-01

    A method based on Monte Carlo calculations is developed to estimate the diffusion coefficient of unit cells. The method uses a geometrical model similar to that used in lattice theory, but does not use the assumption of a separable fundamental mode used in lattice theory. The method uses standard Monte Carlo flux and current tallies, and the continuous energy Monte Carlo code MVP was used without modifications. Four models are presented to derive the diffusion coefficient from tally results of flux and partial currents. In this paper the method is applied to the calculation of a plate cell of the fast-spectrum critical facility ZEBRA. Conventional calculations of the diffusion coefficient diverge in the presence of planar voids in the lattice, but our Monte Carlo method can treat this situation without any problem. The Monte Carlo method was used to investigate the influence of geometrical modeling as well as the directional dependence of the diffusion coefficient. The method can be used to estimate the diffusion coefficient of complicated unit cells, the limitation being the capabilities of the Monte Carlo code. The method will be used in the future to confirm results for the diffusion coefficient obtained of the Monte Carlo code. The method will be used in the future to confirm results for the diffusion coefficient obtained with deterministic codes. (author)

  13. Radiosteoplasty study in animal bone and radiodosimetric evaluation using Monte Carlo code

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Silveira, Marcia Flavia; Campos, Tarcisio Passos Ribeiro [Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil). Dept. de Engenharia Nuclear]. E-mail: marciaflaviafisio@gmail.com; campos@nuclear.ufmg.br

    2007-07-01

    The radiosteoplasty is a procedure that consists of the injection of a radioactive biomaterial incorporated to the bone cement into the osseous structure affected by cancer. This technique has been developed with the major objective to control the tumor or the regional bone metastasis (in situ) besides pain reduction and structural resistance increasing. In the present study the radiosteoplasty is applied to the bovine and swine bones in vitro using non-radioactive cement. The objective is to know the spatial distribution of the cold compound (non radioactive) in pig and ox bones after implant. A 2 mm needle was introduced into the cortical bone previously perforated. The distribution of this biomaterial was observed trough radiological images obtained just after the compound application. Recent dosimetric studies using Monte Carlo N-Particle method (MCNP-5) concluded that the spatial dose distribution is suitable for the protocol namely radiosteoplasty applied to treat bone tumors on superior and inferior members. The Monte Carlo method simulates the present process and it is particularly interesting tool to solve the complex photon and electron particle transport problems that can not be modeled by codes based on deterministic methods. These related radiodosimetric studies are presented and discussed. (author)

  14. Computer system for Monte Carlo experimentation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grier, D.A.

    1986-01-01

    A new computer system for Monte Carlo Experimentation is presented. The new system speeds and simplifies the process of coding and preparing a Monte Carlo Experiment; it also encourages the proper design of Monte Carlo Experiments, and the careful analysis of the experimental results. A new functional language is the core of this system. Monte Carlo Experiments, and their experimental designs, are programmed in this new language; those programs are compiled into Fortran output. The Fortran output is then compiled and executed. The experimental results are analyzed with a standard statistics package such as Si, Isp, or Minitab or with a user-supplied program. Both the experimental results and the experimental design may be directly loaded into the workspace of those packages. The new functional language frees programmers from many of the details of programming an experiment. Experimental designs such as factorial, fractional factorial, or latin square are easily described by the control structures and expressions of the language. Specific mathematical modes are generated by the routines of the language

  15. Random Numbers and Monte Carlo Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scherer, Philipp O. J.

    Many-body problems often involve the calculation of integrals of very high dimension which cannot be treated by standard methods. For the calculation of thermodynamic averages Monte Carlo methods are very useful which sample the integration volume at randomly chosen points. After summarizing some basic statistics, we discuss algorithms for the generation of pseudo-random numbers with given probability distribution which are essential for all Monte Carlo methods. We show how the efficiency of Monte Carlo integration can be improved by sampling preferentially the important configurations. Finally the famous Metropolis algorithm is applied to classical many-particle systems. Computer experiments visualize the central limit theorem and apply the Metropolis method to the traveling salesman problem.

  16. LCG Monte-Carlo Data Base

    CERN Document Server

    Bartalini, P.; Kryukov, A.; Selyuzhenkov, Ilya V.; Sherstnev, A.; Vologdin, A.

    2004-01-01

    We present the Monte-Carlo events Data Base (MCDB) project and its development plans. MCDB facilitates communication between authors of Monte-Carlo generators and experimental users. It also provides a convenient book-keeping and an easy access to generator level samples. The first release of MCDB is now operational for the CMS collaboration. In this paper we review the main ideas behind MCDB and discuss future plans to develop this Data Base further within the CERN LCG framework.

  17. Alternative implementations of the Monte Carlo power method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blomquist, R.N.; Gelbard, E.M.

    2002-01-01

    We compare nominal efficiencies, i.e. variances in power shapes for equal running time, of different versions of the Monte Carlo eigenvalue computation, as applied to criticality safety analysis calculations. The two main methods considered here are ''conventional'' Monte Carlo and the superhistory method, and both are used in criticality safety codes. Within each of these major methods, different variants are available for the main steps of the basic Monte Carlo algorithm. Thus, for example, different treatments of the fission process may vary in the extent to which they follow, in analog fashion, the details of real-world fission, or may vary in details of the methods by which they choose next-generation source sites. In general the same options are available in both the superhistory method and conventional Monte Carlo, but there seems not to have been much examination of the special properties of the two major methods and their minor variants. We find, first, that the superhistory method is just as efficient as conventional Monte Carlo and, secondly, that use of different variants of the basic algorithms may, in special cases, have a surprisingly large effect on Monte Carlo computational efficiency

  18. Improving computational efficiency of Monte Carlo simulations with variance reduction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Turner, A.; Davis, A.

    2013-01-01

    CCFE perform Monte-Carlo transport simulations on large and complex tokamak models such as ITER. Such simulations are challenging since streaming and deep penetration effects are equally important. In order to make such simulations tractable, both variance reduction (VR) techniques and parallel computing are used. It has been found that the application of VR techniques in such models significantly reduces the efficiency of parallel computation due to 'long histories'. VR in MCNP can be accomplished using energy-dependent weight windows. The weight window represents an 'average behaviour' of particles, and large deviations in the arriving weight of a particle give rise to extreme amounts of splitting being performed and a long history. When running on parallel clusters, a long history can have a detrimental effect on the parallel efficiency - if one process is computing the long history, the other CPUs complete their batch of histories and wait idle. Furthermore some long histories have been found to be effectively intractable. To combat this effect, CCFE has developed an adaptation of MCNP which dynamically adjusts the WW where a large weight deviation is encountered. The method effectively 'de-optimises' the WW, reducing the VR performance but this is offset by a significant increase in parallel efficiency. Testing with a simple geometry has shown the method does not bias the result. This 'long history method' has enabled CCFE to significantly improve the performance of MCNP calculations for ITER on parallel clusters, and will be beneficial for any geometry combining streaming and deep penetration effects. (authors)

  19. Conversion of Input Data between KENO and MCNP File Formats for Computer Criticality Assessments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schwarz, Randolph A.; Carter, Leland L.; Schwarz Alysia L.

    2006-01-01

    KENO is a Monte Carlo criticality code that is maintained by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). KENO is included in the SCALE (Standardized Computer Analysis for Licensing Evaluation) package. KENO is often used because it was specifically designed for criticality calculations. Because KENO has convenient geometry input, including the treatment of lattice arrays of materials, it is frequently used for production calculations. Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) is a Monte Carlo transport code maintained by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). MCNP has a powerful 3D geometry package and an extensive cross section database. It is a general-purpose code and may be used for calculations involving shielding or medical facilities, for example, but can also be used for criticality calculations. MCNP is becoming increasingly more popular for performing production criticality calculations. Both codes have their own specific advantages. After a criticality calculation has been performed with one of the codes, it is often desirable (or may be a safety requirement) to repeat the calculation with the other code to compare the important parameters using a different geometry treatment and cross section database. This manual conversion of input files between the two codes is labor intensive. The industry needs the capability of converting geometry models between MCNP and KENO without a large investment in manpower. The proposed conversion package will aid the user in converting between the codes. It is not intended to be used as a ''black box''. The resulting input file will need to be carefully inspected by criticality safety personnel to verify the intent of the calculation is preserved in the conversion. The purpose of this package is to help the criticality specialist in the conversion process by converting the geometry, materials, and pertinent data cards

  20. Monte Carlo techniques for analyzing deep-penetration problems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cramer, S.N.; Gonnord, J.; Hendricks, J.S.

    1986-01-01

    Current methods and difficulties in Monte Carlo deep-penetration calculations are reviewed, including statistical uncertainty and recent adjoint optimization of splitting, Russian roulette, and exponential transformation biasing. Other aspects of the random walk and estimation processes are covered, including the relatively new DXANG angular biasing technique. Specific items summarized are albedo scattering, Monte Carlo coupling techniques with discrete ordinates and other methods, adjoint solutions, and multigroup Monte Carlo. The topic of code-generated biasing parameters is presented, including the creation of adjoint importance functions from forward calculations. Finally, current and future work in the area of computer learning and artificial intelligence is discussed in connection with Monte Carlo applications

  1. Odd-flavor Simulations by the Hybrid Monte Carlo

    CERN Document Server

    Takaishi, Tetsuya; Takaishi, Tetsuya; De Forcrand, Philippe

    2001-01-01

    The standard hybrid Monte Carlo algorithm is known to simulate even flavors QCD only. Simulations of odd flavors QCD, however, can be also performed in the framework of the hybrid Monte Carlo algorithm where the inverse of the fermion matrix is approximated by a polynomial. In this exploratory study we perform three flavors QCD simulations. We make a comparison of the hybrid Monte Carlo algorithm and the R-algorithm which also simulates odd flavors systems but has step-size errors. We find that results from our hybrid Monte Carlo algorithm are in agreement with those from the R-algorithm obtained at very small step-size.

  2. Quantum Monte Carlo approaches for correlated systems

    CERN Document Server

    Becca, Federico

    2017-01-01

    Over the past several decades, computational approaches to studying strongly-interacting systems have become increasingly varied and sophisticated. This book provides a comprehensive introduction to state-of-the-art quantum Monte Carlo techniques relevant for applications in correlated systems. Providing a clear overview of variational wave functions, and featuring a detailed presentation of stochastic samplings including Markov chains and Langevin dynamics, which are developed into a discussion of Monte Carlo methods. The variational technique is described, from foundations to a detailed description of its algorithms. Further topics discussed include optimisation techniques, real-time dynamics and projection methods, including Green's function, reptation and auxiliary-field Monte Carlo, from basic definitions to advanced algorithms for efficient codes, and the book concludes with recent developments on the continuum space. Quantum Monte Carlo Approaches for Correlated Systems provides an extensive reference ...

  3. Track 4: basic nuclear science variance reduction for Monte Carlo criticality simulations. 6. Variational Variance Reduction for Monte Carlo Criticality Calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Densmore, Jeffery D.; Larsen, Edward W.

    2001-01-01

    Recently, it has been shown that the figure of merit (FOM) of Monte Carlo source-detector problems can be enhanced by using a variational rather than a direct functional to estimate the detector response. The direct functional, which is traditionally employed in Monte Carlo simulations, requires an estimate of the solution of the forward problem within the detector region. The variational functional is theoretically more accurate than the direct functional, but it requires estimates of the solutions of the forward and adjoint source-detector problems over the entire phase-space of the problem. In recent work, we have performed Monte Carlo simulations using the variational functional by (a) approximating the adjoint solution deterministically and representing this solution as a function in phase-space and (b) estimating the forward solution using Monte Carlo. We have called this general procedure variational variance reduction (VVR). The VVR method is more computationally expensive per history than traditional Monte Carlo because extra information must be tallied and processed. However, the variational functional yields a more accurate estimate of the detector response. Our simulations have shown that the VVR reduction in variance usually outweighs the increase in cost, resulting in an increased FOM. In recent work on source-detector problems, we have calculated the adjoint solution deterministically and represented this solution as a linear-in-angle, histogram-in-space function. This procedure has several advantages over previous implementations: (a) it requires much less adjoint information to be stored and (b) it is highly efficient for diffusive problems, due to the accurate linear-in-angle representation of the adjoint solution. (Traditional variance-reduction methods perform poorly for diffusive problems.) Here, we extend this VVR method to Monte Carlo criticality calculations, which are often diffusive and difficult for traditional variance-reduction methods

  4. Response matrix of regular moderator volumes with {sup 3}He detector using Monte Carlo methods; Matriz respuesta de volumenes regulares de moderador con detector de {sup 3}He mediante metodos Monte Carlo

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baltazar R, A.; Vega C, H. R.; Ortiz R, J. M.; Solis S, L. O.; Castaneda M, R. [Universidad Autonoma de Zacatecas, Unidad Academica de Ingenieria Electrica, Programa de Doctorado en Ingenieria y Tecnologia Aplicada, Av. Lopez Velarde s/n, 98000 Zacatecas, Zac. (Mexico); Soto B, T. G.; Medina C, D., E-mail: raigosa.antonio@hotmail.com [Universidad Autonoma de Zacatecas, Unidad Academica de Estudios Nucleares, Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Basicas (Ciencias Nucleares), Cipres No. 10, Fracc. La Penuela, 98060 Zacatecas, Zac. (Mexico)

    2017-10-15

    In the last three decades the uses of Monte Carlo methods, for the estimation of physical phenomena associated with the interaction of radiation with matter, have increased considerably. The reason is due to the increase in computing capabilities and the reduction of computer prices. Monte Carlo methods allow modeling and simulating real systems before their construction, saving time and costs. The interaction mechanisms between neutrons and matter are diverse and range from elastic dispersion to nuclear fission; to facilitate the neutrons detection, is necessary to moderate them until reaching electronic equilibrium with the medium at standard conditions of pressure and temperature, in this state the total cross section of the {sup 3}He is large. The objective of the present work was to estimate the response matrix of a proportional detector of {sup 3}He using regular volumes of moderator through Monte Carlo methods. Neutron monoenergetic sources with energies of 10{sup -9} to 20 MeV and polyethylene moderators of different sizes were used. The calculations were made with the MCNP5 code; the number of stories for each detector-moderator combination was large enough to obtain errors less than 1.5%. We found that for small moderators the highest response is obtained for lower energy neutrons, when increasing the moderator dimension we observe that the response decreases for neutrons of lower energy and increases for higher energy neutrons. The total sum of the responses of each moderator allows obtaining a response close to a constant function. (Author)

  5. Non statistical Monte-Carlo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mercier, B.

    1985-04-01

    We have shown that the transport equation can be solved with particles, like the Monte-Carlo method, but without random numbers. In the Monte-Carlo method, particles are created from the source, and are followed from collision to collision until either they are absorbed or they leave the spatial domain. In our method, particles are created from the original source, with a variable weight taking into account both collision and absorption. These particles are followed until they leave the spatial domain, and we use them to determine a first collision source. Another set of particles is then created from this first collision source, and tracked to determine a second collision source, and so on. This process introduces an approximation which does not exist in the Monte-Carlo method. However, we have analyzed the effect of this approximation, and shown that it can be limited. Our method is deterministic, gives reproducible results. Furthermore, when extra accuracy is needed in some region, it is easier to get more particles to go there. It has the same kind of applications: rather problems where streaming is dominant than collision dominated problems

  6. Particle Track Visualization using the MCNP Visual Editor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schwarz, Randolph A.; Carter, Lee; Brown, Wendi A.

    2001-01-01

    The Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) visual editor1,2,3 is used throughout the world for displaying and creating complex MCNP geometries. The visual editor combines the Los Alamos MCNP Fortran code with a C front end to provide a visual interface. A big advantage of this approach is that the particle transport routines for MCNP are available to the visual front end. The latest release of the visual editor by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory enables the user to plot transport data points on top of a two-dimensional geometry plot. The user can plot source points, collisions points, surface crossings, and tally contributions. This capability can be used to show where particle collisions are occurring, verify the effectiveness of the particle biasing, or show which collisions contribute to a tally. For a KCODE (criticality source) calculation, the visual editor can be used to plot the source points for specific cycles

  7. New strategies of sensitivity analysis capabilities in continuous-energy Monte Carlo code RMC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qiu, Yishu; Liang, Jingang; Wang, Kan; Yu, Jiankai

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Data decomposition techniques are proposed for memory reduction. • New strategies are put forward and implemented in RMC code to improve efficiency and accuracy for sensitivity calculations. • A capability to compute region-specific sensitivity coefficients is developed in RMC code. - Abstract: The iterated fission probability (IFP) method has been demonstrated to be an accurate alternative for estimating the adjoint-weighted parameters in continuous-energy Monte Carlo forward calculations. However, the memory requirements of this method are huge especially when a large number of sensitivity coefficients are desired. Therefore, data decomposition techniques are proposed in this work. Two parallel strategies based on the neutron production rate (NPR) estimator and the fission neutron population (FNP) estimator for adjoint fluxes, as well as a more efficient algorithm which has multiple overlapping blocks (MOB) in a cycle, are investigated and implemented in the continuous-energy Reactor Monte Carlo code RMC for sensitivity analysis. Furthermore, a region-specific sensitivity analysis capability is developed in RMC. These new strategies, algorithms and capabilities are verified against analytic solutions of a multi-group infinite-medium problem and against results from other software packages including MCNP6, TSUANAMI-1D and multi-group TSUNAMI-3D. While the results generated by the NPR and FNP strategies agree within 0.1% of the analytic sensitivity coefficients, the MOB strategy surprisingly produces sensitivity coefficients exactly equal to the analytic ones. Meanwhile, the results generated by the three strategies in RMC are in agreement with those produced by other codes within a few percent. Moreover, the MOB strategy performs the most efficient sensitivity coefficient calculations (offering as much as an order of magnitude gain in FoMs over MCNP6), followed by the NPR and FNP strategies, and then MCNP6. The results also reveal that these

  8. Monte Carlo simulation of activity measurements by means of 4πβ-γ coincidence system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takeda, Mauro N.; Dias, Mauro S.; Koskinas, Marina F.

    2004-01-01

    The methodology for simulating all detection processes in a 4πβ-γ coincidence system by means of the Monte Carlo technique is described. The goal is to predict the behavior of the observed activity as a function of the 4πβ detector efficiency. In this approach, the information contained in the decay scheme is used for determining the contribution of all radiations emitted by the selected radionuclide, to the measured spectra by each detector. This simulation yields the shape of the coincidence spectrum, allowing the choice of suitable gamma-ray windows for which the activity can be obtained with maximum accuracy. The simulation can predict a detailed description of the extrapolation curve, mainly in the region where the 4πβ detector efficiency approaches 100%, which is experimentally unreachable due to self absorption of low energy electrons in the radioactive source substrate. The theoretical work is being developed with MCNP Monte Carlo code, applied to a gas-flow proportional counter of 4π geometry, coupled to a pair of NaI(Tl) crystals. The calculated efficiencies are compared to experimental results. The extrapolation curve can be obtained by means of another Monte Carlo algorithm, being developed in the present work, to take into account fundamental characteristics of a complex decay scheme, including different types of radiation and transitions. The present paper shows preliminary calculated values obtained by the simulation and compared to predicted analytical values for a simple decay scheme. (author)

  9. Study of the collecting electrode material of an extrapolation chamber by Monte Carlo simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vedovato, Uly Pita; Santos, William S.; Perini, Ana Paula; Belinato, Walmir

    2017-01-01

    In this work, the influence of different materials of the collecting electrode on the response of an extrapolation ionization chamber, was evaluated. This ionization chamber was simulated with the MCNP-4C Monte Carlo code and the spectrum of a standard diagnostic radiology beam (RQR5) was utilized. The different results are due to interactions of photons with different materials of the collecting electrode contributing with different values of energy deposited in the sensitive volume of the ionization chamber, which depends on the atomic number of the evaluated materials. The material that presented the least influence was graphite, the original constituent of the ionization chamber. (author)

  10. Determination of shielding parameters for different types of concretes by Monte Carlo methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aminian, A.; Nematollahi, M. R.

    2007-01-01

    The chose of a suitable concrete composition for a biological reactor shield remain as a research target up to now. In the present study the attempts has been made to estimate the influence of the concrete aggregates on the shielding parameters for three type of ordinary, serpentine and steel magnetite concrete by Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP ) transport code. MCNP calculations have been performed in order to obtain the leakage of neutrons, photons and electrons from dry shield. Also the mass attenuation coefficients and the liner attenuation coefficient are estimated for neutron and photon in those energies in range of actual energy which exist out of pressure vessel of power reactor in the cavity for the investigated concretes. The concrete densities ranged from 2.3 to 5.11 g/cm 3 . These calculations were done in the condition of a typical commercial Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR). The results show that Steel-magnetite concrete, with high density (5.11 g/cm 3 ) and constituents of relatively high atomic number, is an effective shield for both photons and neutrons

  11. Investigation of the applicability of MCNP code to complicated geometries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Higuchi, Kenji; Yamaguchi, Yukichi

    1994-03-01

    Applicability of MCNP code, which is a general purpose Monte Carlo code for particle transport problems, to complicated geometries, has been investigated as a study in Human Acts Simulation Program (HASP), in which basic studies for intelligent robot for patrol and inspection of nuclear facilities are being performed. In HASP, basic software systems simulating the behavior of intelligent robot of human shape working in Japan Research Reactor No.3 are being developed. The aim of Dose Evaluation system in HASP is to establish the methodology to evaluate irradiation damage of the LSI/VLSI circuits embedded within a robot body and to give design criteria of intelligent robot. Monte Carlo method is used to solve particle transport problem in a complicated geometry such as robot body. Preliminary evaluation to establish the methodology has been conducted using continuous energy Monte Carlo code, MCNP with the anthropomorphic phantom. The phantom has the same degree of geometric complexity as robot body and is widely used for the calculation of the effective dose equivalent for radiological protection. It allowed us to verify the validity of the methodology by comparison of calculation results with the data in ICRP Pub. 51. In this report, the method used in the calculation of effective dose equivalent, visualization system supporting visualization of input data for complicated geometry and the results in the evaluation of validity of the method by the comparison of the calculated results with the data in the ICRP publication are described. (author)

  12. An improved algorithm to convert CAD model to MCNP geometry model based on STEP file

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou, Qingguo; Yang, Jiaming; Wu, Jiong; Tian, Yanshan; Wang, Junqiong; Jiang, Hai; Li, Kuan-Ching

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Fully exploits common features of cells, making the processing efficient. • Accurately provide the cell position. • Flexible to add new parameters in the structure. • Application of novel structure in INP file processing, conveniently evaluate cell location. - Abstract: MCNP (Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code) is a general-purpose Monte Carlo N-Particle code that can be used for neutron, photon, electron, or coupled neutron/photon/electron transport. Its input file, the INP file, has the characteristics of complicated form and is error-prone when describing geometric models. Due to this, a conversion algorithm that can solve the problem by converting general geometric model to MCNP model during MCNP aided modeling is highly needed. In this paper, we revised and incorporated a number of improvements over our previous work (Yang et al., 2013), which was proposed and targeted after STEP file and INP file were analyzed. Results of experiments show that the revised algorithm is more applicable and efficient than previous work, with the optimized extraction of geometry and topology information of the STEP file, as well as the production efficiency of output INP file. This proposed research is promising, and serves as valuable reference for the majority of researchers involved with MCNP-related researches

  13. Application of Monte Carlo method in forward simulation of azimuthal gamma imaging while drilling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yuan Chao; Zhou Cancan; Zhang Feng; Chen Zhi

    2014-01-01

    Monte Carlo simulation is one of the most important numerical simulation methods in nuclear logging. Formation models can be conveniently built with MCNP code, which provides a simple and effective approach for fundamental study of nuclear logging. Monte Carlo method is employed to set up formation models under logging while drilling condition, and the characteristic of azimuthal gamma imaging is simulated. The results present that the azimuthal gamma imaging shows a sinusoidal curve features. The imaging can be used to accurately calculate the relative dip angle of borehole and thickness of radioactive formation. The larger relative dip angle of borehole and the thicker radioactive formation lead to the larger height of the sinusoidal curve in the imaging. The borehole size has no affect for the calculation of the relative dip angle, but largely affects the determination of formation thickness. The standoff of logging tool has great influence for the calculation of the relative dip angle and formation thickness. If the gamma ray counts meet the demand of counting statistics in nuclear logging, the effect of borehole fluid on the imaging can be ignored. (authors)

  14. Monte Carlo simulation of dose enhancement effect of X-ray at Au/Si interface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu Zhengxin; He Chengfa; Lu Wu; Guo Qi; Yu Xin; Zhang Lei; Deng Wei; Zheng Qiwen; ARKIN Abulim

    2013-01-01

    Background: The dose enhancement factor of X-ray was found in 1970s, because of its bad damage to electronic devices. Purpose: This paper is mainly to calculate the dose-enhancement factor at Au/Si interfaces. Methods: The gradient distribution of dose with X-rays has been studied at and near the interface of Au/Si by Monte-Carlo simulation of particle transportation. The mechanism of dose enhancement is discussed based on the principles of interaction of photon with matter. A 3D Au/Si model has been established by MCNP5 program and the dose-enhancement factors of different thicknesses Au/Si interfaces were calculated by Monte Carlo method. Results: The calculated results demonstrate that there exists a stronger dose-enhancement in the Si side near the interface when the energy of X-ray is 30-300 keV. Conclusions: When the thickness of Au is 0-10 μm, dose-enhancement factor of X-ray increases along with the increase of the thickness of Au, when the thickness of Au exceeds 10 μm, dose-enhancement factor of X-ray decreases along with the increase of the thickness of Au. (authors)

  15. Monte Carlo techniques for analyzing deep penetration problems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cramer, S.N.; Gonnord, J.; Hendricks, J.S.

    1985-01-01

    A review of current methods and difficulties in Monte Carlo deep-penetration calculations is presented. Statistical uncertainty is discussed, and recent adjoint optimization of splitting, Russian roulette, and exponential transformation biasing is reviewed. Other aspects of the random walk and estimation processes are covered, including the relatively new DXANG angular biasing technique. Specific items summarized are albedo scattering, Monte Carlo coupling techniques with discrete ordinates and other methods, adjoint solutions, and multi-group Monte Carlo. The topic of code-generated biasing parameters is presented, including the creation of adjoint importance functions from forward calculations. Finally, current and future work in the area of computer learning and artificial intelligence is discussed in connection with Monte Carlo applications

  16. Monte Carlo techniques for analyzing deep penetration problems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cramer, S.N.; Gonnord, J.; Hendricks, J.S.

    1985-01-01

    A review of current methods and difficulties in Monte Carlo deep-penetration calculations is presented. Statistical uncertainty is discussed, and recent adjoint optimization of splitting, Russian roulette, and exponential transformation biasing is reviewed. Other aspects of the random walk and estimation processes are covered, including the relatively new DXANG angular biasing technique. Specific items summarized are albedo scattering, Monte Carlo coupling techniques with discrete ordinates and other methods, adjoint solutions, and multi-group Monte Carlo. The topic of code-generated biasing parameters is presented, including the creation of adjoint importance functions from forward calculations. Finally, current and future work in the area of computer learning and artificial intelligence is discussed in connection with Monte Carlo applications. 29 refs

  17. Monte Carlo dose calculations for BNCT treatment of diffuse human lung tumours

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Altieri, S.; Bortolussi, S.; Bruschi, P.

    2006-01-01

    In order to test the possibility to apply BNCT in the core of diffuse lung tumours, dose distribution calculations were made. The simulations were performed with the Monte Carlo code MCNP.4c2, using the male computational phantom Adam, version 07/94. Volumes of interest were voxelized for the tally requests, and results were obtained for tissues with and without Boron. Different collimated neutron sources were tested in order to establish the proper energies, as well as single and multiple beams to maximize neutron flux uniformity inside the target organs. Flux and dose distributions are reported. The use of two opposite epithermal neutron collimated beams insures good levels of dose homogeneity inside the lungs, with a substantially lower radiation dose delivered to surrounding structures. (author)

  18. Monte Carlo calculations of the neutron coincidence gate utilisation factor for passive neutron coincidence counting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bourva, L.C.A.; Croft, S.

    1999-01-01

    The general purpose neutron-photon-electron Monte Carlo N-Particle code, MCNP TM , has been used to simulate the neutronic characteristics of the on-site laboratory passive neutron coincidence counter to be installed, under Euratom Safeguards Directorate supervision, at the Sellafield reprocessing plant in Cumbria, UK. This detector is part of a series of nondestructive assay instruments to be installed for the accurate determination of the plutonium content of nuclear materials. The present work focuses on one aspect of this task, namely, the accurate calculation of the coincidence gate utilisation factor. This parameter is an important term in the interpretative model used to analyse the passive neutron coincidence count data acquired using pulse train deconvolution electronics based on the shift register technique. It accounts for the limited proportion of neutrons detected within the time interval for which the electronics gate is open. The Monte Carlo code MCF, presented in this work, represents a new evaluation technique for the estimation of gate utilisation factors. It uses the die-away profile of a neutron coincidence chamber generated either by MCNP TM , or by other means, to simulate the neutron detection arrival time pattern originating from independent spontaneous fission events. A shift register simulation algorithm, embedded in the MCF code, then calculates the coincidence counts scored within the electronics gate. The gate utilisation factor is then deduced by dividing the coincidence counts obtained with that obtained in the same Monte Carlo run, but for an ideal detection system with a coincidence gate utilisation factor equal to unity. The MCF code has been benchmarked against analytical results calculated for both single and double exponential die-away profiles. These results are presented along with the development of the closed form algebraic expressions for the two cases. Results of this validity check showed very good agreement. On this

  19. TH-AB-207A-07: Radiation Dose Simulation for a Newly Proposed Dynamic Bowtie Filters for CT Using Fast Monte Carlo Methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, T; Lin, H; Gao, Y; Caracappa, P; Wang, G; Cong, W; Xu, X [Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: Dynamic bowtie filter is an innovative design capable of modulating the X-ray and balancing the flux in the detectors, and it introduces a new way of patient-specific CT scan optimizations. This study demonstrates the feasibility of performing fast Monte Carlo dose calculation for a type of dynamic bowtie filter for cone-beam CT (Liu et al. 2014 9(7) PloS one) using MIC coprocessors. Methods: The dynamic bowtie filter in question consists of a highly attenuating bowtie component (HB) and a weakly attenuating bowtie (WB). The HB is filled with CeCl3 solution and its surface is defined by a transcendental equation. The WB is an elliptical cylinder filled with air and immersed in the HB. As the scanner rotates, the orientation of WB remains the same with the static patient. In our Monte Carlo simulation, the HB was approximated by 576 boxes. The phantom was a voxelized elliptical cylinder composed of PMMA and surrounded by air (44cm×44cm×40cm, 1000×1000×1 voxels). The dose to the PMMA phantom was tallied with 0.15% statistical uncertainty under 100 kVp source. Two Monte Carlo codes ARCHER and MCNP-6.1 were compared. Both used double-precision. Compiler flags that may trade accuracy for speed were avoided. Results: The wall time of the simulation was 25.4 seconds by ARCHER on a 5110P MIC, 40 seconds on a X5650 CPU, and 523 seconds by the multithreaded MCNP on the same CPU. The high performance of ARCHER is attributed to the parameterized geometry and vectorization of the program hotspots. Conclusion: The dynamic bowtie filter modeled in this study is able to effectively reduce the dynamic range of the detected signals for the photon-counting detectors. With appropriate software optimization methods, the accelerator-based (MIC and GPU) Monte Carlo dose engines have shown good performance and can contribute to patient-specific CT scan optimizations.

  20. A comparison of the COG and MCNP codes in computational neutron capture therapy modeling, Part I: boron neutron capture therapy models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Culbertson, C N; Wangerin, K; Ghandourah, E; Jevremovic, T

    2005-08-01

    The goal of this study was to evaluate the COG Monte Carlo radiation transport code, developed and tested by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, for neutron capture therapy related modeling. A boron neutron capture therapy model was analyzed comparing COG calculational results to results from the widely used MCNP4B (Monte Carlo N-Particle) transport code. The approach for computing neutron fluence rate and each dose component relevant in boron neutron capture therapy is described, and calculated values are shown in detail. The differences between the COG and MCNP predictions are qualified and quantified. The differences are generally small and suggest that the COG code can be applied for BNCT research related problems.

  1. MCNP modelling of scintillation-detector gamma-ray spectra from natural radionuclides

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hendriks, Peter; Maucec, M; de Meijer, RJ

    gamma-ray spectra of natural radionuclides are simulated for a BGO detector in a borehole geometry using the Monte Carlo code MCNP. All gamma-ray emissions of the decay of K-40 and the series of Th-232 and U-238 are used to describe the source. A procedure is proposed which excludes the

  2. Biases in Monte Carlo eigenvalue calculations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gelbard, E.M.

    1992-12-01

    The Monte Carlo method has been used for many years to analyze the neutronics of nuclear reactors. In fact, as the power of computers has increased the importance of Monte Carlo in neutronics has also increased, until today this method plays a central role in reactor analysis and design. Monte Carlo is used in neutronics for two somewhat different purposes, i.e., (a) to compute the distribution of neutrons in a given medium when the neutron source-density is specified, and (b) to compute the neutron distribution in a self-sustaining chain reaction, in which case the source is determined as the eigenvector of a certain linear operator. In (b), then, the source is not given, but must be computed. In the first case (the ``fixed-source`` case) the Monte Carlo calculation is unbiased. That is to say that, if the calculation is repeated (``replicated``) over and over, with independent random number sequences for each replica, then averages over all replicas will approach the correct neutron distribution as the number of replicas goes to infinity. Unfortunately, the computation is not unbiased in the second case, which we discuss here.

  3. Biases in Monte Carlo eigenvalue calculations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gelbard, E.M.

    1992-01-01

    The Monte Carlo method has been used for many years to analyze the neutronics of nuclear reactors. In fact, as the power of computers has increased the importance of Monte Carlo in neutronics has also increased, until today this method plays a central role in reactor analysis and design. Monte Carlo is used in neutronics for two somewhat different purposes, i.e., (a) to compute the distribution of neutrons in a given medium when the neutron source-density is specified, and (b) to compute the neutron distribution in a self-sustaining chain reaction, in which case the source is determined as the eigenvector of a certain linear operator. In (b), then, the source is not given, but must be computed. In the first case (the fixed-source'' case) the Monte Carlo calculation is unbiased. That is to say that, if the calculation is repeated ( replicated'') over and over, with independent random number sequences for each replica, then averages over all replicas will approach the correct neutron distribution as the number of replicas goes to infinity. Unfortunately, the computation is not unbiased in the second case, which we discuss here.

  4. Biases in Monte Carlo eigenvalue calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gelbard, E.M.

    1992-01-01

    The Monte Carlo method has been used for many years to analyze the neutronics of nuclear reactors. In fact, as the power of computers has increased the importance of Monte Carlo in neutronics has also increased, until today this method plays a central role in reactor analysis and design. Monte Carlo is used in neutronics for two somewhat different purposes, i.e., (a) to compute the distribution of neutrons in a given medium when the neutron source-density is specified, and (b) to compute the neutron distribution in a self-sustaining chain reaction, in which case the source is determined as the eigenvector of a certain linear operator. In (b), then, the source is not given, but must be computed. In the first case (the ''fixed-source'' case) the Monte Carlo calculation is unbiased. That is to say that, if the calculation is repeated (''replicated'') over and over, with independent random number sequences for each replica, then averages over all replicas will approach the correct neutron distribution as the number of replicas goes to infinity. Unfortunately, the computation is not unbiased in the second case, which we discuss here

  5. Importance iteration in MORSE Monte Carlo calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kloosterman, J.L.; Hoogenboom, J.E.

    1994-01-01

    An expression to calculate point values (the expected detector response of a particle emerging from a collision or the source) is derived and implemented in the MORSE-SGC/S Monte Carlo code. It is outlined how these point values can be smoothed as a function of energy and as a function of the optical thickness between the detector and the source. The smoothed point values are subsequently used to calculate the biasing parameters of the Monte Carlo runs to follow. The method is illustrated by an example that shows that the obtained biasing parameters lead to a more efficient Monte Carlo calculation

  6. Importance iteration in MORSE Monte Carlo calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kloosterman, J.L.; Hoogenboom, J.E.

    1994-02-01

    An expression to calculate point values (the expected detector response of a particle emerging from a collision or the source) is derived and implemented in the MORSE-SGC/S Monte Carlo code. It is outlined how these point values can be smoothed as a function of energy and as a function of the optical thickness between the detector and the source. The smoothed point values are subsequently used to calculate the biasing parameters of the Monte Carlo runs to follow. The method is illustrated by an example, which shows that the obtained biasing parameters lead to a more efficient Monte Carlo calculation. (orig.)

  7. Advanced Computational Methods for Monte Carlo Calculations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brown, Forrest B. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2018-01-12

    This course is intended for graduate students who already have a basic understanding of Monte Carlo methods. It focuses on advanced topics that may be needed for thesis research, for developing new state-of-the-art methods, or for working with modern production Monte Carlo codes.

  8. Monte Carlo simulation of mixed neutron-gamma radiation fields and dosimetry devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Guoqing

    2011-01-01

    Monte Carlo methods based on random sampling are widely used in different fields for the capability of solving problems with a large number of coupled degrees of freedom. In this work, Monte Carlos methods are successfully applied for the simulation of the mixed neutron-gamma field in an interim storage facility and neutron dosimeters of different types. Details are discussed in two parts: In the first part, the method of simulating an interim storage facility loaded with CASTORs is presented. The size of a CASTOR is rather large (several meters) and the CASTOR wall is very thick (tens of centimeters). Obtaining the results of dose rates outside a CASTOR with reasonable errors costs usually hours or even days. For the simulation of a large amount of CASTORs in an interim storage facility, it needs weeks or even months to finish a calculation. Variance reduction techniques were used to reduce the calculation time and to achieve reasonable relative errors. Source clones were applied to avoid unnecessary repeated calculations. In addition, the simulations were performed on a cluster system. With the calculation techniques discussed above, the efficiencies of calculations can be improved evidently. In the second part, the methods of simulating the response of neutron dosimeters are presented. An Alnor albedo dosimeter was modelled in MCNP, and it has been simulated in the facility to calculate the calibration factor to get the evaluated response to a Cf-252 source. The angular response of Makrofol detectors to fast neutrons has also been investigated. As a kind of SSNTD, Makrofol can detect fast neutrons by recording the neutron induced heavy charged recoils. To obtain the information of charged recoils, general-purpose Monte Carlo codes were used for transporting incident neutrons. The response of Makrofol to fast neutrons is dependent on several factors. Based on the parameters which affect the track revealing, the formation of visible tracks was determined. For

  9. Monte Carlo simulation of mixed neutron-gamma radiation fields and dosimetry devices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Guoqing

    2011-12-22

    Monte Carlo methods based on random sampling are widely used in different fields for the capability of solving problems with a large number of coupled degrees of freedom. In this work, Monte Carlos methods are successfully applied for the simulation of the mixed neutron-gamma field in an interim storage facility and neutron dosimeters of different types. Details are discussed in two parts: In the first part, the method of simulating an interim storage facility loaded with CASTORs is presented. The size of a CASTOR is rather large (several meters) and the CASTOR wall is very thick (tens of centimeters). Obtaining the results of dose rates outside a CASTOR with reasonable errors costs usually hours or even days. For the simulation of a large amount of CASTORs in an interim storage facility, it needs weeks or even months to finish a calculation. Variance reduction techniques were used to reduce the calculation time and to achieve reasonable relative errors. Source clones were applied to avoid unnecessary repeated calculations. In addition, the simulations were performed on a cluster system. With the calculation techniques discussed above, the efficiencies of calculations can be improved evidently. In the second part, the methods of simulating the response of neutron dosimeters are presented. An Alnor albedo dosimeter was modelled in MCNP, and it has been simulated in the facility to calculate the calibration factor to get the evaluated response to a Cf-252 source. The angular response of Makrofol detectors to fast neutrons has also been investigated. As a kind of SSNTD, Makrofol can detect fast neutrons by recording the neutron induced heavy charged recoils. To obtain the information of charged recoils, general-purpose Monte Carlo codes were used for transporting incident neutrons. The response of Makrofol to fast neutrons is dependent on several factors. Based on the parameters which affect the track revealing, the formation of visible tracks was determined. For

  10. Validation of the MCNP-DSP Monte Carlo code for calculating source-driven noise parameters of subcritical systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valentine, T.E.; Mihalczo, J.T.

    1995-01-01

    This paper describes calculations performed to validate the modified version of the MCNP code, the MCNP-DSP, used for: the neutron and photon spectra of the spontaneous fission of californium 252; the representation of the detection processes for scattering detectors; the timing of the detection process; and the calculation of the frequency analysis parameters for the MCNP-DSP code

  11. Prospect on general software of Monte Carlo method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pei Lucheng

    1992-01-01

    This is a short paper on the prospect of Monte Carlo general software. The content consists of cluster sampling method, zero variance technique, self-improved method, and vectorized Monte Carlo method

  12. Strategije drevesnega preiskovanja Monte Carlo

    OpenAIRE

    VODOPIVEC, TOM

    2018-01-01

    Po preboju pri igri go so metode drevesnega preiskovanja Monte Carlo (ang. Monte Carlo tree search – MCTS) sprožile bliskovit napredek agentov za igranje iger: raziskovalna skupnost je od takrat razvila veliko variant in izboljšav algoritma MCTS ter s tem zagotovila napredek umetne inteligence ne samo pri igrah, ampak tudi v številnih drugih domenah. Čeprav metode MCTS združujejo splošnost naključnega vzorčenja z natančnostjo drevesnega preiskovanja, imajo lahko v praksi težave s počasno konv...

  13. Monte Carlo method for array criticality calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dickinson, D.; Whitesides, G.E.

    1976-01-01

    The Monte Carlo method for solving neutron transport problems consists of mathematically tracing paths of individual neutrons collision by collision until they are lost by absorption or leakage. The fate of the neutron after each collision is determined by the probability distribution functions that are formed from the neutron cross-section data. These distributions are sampled statistically to establish the successive steps in the neutron's path. The resulting data, accumulated from following a large number of batches, are analyzed to give estimates of k/sub eff/ and other collision-related quantities. The use of electronic computers to produce the simulated neutron histories, initiated at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, made the use of the Monte Carlo method practical for many applications. In analog Monte Carlo simulation, the calculation follows the physical events of neutron scattering, absorption, and leakage. To increase calculational efficiency, modifications such as the use of statistical weights are introduced. The Monte Carlo method permits the use of a three-dimensional geometry description and a detailed cross-section representation. Some of the problems in using the method are the selection of the spatial distribution for the initial batch, the preparation of the geometry description for complex units, and the calculation of error estimates for region-dependent quantities such as fluxes. The Monte Carlo method is especially appropriate for criticality safety calculations since it permits an accurate representation of interacting units of fissile material. Dissimilar units, units of complex shape, moderators between units, and reflected arrays may be calculated. Monte Carlo results must be correlated with relevant experimental data, and caution must be used to ensure that a representative set of neutron histories is produced

  14. Bayesian Optimal Experimental Design Using Multilevel Monte Carlo

    KAUST Repository

    Ben Issaid, Chaouki; Long, Quan; Scavino, Marco; Tempone, Raul

    2015-01-01

    Experimental design is very important since experiments are often resource-exhaustive and time-consuming. We carry out experimental design in the Bayesian framework. To measure the amount of information, which can be extracted from the data in an experiment, we use the expected information gain as the utility function, which specifically is the expected logarithmic ratio between the posterior and prior distributions. Optimizing this utility function enables us to design experiments that yield the most informative data for our purpose. One of the major difficulties in evaluating the expected information gain is that the integral is nested and can be high dimensional. We propose using Multilevel Monte Carlo techniques to accelerate the computation of the nested high dimensional integral. The advantages are twofold. First, the Multilevel Monte Carlo can significantly reduce the cost of the nested integral for a given tolerance, by using an optimal sample distribution among different sample averages of the inner integrals. Second, the Multilevel Monte Carlo method imposes less assumptions, such as the concentration of measures, required by Laplace method. We test our Multilevel Monte Carlo technique using a numerical example on the design of sensor deployment for a Darcy flow problem governed by one dimensional Laplace equation. We also compare the performance of the Multilevel Monte Carlo, Laplace approximation and direct double loop Monte Carlo.

  15. Bayesian Optimal Experimental Design Using Multilevel Monte Carlo

    KAUST Repository

    Ben Issaid, Chaouki

    2015-01-07

    Experimental design is very important since experiments are often resource-exhaustive and time-consuming. We carry out experimental design in the Bayesian framework. To measure the amount of information, which can be extracted from the data in an experiment, we use the expected information gain as the utility function, which specifically is the expected logarithmic ratio between the posterior and prior distributions. Optimizing this utility function enables us to design experiments that yield the most informative data for our purpose. One of the major difficulties in evaluating the expected information gain is that the integral is nested and can be high dimensional. We propose using Multilevel Monte Carlo techniques to accelerate the computation of the nested high dimensional integral. The advantages are twofold. First, the Multilevel Monte Carlo can significantly reduce the cost of the nested integral for a given tolerance, by using an optimal sample distribution among different sample averages of the inner integrals. Second, the Multilevel Monte Carlo method imposes less assumptions, such as the concentration of measures, required by Laplace method. We test our Multilevel Monte Carlo technique using a numerical example on the design of sensor deployment for a Darcy flow problem governed by one dimensional Laplace equation. We also compare the performance of the Multilevel Monte Carlo, Laplace approximation and direct double loop Monte Carlo.

  16. Present status of transport code development based on Monte Carlo method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakagawa, Masayuki

    1985-01-01

    The present status of development in Monte Carlo code is briefly reviewed. The main items are the followings; Application fields, Methods used in Monte Carlo code (geometry spectification, nuclear data, estimator and variance reduction technique) and unfinished works, Typical Monte Carlo codes and Merits of continuous energy Monte Carlo code. (author)

  17. Monte Carlo calculations and experimental measurements of dosimetric parameters of the IRA-103Pd brachytherapy source

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sadeghi, Mahdi; Raisali, Gholamreza; Hosseini, S. Hamed; Shavar, Arzhang

    2008-01-01

    This article presents a brachytherapy source having 103 Pd adsorbed onto a cylindrical silver rod that has been developed by the Agricultural, Medical, and Industrial Research School for permanent implant applications. Dosimetric characteristics (radial dose function, anisotropy function, and anisotropy factor) of this source were experimentally and theoretically determined in terms of the updated AAPM Task group 43 (TG-43U1) recommendations. Monte Carlo simulations were used to calculate the dose rate constant. Measurements were performed using TLD-GR200A circular chip dosimeters using standard methods employing thermoluminescent dosimeters in a Perspex phantom. Precision machined bores in the phantom located the dosimeters and the source in a reproducible fixed geometry, providing for transverse-axis and angular dose profiles over a range of distances from 0.5 to 5 cm. The Monte Carlo N-particle (MCNP) code, version 4C simulation techniques have been used to evaluate the dose-rate distributions around this model 103 Pd source in water and Perspex phantoms. The Monte Carlo calculated dose rate constant of the IRA- 103 Pd source in water was found to be 0.678 cGy h -1 U -1 with an approximate uncertainty of ±0.1%. The anisotropy function, F(r,θ), and the radial dose function, g(r), of the IRA- 103 Pd source were also measured in a Perspex phantom and calculated in both Perspex and liquid water phantoms

  18. Accuracy assessment of a new Monte Carlo based burnup computer code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El Bakkari, B.; ElBardouni, T.; Nacir, B.; ElYounoussi, C.; Boulaich, Y.; Meroun, O.; Zoubair, M.; Chakir, E.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► A new burnup code called BUCAL1 was developed. ► BUCAL1 uses the MCNP tallies directly in the calculation of the isotopic inventories. ► Validation of BUCAL1 was done by code to code comparison using VVER-1000 LEU Benchmark Assembly. ► Differences from BM value were found to be ± 600 pcm for k ∞ and ±6% for the isotopic compositions. ► The effect on reactivity due to the burnup of Gd isotopes is well reproduced by BUCAL1. - Abstract: This study aims to test for the suitability and accuracy of a new home-made Monte Carlo burnup code, called BUCAL1, by investigating and predicting the neutronic behavior of a “VVER-1000 LEU Assembly Computational Benchmark”, at lattice level. BUCAL1 uses MCNP tally information directly in the computation; this approach allows performing straightforward and accurate calculation without having to use the calculated group fluxes to perform transmutation analysis in a separate code. ENDF/B-VII evaluated nuclear data library was used in these calculations. Processing of the data library is performed using recent updates of NJOY99 system. Code to code comparisons with the reported Nuclear OECD/NEA results are presented and analyzed.

  19. Comparison study of photon attenuation characteristics of Lead-Boron Polyethylene by MCNP code, XCOM and experimental data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Lei; Jia, Mingchun; Gong, Junjun; Xia, Wenming

    2017-08-01

    The linear attenuation coefficient, mass attenuation coefficient and mean free path of various Lead-Boron Polyethylene (PbBPE) samples which can be used as the photon shielding materials in marine reactor have been simulated using the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP)-5 code. The MCNP simulation results are in good agreement with the XCOM values and the reported experimental data for source Cesium-137 and Cobalt-60. Thus, this method based on MCNP can be used to simulate the photon attenuation characteristics of various types of PbBPE materials.

  20. Successful vectorization - reactor physics Monte Carlo code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, W.R.

    1989-01-01

    Most particle transport Monte Carlo codes in use today are based on the ''history-based'' algorithm, wherein one particle history at a time is simulated. Unfortunately, the ''history-based'' approach (present in all Monte Carlo codes until recent years) is inherently scalar and cannot be vectorized. In particular, the history-based algorithm cannot take advantage of vector architectures, which characterize the largest and fastest computers at the current time, vector supercomputers such as the Cray X/MP or IBM 3090/600. However, substantial progress has been made in recent years in developing and implementing a vectorized Monte Carlo algorithm. This algorithm follows portions of many particle histories at the same time and forms the basis for all successful vectorized Monte Carlo codes that are in use today. This paper describes the basic vectorized algorithm along with descriptions of several variations that have been developed by different researchers for specific applications. These applications have been mainly in the areas of neutron transport in nuclear reactor and shielding analysis and photon transport in fusion plasmas. The relative merits of the various approach schemes will be discussed and the present status of known vectorization efforts will be summarized along with available timing results, including results from the successful vectorization of 3-D general geometry, continuous energy Monte Carlo. (orig.)

  1. Bayesian phylogeny analysis via stochastic approximation Monte Carlo

    KAUST Repository

    Cheon, Sooyoung; Liang, Faming

    2009-01-01

    in simulating from the posterior distribution of phylogenetic trees, rendering the inference ineffective. In this paper, we apply an advanced Monte Carlo algorithm, the stochastic approximation Monte Carlo algorithm, to Bayesian phylogeny analysis. Our method

  2. Reliability of Monte Carlo simulations in modeling neutron yields from a shielded fission source

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    McArthur, Matthew S., E-mail: matthew.s.mcarthur@gmail.com; Rees, Lawrence B., E-mail: Lawrence_Rees@byu.edu; Czirr, J. Bart, E-mail: czirr@juno.com

    2016-08-11

    Using the combination of a neutron-sensitive {sup 6}Li glass scintillator detector with a neutron-insensitive {sup 7}Li glass scintillator detector, we are able to make an accurate measurement of the capture rate of fission neutrons on {sup 6}Li. We used this detector with a {sup 252}Cf neutron source to measure the effects of both non-borated polyethylene and 5% borated polyethylene shielding on detection rates over a range of shielding thicknesses. Both of these measurements were compared with MCNP calculations to determine how well the calculations reproduced the measurements. When the source is highly shielded, the number of interactions experienced by each neutron prior to arriving at the detector is large, so it is important to compare Monte Carlo modeling with actual experimental measurements. MCNP reproduces the data fairly well, but it does generally underestimate detector efficiency both with and without polyethylene shielding. For non-borated polyethylene it underestimates the measured value by an average of 8%. This increases to an average of 11% for borated polyethylene.

  3. Reflections on early Monte Carlo calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spanier, J.

    1992-01-01

    Monte Carlo methods for solving various particle transport problems developed in parallel with the evolution of increasingly sophisticated computer programs implementing diffusion theory and low-order moments calculations. In these early years, Monte Carlo calculations and high-order approximations to the transport equation were seen as too expensive to use routinely for nuclear design but served as invaluable aids and supplements to design with less expensive tools. The earliest Monte Carlo programs were quite literal; i.e., neutron and other particle random walk histories were simulated by sampling from the probability laws inherent in the physical system without distoration. Use of such analogue sampling schemes resulted in a good deal of time being spent in examining the possibility of lowering the statistical uncertainties in the sample estimates by replacing simple, and intuitively obvious, random variables by those with identical means but lower variances

  4. Status of electron transport in MCNP trademark

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hughes, H.G.

    1997-01-01

    The latest version of MCNP, the Los Alamos Monte Carlo transport code, has now been officially released. MCNP4B has been sent to the Radiation Safety Information Computational Center (RSICC), in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which is responsible for the further distribution of the code within the US. International distribution of MCNP is done by the Nuclear Energy Agency (ECD/NEA), in Paris, France. Readers with access to the World-Wide-Web should consult the MCNP distribution site http://www-xdiv.lanl.gov/XTM/mcnp/about.html for specific information about contacting RSICC and OECD/NEA. A variety of new features are available in MCNP4B. Among these are differential operator perturbations, cross-section plotting capabilities, enhanced diagnostics for transport in repeated structures and lattices, improved efficiency in distributed-memory multiprocessing, corrected particle lifetime and lifespan estimators, and expanded software quality assurance procedures and testing, including testing of the multigroup Boltzmann-Fokker-Planck capability. New and improved cross section sets in the form of ENDF/B-VI evaluations have also been recently released and can be used in MCNP4B. Perhaps most significant for the interests of this special session, the electron transport algorithm has been improved, especially in the collisional energy-loss straggling and the angular-deflection treatments. In this paper, the author concentrates on a fairly complete documentation of the current status of the electron transport methods in MCNP

  5. Neutronic analysis for conversion of the Ghana Research Reactor-1 facility using Monte Carlo methods and UO{sub 2} LEU fuel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anim-Sampong, S.; Akaho, E.H.K.; Maakuu, B.T.; Gbadago, J.K. [Ghana Research Reactor-1 Centre, Dept. of Nuclear Engineering and Materials Science, National Nuclear Research Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Legon, Accra (Ghana); Andam, A. [Kwame Nkrumah Univ. of Science and Technology, Dept. of Physics (Ghana); Liaw, J.J.R.; Matos, J.E. [Argonne National Lab., RERTR Programme, Div. of Nuclear Engineering (United States)

    2007-07-01

    Monte Carlo particle transport methods and software (MCNP) have been applied to the modelling, simulation and neutronic analysis for the conversion of the HEU-fuelled (high enrichment uranium) core of the Ghana Research Reactor-1 (GHARR-1) facility. The results show that the MCNP model of the GHARR-1 facility, which is a commercial version of the Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR) is good as the simulated neutronic and other reactor physics parameters agree with very well with experimental and zero power results. Three UO{sub 2} LEU (low enrichment uranium) fuels with different enrichments (12.6% and 19.75%), core configurations, core loadings were utilized in the conversion studies. The nuclear criticality and kinetic parameters obtained from the Monte Carlo simulation and neutronic analysis using three UO{sub 2} LEU fuels are in close agreement with results obtained for the reference 90.2% U-Al HEU core. The neutron flux variation in the core, fission chamber and irradiation channels for the LEU UO{sub 2} fuels show the same trend as the HEU core as presented in the paper. The Monte Carlo model confirms a reduction (8% max) in the peak neutron fluxes simulated in the irradiation channels which are utilized for experimental and commercial activities. However, the reductions or 'losses' in the flux levels neither affects the criticality safety, reactor operations and safety nor utilization of the reactor. Employing careful core loading optimization techniques and fuel loadings and enrichment, it is possible to eliminate the apparent reductions or 'losses' in the neutron fluxes as suggested in this paper. Concerning neutronics, it can be concluded that all the 3 LEU fuels qualify as LEU candidates for core conversion of the GHARR-1 facility.

  6. Reconstruction of Monte Carlo replicas from Hessian parton distributions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hou, Tie-Jiun [Department of Physics, Southern Methodist University,Dallas, TX 75275-0181 (United States); Gao, Jun [INPAC, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology,Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao-Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); High Energy Physics Division, Argonne National Laboratory,Argonne, Illinois, 60439 (United States); Huston, Joey [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University,East Lansing, MI 48824 (United States); Nadolsky, Pavel [Department of Physics, Southern Methodist University,Dallas, TX 75275-0181 (United States); Schmidt, Carl; Stump, Daniel [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University,East Lansing, MI 48824 (United States); Wang, Bo-Ting; Xie, Ke Ping [Department of Physics, Southern Methodist University,Dallas, TX 75275-0181 (United States); Dulat, Sayipjamal [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University,East Lansing, MI 48824 (United States); School of Physics Science and Technology, Xinjiang University,Urumqi, Xinjiang 830046 (China); Center for Theoretical Physics, Xinjiang University,Urumqi, Xinjiang 830046 (China); Pumplin, Jon; Yuan, C.P. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University,East Lansing, MI 48824 (United States)

    2017-03-20

    We explore connections between two common methods for quantifying the uncertainty in parton distribution functions (PDFs), based on the Hessian error matrix and Monte-Carlo sampling. CT14 parton distributions in the Hessian representation are converted into Monte-Carlo replicas by a numerical method that reproduces important properties of CT14 Hessian PDFs: the asymmetry of CT14 uncertainties and positivity of individual parton distributions. The ensembles of CT14 Monte-Carlo replicas constructed this way at NNLO and NLO are suitable for various collider applications, such as cross section reweighting. Master formulas for computation of asymmetric standard deviations in the Monte-Carlo representation are derived. A correction is proposed to address a bias in asymmetric uncertainties introduced by the Taylor series approximation. A numerical program is made available for conversion of Hessian PDFs into Monte-Carlo replicas according to normal, log-normal, and Watt-Thorne sampling procedures.

  7. Sampling from a polytope and hard-disk Monte Carlo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kapfer, Sebastian C; Krauth, Werner

    2013-01-01

    The hard-disk problem, the statics and the dynamics of equal two-dimensional hard spheres in a periodic box, has had a profound influence on statistical and computational physics. Markov-chain Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics were first discussed for this model. Here we reformulate hard-disk Monte Carlo algorithms in terms of another classic problem, namely the sampling from a polytope. Local Markov-chain Monte Carlo, as proposed by Metropolis et al. in 1953, appears as a sequence of random walks in high-dimensional polytopes, while the moves of the more powerful event-chain algorithm correspond to molecular dynamics evolution. We determine the convergence properties of Monte Carlo methods in a special invariant polytope associated with hard-disk configurations, and the implications for convergence of hard-disk sampling. Finally, we discuss parallelization strategies for event-chain Monte Carlo and present results for a multicore implementation

  8. Problems in radiation shielding calculations with Monte Carlo methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ueki, Kohtaro

    1985-01-01

    The Monte Carlo method is a very useful tool for solving a large class of radiation transport problem. In contrast with deterministic method, geometric complexity is a much less significant problem for Monte Carlo calculations. However, the accuracy of Monte Carlo calculations is of course, limited by statistical error of the quantities to be estimated. In this report, we point out some typical problems to solve a large shielding system including radiation streaming. The Monte Carlo coupling technique was developed to settle such a shielding problem accurately. However, the variance of the Monte Carlo results using the coupling technique of which detectors were located outside the radiation streaming, was still not enough. So as to bring on more accurate results for the detectors located outside the streaming and also for a multi-legged-duct streaming problem, a practicable way of ''Prism Scattering technique'' is proposed in the study. (author)

  9. Cluster monte carlo method for nuclear criticality safety calculation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pei Lucheng

    1984-01-01

    One of the most important applications of the Monte Carlo method is the calculation of the nuclear criticality safety. The fair source game problem was presented at almost the same time as the Monte Carlo method was applied to calculating the nuclear criticality safety. The source iteration cost may be reduced as much as possible or no need for any source iteration. This kind of problems all belongs to the fair source game prolems, among which, the optimal source game is without any source iteration. Although the single neutron Monte Carlo method solved the problem without the source iteration, there is still quite an apparent shortcoming in it, that is, it solves the problem without the source iteration only in the asymptotic sense. In this work, a new Monte Carlo method called the cluster Monte Carlo method is given to solve the problem further

  10. Application of variance reduction techniques of Monte-Carlo method to deep penetration shielding problems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rawat, K.K.; Subbaiah, K.V.

    1996-01-01

    General purpose Monte Carlo code MCNP is being widely employed for solving deep penetration problems by applying variance reduction techniques. These techniques depend on the nature and type of the problem being solved. Application of geometry splitting and implicit capture method are examined to study the deep penetration problems of neutron, gamma and coupled neutron-gamma in thick shielding materials. The typical problems chosen are: i) point isotropic monoenergetic gamma ray source of 1 MeV energy in nearly infinite water medium, ii) 252 Cf spontaneous source at the centre of 140 cm thick water and concrete and iii) 14 MeV fast neutrons incident on the axis of 100 cm thick concrete disk. (author). 7 refs., 5 figs

  11. Detailed resonance absorption calculations with the Monte Carlo code MCNP and collision probability version of the slowing down code ROLAIDS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kruijf, W.J.M. de; Janssen, A.J.

    1994-01-01

    Very accurate Mote Carlo calculations with Monte Carlo Code have been performed to serve as reference for benchmark calculations on resonance absorption by U 238 in a typical PWR pin-cell geometry. Calculations with the energy-pointwise slowing down code calculates the resonance absorption accurately. Calculations with the multigroup discrete ordinates code XSDRN show that accurate results can only be achieved with a very fine energy mesh. (authors). 9 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs

  12. Monte Carlo shielding analyses using an automated biasing procedure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang, J.S.; Hoffman, T.J.

    1988-01-01

    A systematic and automated approach for biasing Monte Carlo shielding calculations is described. In particular, adjoint fluxes from a one-dimensional discrete ordinates calculation are used to generate biasing parameters for a Monte Carlo calculation. The entire procedure of adjoint calculation, biasing parameters generation, and Monte Carlo calculation has been automated. The automated biasing procedure has been applied to several realistic deep-penetration shipping cask problems. The results obtained for neutron and gamma-ray transport indicate that with the automated biasing procedure Monte Carlo shielding calculations of spent-fuel casks can be easily performed with minimum effort and that accurate results can be obtained at reasonable computing cost

  13. Applications of the Monte Carlo method in radiation protection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kulkarni, R.N.; Prasad, M.A.

    1999-01-01

    This paper gives a brief introduction to the application of the Monte Carlo method in radiation protection. It may be noted that an exhaustive review has not been attempted. The special advantage of the Monte Carlo method has been first brought out. The fundamentals of the Monte Carlo method have next been explained in brief, with special reference to two applications in radiation protection. Some sample current applications have been reported in the end in brief as examples. They are, medical radiation physics, microdosimetry, calculations of thermoluminescence intensity and probabilistic safety analysis. The limitations of the Monte Carlo method have also been mentioned in passing. (author)

  14. Pore-scale uncertainty quantification with multilevel Monte Carlo

    KAUST Repository

    Icardi, Matteo; Hoel, Haakon; Long, Quan; Tempone, Raul

    2014-01-01

    . Since there are no generic ways to parametrize the randomness in the porescale structures, Monte Carlo techniques are the most accessible to compute statistics. We propose a multilevel Monte Carlo (MLMC) technique to reduce the computational cost

  15. Characterization of a CLYC detector and validation of the Monte Carlo Simulation by measurement experiments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Hyun Suk; Ye, Sung Joon [Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Smith, Martin B.; Koslowsky, Martin R. [Bubble Technology Industries Inc., Chalk River (Canada); Kwak, Sung Woo [Korea Institute of Nuclear Nonproliferation And Control (KINAC), Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kim Gee Hyun [Sejong University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-03-15

    Simultaneous detection of neutrons and gamma rays have become much more practicable, by taking advantage of good gamma-ray discrimination properties using pulse shape discrimination (PSD) technique. Recently, we introduced a commercial CLYC system in Korea, and performed an initial characterization and simulation studies for the CLYC detector system to provide references for the future implementation of the dual-mode scintillator system in various studies and applications. We evaluated a CLYC detector with 95% 6Li enrichment using various gamma-ray sources and a 252Cf neutron source, with validation of our Monte Carlo simulation results via measurement experiments. Absolute full-energy peak efficiency values were calculated for gamma-ray sources and neutron source using MCNP6 and compared with measurement experiments of the calibration sources. In addition, behavioral characteristics of neutrons were validated by comparing simulations and experiments on neutron moderation with various polyethylene (PE) moderator thicknesses. Both results showed good agreements in overall characteristics of the gamma and neutron detection efficiencies, with consistent ⁓20% discrepancy. Furthermore, moderation of neutrons emitted from {sup 252}Cf showed similarities between the simulation and the experiment, in terms of their relative ratios depending on the thickness of the PE moderator. A CLYC detector system was characterized for its energy resolution and detection efficiency, and Monte Carlo simulations on the detector system was validated experimentally. Validation of the simulation results in overall trend of the CLYC detector behavior will provide the fundamental basis and validity of follow-up Monte Carlo simulation studies for the development of our dual-particle imager using a rotational modulation collimator.

  16. Current and future applications of Monte Carlo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zaidi, H.

    2003-01-01

    Full text: The use of radionuclides in medicine has a long history and encompasses a large area of applications including diagnosis and radiation treatment of cancer patients using either external or radionuclide radiotherapy. The 'Monte Carlo method'describes a very broad area of science, in which many processes, physical systems, and phenomena are simulated by statistical methods employing random numbers. The general idea of Monte Carlo analysis is to create a model, which is as similar as possible to the real physical system of interest, and to create interactions within that system based on known probabilities of occurrence, with random sampling of the probability density functions (pdfs). As the number of individual events (called 'histories') is increased, the quality of the reported average behavior of the system improves, meaning that the statistical uncertainty decreases. The use of the Monte Carlo method to simulate radiation transport has become the most accurate means of predicting absorbed dose distributions and other quantities of interest in the radiation treatment of cancer patients using either external or radionuclide radiotherapy. The same trend has occurred for the estimation of the absorbed dose in diagnostic procedures using radionuclides as well as the assessment of image quality and quantitative accuracy of radionuclide imaging. As a consequence of this generalized use, many questions are being raised primarily about the need and potential of Monte Carlo techniques, but also about how accurate it really is, what would it take to apply it clinically and make it available widely to the nuclear medicine community at large. Many of these questions will be answered when Monte Carlo techniques are implemented and used for more routine calculations and for in-depth investigations. In this paper, the conceptual role of the Monte Carlo method is briefly introduced and followed by a survey of its different applications in diagnostic and therapeutic

  17. Sensitivity studies in Monte Carlo treatment planning for neutron brachytherapy of cervical cancer : role of boron augmentation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ralston, A.; Wallace, S.A.; Allen, B.J.

    1996-01-01

    Cervical cancer is the most common malignancy of women in the world and in the third world often presents in an advanced state. While photo radiation therapy is an established form of treatment, neutron brachytherapy with Cf-252 has proven to give superior local control in advanced cases without serious complications. This advantage arises from the reduction in radio-resistance, ascribed to hypoxia in bulky tumours, which occurs with high LET radiation. A further improvement is being sought by dose augmentation with boron neutron capture therapy. The Los Alamos Monte Carlo Neutron Photon radiation transport code MCNP is being used to investigate the effects of fat, muscle, bone and voids in the fast and thermal dose distributions. Whereas the fast neutron dose determines normal tissue tolerance, the boron neutron capture dose rate is determined by the thermal flux distribution. The neutron spectrum is sensitive to changes in hydrogen density, as occurs with muscle, fat and bone. The implications of this sensitivity are examined to determine whether detailed individual Monte Carlo calculations are required for patient clinical treatment plans. (author)

  18. Quantum statistical Monte Carlo methods and applications to spin systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzuki, M.

    1986-01-01

    A short review is given concerning the quantum statistical Monte Carlo method based on the equivalence theorem that d-dimensional quantum systems are mapped onto (d+1)-dimensional classical systems. The convergence property of this approximate tansformation is discussed in detail. Some applications of this general appoach to quantum spin systems are reviewed. A new Monte Carlo method, ''thermo field Monte Carlo method,'' is presented, which is an extension of the projection Monte Carlo method at zero temperature to that at finite temperatures

  19. SPQR: a Monte Carlo reactor kinetics code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cramer, S.N.; Dodds, H.L.

    1980-02-01

    The SPQR Monte Carlo code has been developed to analyze fast reactor core accident problems where conventional methods are considered inadequate. The code is based on the adiabatic approximation of the quasi-static method. This initial version contains no automatic material motion or feedback. An existing Monte Carlo code is used to calculate the shape functions and the integral quantities needed in the kinetics module. Several sample problems have been devised and analyzed. Due to the large statistical uncertainty associated with the calculation of reactivity in accident simulations, the results, especially at later times, differ greatly from deterministic methods. It was also found that in large uncoupled systems, the Monte Carlo method has difficulty in handling asymmetric perturbations

  20. Optix: A Monte Carlo scintillation light transport code

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Safari, M.J., E-mail: mjsafari@aut.ac.ir [Department of Energy Engineering and Physics, Amir Kabir University of Technology, PO Box 15875-4413, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Afarideh, H. [Department of Energy Engineering and Physics, Amir Kabir University of Technology, PO Box 15875-4413, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Ghal-Eh, N. [School of Physics, Damghan University, PO Box 36716-41167, Damghan (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Davani, F. Abbasi [Nuclear Engineering Department, Shahid Beheshti University, PO Box 1983963113, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2014-02-11

    The paper reports on the capabilities of Monte Carlo scintillation light transport code Optix, which is an extended version of previously introduced code Optics. Optix provides the user a variety of both numerical and graphical outputs with a very simple and user-friendly input structure. A benchmarking strategy has been adopted based on the comparison with experimental results, semi-analytical solutions, and other Monte Carlo simulation codes to verify various aspects of the developed code. Besides, some extensive comparisons have been made against the tracking abilities of general-purpose MCNPX and FLUKA codes. The presented benchmark results for the Optix code exhibit promising agreements. -- Highlights: • Monte Carlo simulation of scintillation light transport in 3D geometry. • Evaluation of angular distribution of detected photons. • Benchmark studies to check the accuracy of Monte Carlo simulations.

  1. Bayesian phylogeny analysis via stochastic approximation Monte Carlo

    KAUST Repository

    Cheon, Sooyoung

    2009-11-01

    Monte Carlo methods have received much attention in the recent literature of phylogeny analysis. However, the conventional Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms, such as the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm, tend to get trapped in a local mode in simulating from the posterior distribution of phylogenetic trees, rendering the inference ineffective. In this paper, we apply an advanced Monte Carlo algorithm, the stochastic approximation Monte Carlo algorithm, to Bayesian phylogeny analysis. Our method is compared with two popular Bayesian phylogeny software, BAMBE and MrBayes, on simulated and real datasets. The numerical results indicate that our method outperforms BAMBE and MrBayes. Among the three methods, SAMC produces the consensus trees which have the highest similarity to the true trees, and the model parameter estimates which have the smallest mean square errors, but costs the least CPU time. © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Present status and future prospects of neutronics Monte Carlo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gelbard, E.M.

    1990-01-01

    It is fair to say that the Monte Carlo method, over the last decade, has grown steadily more important as a neutronics computational tool. Apparently this has happened for assorted reasons. Thus, for example, as the power of computers has increased, the cost of the method has dropped, steadily becoming less and less of an obstacle to its use. In addition, more and more sophisticated input processors have now made it feasible to model extremely complicated systems routinely with really remarkable fidelity. Finally, as we demand greater and greater precision in reactor calculations, Monte Carlo is often found to be the only method accurate enough for use in benchmarking. Cross section uncertainties are now almost the only inherent limitations in our Monte Carlo capabilities. For this reason Monte Carlo has come to occupy a special position, interposed between experiment and other computational techniques. More and more often deterministic methods are tested by comparison with Monte Carlo, and cross sections are tested by comparing Monte Carlo with experiment. In this way one can distinguish very clearly between errors due to flaws in our numerical methods, and those due to deficiencies in cross section files. The special role of Monte Carlo as a benchmarking tool, often the only available benchmarking tool, makes it crucially important that this method should be polished to perfection. Problems relating to Eigenvalue calculations, variance reduction and the use of advanced computers are reviewed in this paper. (author)

  3. Diffusion Monte Carlo approach versus adiabatic computation for local Hamiltonians

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bringewatt, Jacob; Dorland, William; Jordan, Stephen P.; Mink, Alan

    2018-02-01

    Most research regarding quantum adiabatic optimization has focused on stoquastic Hamiltonians, whose ground states can be expressed with only real non-negative amplitudes and thus for whom destructive interference is not manifest. This raises the question of whether classical Monte Carlo algorithms can efficiently simulate quantum adiabatic optimization with stoquastic Hamiltonians. Recent results have given counterexamples in which path-integral and diffusion Monte Carlo fail to do so. However, most adiabatic optimization algorithms, such as for solving MAX-k -SAT problems, use k -local Hamiltonians, whereas our previous counterexample for diffusion Monte Carlo involved n -body interactions. Here we present a 6-local counterexample which demonstrates that even for these local Hamiltonians there are cases where diffusion Monte Carlo cannot efficiently simulate quantum adiabatic optimization. Furthermore, we perform empirical testing of diffusion Monte Carlo on a standard well-studied class of permutation-symmetric tunneling problems and similarly find large advantages for quantum optimization over diffusion Monte Carlo.

  4. Neutron point-flux calculation by Monte Carlo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eichhorn, M.

    1986-04-01

    A survey of the usual methods for estimating flux at a point is given. The associated variance-reducing techniques in direct Monte Carlo games are explained. The multigroup Monte Carlo codes MC for critical systems and PUNKT for point source-point detector-systems are represented, and problems in applying the codes to practical tasks are discussed. (author)

  5. TU-H-CAMPUS-IeP1-02: Validation of a CT Monte Carlo Software

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schmidt, R; Wulff, J; Penchev, P [Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen - University of Applied Sciences, Giessen (Germany); Zink, K [Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen - University of Applied Sciences, Giessen (Germany); University Medical Center Giessen and Marburg, Marburg (Germany)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: To validate the in-house developed CT Monte Carlo calculation tool GMctdospp against reference simulation sets provided by the AAPM in the new report 195. Methods: Deposited energy was calculated in four segments (test 1) and two 10 cm long cylinders (test 2) inside a CTDI phantom (following case #4 of the AAPM report 195). The x-ray point source of a given 120 kVp spectrum was collimated to a fan beam with two thicknesses (10 mm, 80 mm) for a static and a rotational setup. In addition, a given chest geometry was used to calculate deposited energy in several organs for a 0° static and a rotational beam (following case #5 of the AAPM report 195). The results of GMctdospp were compared against the particular mean value of the four quoted Monte Carlo codes (EGSnrc, Geant 4, MCNP and Penelope). Results: Calculated values showed no outliers in any of the cases. Differences between GMctdospp and the particular mean Results: Calculated values showed no outliers in any of the cases. Differences between GMctdospp and the particular mean value were always at similar magnitude compared to the quoted codes. For case #4 (CTDI phantom) the relative differences were within 1.5 %, on average 0.4 % and for case #5 (chest phantom) within 2.5 % and on average 0.85 %. Conclusion: The results confirmed an overall uncertainty of the Monte-Carlo calculation chain in GMctdospp being <2.5 %, for most cases even better. This can be considered small compared to other sources of uncertainties, e.g. virtual source and patient models. The photon transport implemented in GMctdospp inside a voxel-based patient geometry was successfully verified.

  6. Frequency domain Monte Carlo simulation method for cross power spectral density driven by periodically pulsed spallation neutron source using complex-valued weight Monte Carlo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamamoto, Toshihiro

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • The cross power spectral density in ADS has correlated and uncorrelated components. • A frequency domain Monte Carlo method to calculate the uncorrelated one is developed. • The method solves the Fourier transformed transport equation. • The method uses complex-valued weights to solve the equation. • The new method reproduces well the CPSDs calculated with time domain MC method. - Abstract: In an accelerator driven system (ADS), pulsed spallation neutrons are injected at a constant frequency. The cross power spectral density (CPSD), which can be used for monitoring the subcriticality of the ADS, is composed of the correlated and uncorrelated components. The uncorrelated component is described by a series of the Dirac delta functions that occur at the integer multiples of the pulse repetition frequency. In the present paper, a Monte Carlo method to solve the Fourier transformed neutron transport equation with a periodically pulsed neutron source term has been developed to obtain the CPSD in ADSs. Since the Fourier transformed flux is a complex-valued quantity, the Monte Carlo method introduces complex-valued weights to solve the Fourier transformed equation. The Monte Carlo algorithm used in this paper is similar to the one that was developed by the author of this paper to calculate the neutron noise caused by cross section perturbations. The newly-developed Monte Carlo algorithm is benchmarked to the conventional time domain Monte Carlo simulation technique. The CPSDs are obtained both with the newly-developed frequency domain Monte Carlo method and the conventional time domain Monte Carlo method for a one-dimensional infinite slab. The CPSDs obtained with the frequency domain Monte Carlo method agree well with those with the time domain method. The higher order mode effects on the CPSD in an ADS with a periodically pulsed neutron source are discussed

  7. Analysis of the design of an X-ray tube using Monte Carlo; Analisis del diseno de un tubo de rayos X mediante Monte Carlo

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pena V, J. D.; Sosa A, M. A.; Ceron, P. V.; Vallejo, M. A. [Universidad de Guanajuato, Division de Ciencias e Ingenierias, Loma del Bosque No. 103, Lomas del Campestre, 37150 Leon, Guanajuato (Mexico); Vega C, H. R., E-mail: jd.penavidal@ugto.mx [Universidad Autonoma de Zacatecas, Unidad Academica de Estudios Nucleares, Cipres No. 10, Fracc. La Penuela, 98060 Zacatecas, Zac. (Mexico)

    2017-10-15

    In this paper we present the Monte Carlo analysis of the X-rays produced by a rotating X-ray tube of the Siemens brand that is used in tomographs for clinical use. The work was done with the MCNP6 code with which the tube was modeled and the primary X-ray spectra produced during the interaction of monoenergetic electrons of 130 keV were calculated. The X-ray spectra were obtained by varying some parameters such as: the angle of the anode (15 to 20 degrees), the type of target (Tungsten, Molybdenum and Rhodium) and the thickness of the filter (3, 5, 10 and 15 mm). In order to have a good statistic 10{sup 7} stories were used. Though the estimators f2 and f5 the X-ray spectra and the total fluencies were estimated. This information will be used to calculate the dose absorbed in the lens and the thyroid gland in patients undergoing radio diagnosis procedures. (Author)

  8. Nuclear densimeter of soil simulated in MCNP-4C code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Braga, Mario R.M.S.S.; Penna, Rodrigo; Vasconcelos, Danilo C.; Pereira, Claubia; Guerra, Bruno T.; Silva, Clemente J.G.C.

    2009-01-01

    The Monte Carlo code (MCNPX) was used to simulate a nuclear densimeter for measuring soil density. An Americium source (E = 60 keV) and a NaI (Tl) detector were placed on soil surface. Results from MCNP shown that scattered photon fluxes may be used to determining soil density. Linear regressions between scattered photons fluxes and soil density were calculated and shown correlation coefficients near unity. (author)

  9. Shell model the Monte Carlo way

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ormand, W.E.

    1995-01-01

    The formalism for the auxiliary-field Monte Carlo approach to the nuclear shell model is presented. The method is based on a linearization of the two-body part of the Hamiltonian in an imaginary-time propagator using the Hubbard-Stratonovich transformation. The foundation of the method, as applied to the nuclear many-body problem, is discussed. Topics presented in detail include: (1) the density-density formulation of the method, (2) computation of the overlaps, (3) the sign of the Monte Carlo weight function, (4) techniques for performing Monte Carlo sampling, and (5) the reconstruction of response functions from an imaginary-time auto-correlation function using MaxEnt techniques. Results obtained using schematic interactions, which have no sign problem, are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the method, while an extrapolation method for realistic Hamiltonians is presented. In addition, applications at finite temperature are outlined

  10. Shell model the Monte Carlo way

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ormand, W.E.

    1995-03-01

    The formalism for the auxiliary-field Monte Carlo approach to the nuclear shell model is presented. The method is based on a linearization of the two-body part of the Hamiltonian in an imaginary-time propagator using the Hubbard-Stratonovich transformation. The foundation of the method, as applied to the nuclear many-body problem, is discussed. Topics presented in detail include: (1) the density-density formulation of the method, (2) computation of the overlaps, (3) the sign of the Monte Carlo weight function, (4) techniques for performing Monte Carlo sampling, and (5) the reconstruction of response functions from an imaginary-time auto-correlation function using MaxEnt techniques. Results obtained using schematic interactions, which have no sign problem, are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the method, while an extrapolation method for realistic Hamiltonians is presented. In addition, applications at finite temperature are outlined.

  11. Research on perturbation based Monte Carlo reactor criticality search

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Zeguang; Wang Kan; Li Yangliu; Deng Jingkang

    2013-01-01

    Criticality search is a very important aspect in reactor physics analysis. Due to the advantages of Monte Carlo method and the development of computer technologies, Monte Carlo criticality search is becoming more and more necessary and feasible. Traditional Monte Carlo criticality search method is suffered from large amount of individual criticality runs and uncertainty and fluctuation of Monte Carlo results. A new Monte Carlo criticality search method based on perturbation calculation is put forward in this paper to overcome the disadvantages of traditional method. By using only one criticality run to get initial k_e_f_f and differential coefficients of concerned parameter, the polynomial estimator of k_e_f_f changing function is solved to get the critical value of concerned parameter. The feasibility of this method was tested. The results show that the accuracy and efficiency of perturbation based criticality search method are quite inspiring and the method overcomes the disadvantages of traditional one. (authors)

  12. Demonstration of a zero-variance based scheme for variance reduction to a mini-core Monte Carlo calculation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Christoforou, Stavros, E-mail: stavros.christoforou@gmail.com [Kirinthou 17, 34100, Chalkida (Greece); Hoogenboom, J. Eduard, E-mail: j.e.hoogenboom@tudelft.nl [Department of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology (Netherlands)

    2011-07-01

    A zero-variance based scheme is implemented and tested in the MCNP5 Monte Carlo code. The scheme is applied to a mini-core reactor using the adjoint function obtained from a deterministic calculation for biasing the transport kernels. It is demonstrated that the variance of the k{sub eff} estimate is halved compared to a standard criticality calculation. In addition, the biasing does not affect source distribution convergence of the system. However, since the code lacked optimisations for speed, we were not able to demonstrate an appropriate increase in the efficiency of the calculation, because of the higher CPU time cost. (author)

  13. Monte Carlo learning/biasing experiment with intelligent random numbers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Booth, T.E.

    1985-01-01

    A Monte Carlo learning and biasing technique is described that does its learning and biasing in the random number space rather than the physical phase-space. The technique is probably applicable to all linear Monte Carlo problems, but no proof is provided here. Instead, the technique is illustrated with a simple Monte Carlo transport problem. Problems encountered, problems solved, and speculations about future progress are discussed. 12 refs

  14. Temperature variance study in Monte-Carlo photon transport theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giorla, J.

    1985-10-01

    We study different Monte-Carlo methods for solving radiative transfer problems, and particularly Fleck's Monte-Carlo method. We first give the different time-discretization schemes and the corresponding stability criteria. Then we write the temperature variance as a function of the variances of temperature and absorbed energy at the previous time step. Finally we obtain some stability criteria for the Monte-Carlo method in the stationary case [fr

  15. MCNP/X TRANSPORT IN THE TABULAR REGIME

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    HUGHES, H. GRADY [Los Alamos National Laboratory

    2007-01-08

    The authors review the transport capabilities of the MCNP and MCNPX Monte Carlo codes in the energy regimes in which tabular transport data are available. Giving special attention to neutron tables, they emphasize the measures taken to improve the treatment of a variety of difficult aspects of the transport problem, including unresolved resonances, thermal issues, and the availability of suitable cross sections sets. They also briefly touch on the current situation in regard to photon, electron, and proton transport tables.

  16. Monte Carlo applications to radiation shielding problems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Subbaiah, K.V.

    2009-01-01

    Monte Carlo methods are a class of computational algorithms that rely on repeated random sampling of physical and mathematical systems to compute their results. However, basic concepts of MC are both simple and straightforward and can be learned by using a personal computer. Uses of Monte Carlo methods require large amounts of random numbers, and it was their use that spurred the development of pseudorandom number generators, which were far quicker to use than the tables of random numbers which had been previously used for statistical sampling. In Monte Carlo simulation of radiation transport, the history (track) of a particle is viewed as a random sequence of free flights that end with an interaction event where the particle changes its direction of movement, loses energy and, occasionally, produces secondary particles. The Monte Carlo simulation of a given experimental arrangement (e.g., an electron beam, coming from an accelerator and impinging on a water phantom) consists of the numerical generation of random histories. To simulate these histories we need an interaction model, i.e., a set of differential cross sections (DCS) for the relevant interaction mechanisms. The DCSs determine the probability distribution functions (pdf) of the random variables that characterize a track; 1) free path between successive interaction events, 2) type of interaction taking place and 3) energy loss and angular deflection in a particular event (and initial state of emitted secondary particles, if any). Once these pdfs are known, random histories can be generated by using appropriate sampling methods. If the number of generated histories is large enough, quantitative information on the transport process may be obtained by simply averaging over the simulated histories. The Monte Carlo method yields the same information as the solution of the Boltzmann transport equation, with the same interaction model, but is easier to implement. In particular, the simulation of radiation

  17. Analysis of JSI TRIGA MARK II reactor physical parameters calculated with TRIPOLI and MCNP.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henry, R; Tiselj, I; Snoj, L

    2015-03-01

    New computational model of the JSI TRIGA Mark II research reactor was built for TRIPOLI computer code and compared with existing MCNP code model. The same modelling assumptions were used in order to check the differences of the mathematical models of both Monte Carlo codes. Differences between the TRIPOLI and MCNP predictions of keff were up to 100pcm. Further validation was performed with analyses of the normalized reaction rates and computations of kinetic parameters for various core configurations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Randomized quasi-Monte Carlo simulation of fast-ion thermalization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Höök, L. J.; Johnson, T.; Hellsten, T.

    2012-01-01

    This work investigates the applicability of the randomized quasi-Monte Carlo method for simulation of fast-ion thermalization processes in fusion plasmas, e.g. for simulation of neutral beam injection and radio frequency heating. In contrast to the standard Monte Carlo method, the quasi-Monte Carlo method uses deterministic numbers instead of pseudo-random numbers and has a statistical weak convergence close to {O}(N^{-1}) , where N is the number of markers. We have compared different quasi-Monte Carlo methods for a neutral beam injection scenario, which is solved by many realizations of the associated stochastic differential equation, discretized with the Euler-Maruyama scheme. The statistical convergence of the methods is measured for time steps up to 214.

  19. Autoregressive moving average fitting for real standard deviation in Monte Carlo power distribution calculation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ueki, Taro

    2010-01-01

    The noise propagation of tallies in the Monte Carlo power method can be represented by the autoregressive moving average process of orders p and p-1 (ARMA(p,p-1)], where p is an integer larger than or equal to two. The formula of the autocorrelation of ARMA(p,q), p≥q+1, indicates that ARMA(3,2) fitting is equivalent to lumping the eigenmodes of fluctuation propagation in three modes such as the slow, intermediate and fast attenuation modes. Therefore, ARMA(3,2) fitting was applied to the real standard deviation estimation of fuel assemblies at particular heights. The numerical results show that straightforward ARMA(3,2) fitting is promising but a stability issue must be resolved toward the incorporation in the distributed version of production Monte Carlo codes. The same numerical results reveal that the average performance of ARMA(3,2) fitting is equivalent to that of the batch method in MCNP with a batch size larger than one hundred and smaller than two hundred cycles for a 1100 MWe pressurized water reactor. The bias correction of low lag autocovariances in MVP/GMVP is demonstrated to have the potential of improving the average performance of ARMA(3,2) fitting. (author)

  20. Organic scintillators response function modeling for Monte Carlo simulation of Time-of-Flight measurements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Carasco, C., E-mail: cedric.carasco@cea.fr [CEA, DEN, Cadarache, Nuclear Measurement Laboratory, F-13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France)

    2012-07-15

    In neutron Time-of-Flight (TOF) measurements performed with fast organic scintillation detectors, both pulse arrival time and amplitude are relevant. Monte Carlo simulation can be used to calculate the time-energy dependant neutron flux at the detector position. To convert the flux into a pulse height spectrum, one must calculate the detector response function for mono-energetic neutrons. MCNP can be used to design TOF systems, but standard MCNP versions cannot reliably calculate the energy deposited by fast neutrons in the detector since multiple scattering effects must be taken into account in an analog way, the individual recoil particles energy deposit being summed with the appropriate scintillation efficiency. In this paper, the energy response function of 2 Double-Prime Multiplication-Sign 2 Double-Prime and 5 Double-Prime Multiplication-Sign 5 Double-Prime liquid scintillation BC-501 A (Bicron) detectors to fast neutrons ranging from 20 keV to 5.0 MeV is computed with GEANT4 to be coupled with MCNPX through the 'MCNP Output Data Analysis' software developed under ROOT (). - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer GEANT4 has been used to model organic scintillators response to neutrons up to 5 MeV. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The response of 2 Double-Prime Multiplication-Sign 2 Double-Prime and 5 Double-Prime Multiplication-Sign 5 Double-Prime BC501A detectors has been parameterized with simple functions. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Parameterization will allow the modeling of neutron Time of Flight measurements with MCNP using tools based on CERN's ROOT.

  1. A Monte Carlo algorithm for the Vavilov distribution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yi, Chul-Young; Han, Hyon-Soo

    1999-01-01

    Using the convolution property of the inverse Laplace transform, an improved Monte Carlo algorithm for the Vavilov energy-loss straggling distribution of the charged particle is developed, which is relatively simple and gives enough accuracy to be used for most Monte Carlo applications

  2. Potential of the MCNP computer code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kyncl, J.

    1995-01-01

    The MCNP code is designed for numerical solution of neutron, photon, and electron transport problems by the Monte Carlo method. The code is based on the linear transport theory of behavior of the differential flux of the particles. The code directly uses data from the cross section point data library for input. Experience is outlined, gained in the application of the code to the calculation of the effective parameters of fuel assemblies and of the entire reactor core, to the determination of the effective parameters of the elementary fuel cell, and to the numerical solution of neutron diffusion and/or transport problems of the fuel assembly. The agreement between the calculated and observed data gives evidence that the MCNP code can be used with advantage for calculations involving WWER type fuel assemblies. (J.B.). 4 figs., 6 refs

  3. Adaptive Multilevel Monte Carlo Simulation

    KAUST Repository

    Hoel, H

    2011-08-23

    This work generalizes a multilevel forward Euler Monte Carlo method introduced in Michael B. Giles. (Michael Giles. Oper. Res. 56(3):607–617, 2008.) for the approximation of expected values depending on the solution to an Itô stochastic differential equation. The work (Michael Giles. Oper. Res. 56(3):607– 617, 2008.) proposed and analyzed a forward Euler multilevelMonte Carlo method based on a hierarchy of uniform time discretizations and control variates to reduce the computational effort required by a standard, single level, Forward Euler Monte Carlo method. This work introduces an adaptive hierarchy of non uniform time discretizations, generated by an adaptive algorithmintroduced in (AnnaDzougoutov et al. Raùl Tempone. Adaptive Monte Carlo algorithms for stopped diffusion. In Multiscale methods in science and engineering, volume 44 of Lect. Notes Comput. Sci. Eng., pages 59–88. Springer, Berlin, 2005; Kyoung-Sook Moon et al. Stoch. Anal. Appl. 23(3):511–558, 2005; Kyoung-Sook Moon et al. An adaptive algorithm for ordinary, stochastic and partial differential equations. In Recent advances in adaptive computation, volume 383 of Contemp. Math., pages 325–343. Amer. Math. Soc., Providence, RI, 2005.). This form of the adaptive algorithm generates stochastic, path dependent, time steps and is based on a posteriori error expansions first developed in (Anders Szepessy et al. Comm. Pure Appl. Math. 54(10):1169– 1214, 2001). Our numerical results for a stopped diffusion problem, exhibit savings in the computational cost to achieve an accuracy of ϑ(TOL),from(TOL−3), from using a single level version of the adaptive algorithm to ϑ(((TOL−1)log(TOL))2).

  4. Nested Sampling with Constrained Hamiltonian Monte Carlo

    OpenAIRE

    Betancourt, M. J.

    2010-01-01

    Nested sampling is a powerful approach to Bayesian inference ultimately limited by the computationally demanding task of sampling from a heavily constrained probability distribution. An effective algorithm in its own right, Hamiltonian Monte Carlo is readily adapted to efficiently sample from any smooth, constrained distribution. Utilizing this constrained Hamiltonian Monte Carlo, I introduce a general implementation of the nested sampling algorithm.

  5. UNR. A code for processing unresolved resonance data for MCNP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hogenbirk, A.

    1994-09-01

    In neutron transport problems the correct treatment of self-shielding is important for those nuclei present in large concentrations. Monte Carlo calculations using continuous-energy cross section data, such as calculations with the code MCNP, offer the advantage that neutron transport is calculated in a very accurate way. Self-shielding in the resolved resonance region is taken into account exactly in MCNP. However, self-shielding in the unresolved resonance region can not be taken into account by MCNP, although the effect of it may be important in many applications. In this report a description is given of the computer code UNR. With this code problem-dependent cross section libraries can be produced for MCNP. In these libraries self-shielded cross section data in the unresolved resonance range are given, which are produced by NJOY-module UNRESR. It is noted, that the treatment for resonance self-shielding presented in this report is approximate. However, the current version of MCNP does not allow the use of probability tables, which would be a general solution. (orig.)

  6. Monte Carlo computation in the applied research of nuclear technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Shuyan; Liu Baojie; Li Qin

    2007-01-01

    This article briefly introduces Monte Carlo Methods and their properties. It narrates the Monte Carlo methods with emphasis in their applications to several domains of nuclear technology. Monte Carlo simulation methods and several commonly used computer software to implement them are also introduced. The proposed methods are demonstrated by a real example. (authors)

  7. WE-DE-201-05: Evaluation of a Windowless Extrapolation Chamber Design and Monte Carlo Based Corrections for the Calibration of Ophthalmic Applicators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hansen, J; Culberson, W; DeWerd, L [University of Wisconsin Medical Radiation Research Center, Madison, WI (United States); Soares, C [NIST (retired), Gaithersburg, MD (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: To test the validity of a windowless extrapolation chamber used to measure surface dose rate from planar ophthalmic applicators and to compare different Monte Carlo based codes for deriving correction factors. Methods: Dose rate measurements were performed using a windowless, planar extrapolation chamber with a {sup 90}Sr/{sup 90}Y Tracerlab RA-1 ophthalmic applicator previously calibrated at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Capacitance measurements were performed to estimate the initial air gap width between the source face and collecting electrode. Current was measured as a function of air gap, and Bragg-Gray cavity theory was used to calculate the absorbed dose rate to water. To determine correction factors for backscatter, divergence, and attenuation from the Mylar entrance window found in the NIST extrapolation chamber, both EGSnrc Monte Carlo user code and Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code (MCNP) were utilized. Simulation results were compared with experimental current readings from the windowless extrapolation chamber as a function of air gap. Additionally, measured dose rate values were compared with the expected result from the NIST source calibration to test the validity of the windowless chamber design. Results: Better agreement was seen between EGSnrc simulated dose results and experimental current readings at very small air gaps (<100 µm) for the windowless extrapolation chamber, while MCNP results demonstrated divergence at these small gap widths. Three separate dose rate measurements were performed with the RA-1 applicator. The average observed difference from the expected result based on the NIST calibration was −1.88% with a statistical standard deviation of 0.39% (k=1). Conclusion: EGSnrc user code will be used during future work to derive correction factors for extrapolation chamber measurements. Additionally, experiment results suggest that an entrance window is not needed in order for an extrapolation

  8. Statistics of Monte Carlo methods used in radiation transport calculation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Datta, D.

    2009-01-01

    Radiation transport calculation can be carried out by using either deterministic or statistical methods. Radiation transport calculation based on statistical methods is basic theme of the Monte Carlo methods. The aim of this lecture is to describe the fundamental statistics required to build the foundations of Monte Carlo technique for radiation transport calculation. Lecture note is organized in the following way. Section (1) will describe the introduction of Basic Monte Carlo and its classification towards the respective field. Section (2) will describe the random sampling methods, a key component of Monte Carlo radiation transport calculation, Section (3) will provide the statistical uncertainty of Monte Carlo estimates, Section (4) will describe in brief the importance of variance reduction techniques while sampling particles such as photon, or neutron in the process of radiation transport

  9. Shell model Monte Carlo methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koonin, S.E.

    1996-01-01

    We review quantum Monte Carlo methods for dealing with large shell model problems. These methods reduce the imaginary-time many-body evolution operator to a coherent superposition of one-body evolutions in fluctuating one-body fields; resultant path integral is evaluated stochastically. We first discuss the motivation, formalism, and implementation of such Shell Model Monte Carlo methods. There then follows a sampler of results and insights obtained from a number of applications. These include the ground state and thermal properties of pf-shell nuclei, thermal behavior of γ-soft nuclei, and calculation of double beta-decay matrix elements. Finally, prospects for further progress in such calculations are discussed. 87 refs

  10. Multiple histogram method and static Monte Carlo sampling

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Inda, M.A.; Frenkel, D.

    2004-01-01

    We describe an approach to use multiple-histogram methods in combination with static, biased Monte Carlo simulations. To illustrate this, we computed the force-extension curve of an athermal polymer from multiple histograms constructed in a series of static Rosenbluth Monte Carlo simulations. From

  11. Forest canopy BRDF simulation using Monte Carlo method

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Huang, J.; Wu, B.; Zeng, Y.; Tian, Y.

    2006-01-01

    Monte Carlo method is a random statistic method, which has been widely used to simulate the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) of vegetation canopy in the field of visible remote sensing. The random process between photons and forest canopy was designed using Monte Carlo method.

  12. Discrete Diffusion Monte Carlo for Electron Thermal Transport

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chenhall, Jeffrey; Cao, Duc; Wollaeger, Ryan; Moses, Gregory

    2014-10-01

    The iSNB (implicit Schurtz Nicolai Busquet electron thermal transport method of Cao et al. is adapted to a Discrete Diffusion Monte Carlo (DDMC) solution method for eventual inclusion in a hybrid IMC-DDMC (Implicit Monte Carlo) method. The hybrid method will combine the efficiency of a diffusion method in short mean free path regions with the accuracy of a transport method in long mean free path regions. The Monte Carlo nature of the approach allows the algorithm to be massively parallelized. Work to date on the iSNB-DDMC method will be presented. This work was supported by Sandia National Laboratory - Albuquerque.

  13. Monte Carlo techniques in diagnostic and therapeutic nuclear medicine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zaidi, H.

    2002-01-01

    Monte Carlo techniques have become one of the most popular tools in different areas of medical radiation physics following the development and subsequent implementation of powerful computing systems for clinical use. In particular, they have been extensively applied to simulate processes involving random behaviour and to quantify physical parameters that are difficult or even impossible to calculate analytically or to determine by experimental measurements. The use of the Monte Carlo method to simulate radiation transport turned out to be the most accurate means of predicting absorbed dose distributions and other quantities of interest in the radiation treatment of cancer patients using either external or radionuclide radiotherapy. The same trend has occurred for the estimation of the absorbed dose in diagnostic procedures using radionuclides. There is broad consensus in accepting that the earliest Monte Carlo calculations in medical radiation physics were made in the area of nuclear medicine, where the technique was used for dosimetry modelling and computations. Formalism and data based on Monte Carlo calculations, developed by the Medical Internal Radiation Dose (MIRD) committee of the Society of Nuclear Medicine, were published in a series of supplements to the Journal of Nuclear Medicine, the first one being released in 1968. Some of these pamphlets made extensive use of Monte Carlo calculations to derive specific absorbed fractions for electron and photon sources uniformly distributed in organs of mathematical phantoms. Interest in Monte Carlo-based dose calculations with β-emitters has been revived with the application of radiolabelled monoclonal antibodies to radioimmunotherapy. As a consequence of this generalized use, many questions are being raised primarily about the need and potential of Monte Carlo techniques, but also about how accurate it really is, what would it take to apply it clinically and make it available widely to the medical physics

  14. Monte Carlo strategies in scientific computing

    CERN Document Server

    Liu, Jun S

    2008-01-01

    This paperback edition is a reprint of the 2001 Springer edition This book provides a self-contained and up-to-date treatment of the Monte Carlo method and develops a common framework under which various Monte Carlo techniques can be "standardized" and compared Given the interdisciplinary nature of the topics and a moderate prerequisite for the reader, this book should be of interest to a broad audience of quantitative researchers such as computational biologists, computer scientists, econometricians, engineers, probabilists, and statisticians It can also be used as the textbook for a graduate-level course on Monte Carlo methods Many problems discussed in the alter chapters can be potential thesis topics for masters’ or PhD students in statistics or computer science departments Jun Liu is Professor of Statistics at Harvard University, with a courtesy Professor appointment at Harvard Biostatistics Department Professor Liu was the recipient of the 2002 COPSS Presidents' Award, the most prestigious one for sta...

  15. Off-diagonal expansion quantum Monte Carlo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albash, Tameem; Wagenbreth, Gene; Hen, Itay

    2017-12-01

    We propose a Monte Carlo algorithm designed to simulate quantum as well as classical systems at equilibrium, bridging the algorithmic gap between quantum and classical thermal simulation algorithms. The method is based on a decomposition of the quantum partition function that can be viewed as a series expansion about its classical part. We argue that the algorithm not only provides a theoretical advancement in the field of quantum Monte Carlo simulations, but is optimally suited to tackle quantum many-body systems that exhibit a range of behaviors from "fully quantum" to "fully classical," in contrast to many existing methods. We demonstrate the advantages, sometimes by orders of magnitude, of the technique by comparing it against existing state-of-the-art schemes such as path integral quantum Monte Carlo and stochastic series expansion. We also illustrate how our method allows for the unification of quantum and classical thermal parallel tempering techniques into a single algorithm and discuss its practical significance.

  16. A comparison of lattice parameters for CANDU-type lattices obtained using MCNP, WIMS, and WIMS with resonance reaction rates from MCNP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Craig, D.S.

    1989-03-01

    The Monte Carlo code MCNP was used to check the accuracy of the WIMS calculation of the resolved resonance capture rate in CANDU-type lattices. Reactivities, relative conversion ratios, and fast fission factors are compared with experiments. Values of ρ 28 and reaction rates for U-238 are given as a function of position in the fuel bundle. A check was made on the correction made in WIMS to allow for endcaps on the fuel bundles. (26 refs)

  17. Dynamic bounds coupled with Monte Carlo simulations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rajabalinejad, M., E-mail: M.Rajabalinejad@tudelft.n [Faculty of Civil Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft (Netherlands); Meester, L.E. [Delft Institute of Applied Mathematics, Delft University of Technology, Delft (Netherlands); Gelder, P.H.A.J.M. van; Vrijling, J.K. [Faculty of Civil Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft (Netherlands)

    2011-02-15

    For the reliability analysis of engineering structures a variety of methods is known, of which Monte Carlo (MC) simulation is widely considered to be among the most robust and most generally applicable. To reduce simulation cost of the MC method, variance reduction methods are applied. This paper describes a method to reduce the simulation cost even further, while retaining the accuracy of Monte Carlo, by taking into account widely present monotonicity. For models exhibiting monotonic (decreasing or increasing) behavior, dynamic bounds (DB) are defined, which in a coupled Monte Carlo simulation are updated dynamically, resulting in a failure probability estimate, as well as a strict (non-probabilistic) upper and lower bounds. Accurate results are obtained at a much lower cost than an equivalent ordinary Monte Carlo simulation. In a two-dimensional and a four-dimensional numerical example, the cost reduction factors are 130 and 9, respectively, where the relative error is smaller than 5%. At higher accuracy levels, this factor increases, though this effect is expected to be smaller with increasing dimension. To show the application of DB method to real world problems, it is applied to a complex finite element model of a flood wall in New Orleans.

  18. Coded aperture optimization using Monte Carlo simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martineau, A.; Rocchisani, J.M.; Moretti, J.L.

    2010-01-01

    Coded apertures using Uniformly Redundant Arrays (URA) have been unsuccessfully evaluated for two-dimensional and three-dimensional imaging in Nuclear Medicine. The images reconstructed from coded projections contain artifacts and suffer from poor spatial resolution in the longitudinal direction. We introduce a Maximum-Likelihood Expectation-Maximization (MLEM) algorithm for three-dimensional coded aperture imaging which uses a projection matrix calculated by Monte Carlo simulations. The aim of the algorithm is to reduce artifacts and improve the three-dimensional spatial resolution in the reconstructed images. Firstly, we present the validation of GATE (Geant4 Application for Emission Tomography) for Monte Carlo simulations of a coded mask installed on a clinical gamma camera. The coded mask modelling was validated by comparison between experimental and simulated data in terms of energy spectra, sensitivity and spatial resolution. In the second part of the study, we use the validated model to calculate the projection matrix with Monte Carlo simulations. A three-dimensional thyroid phantom study was performed to compare the performance of the three-dimensional MLEM reconstruction with conventional correlation method. The results indicate that the artifacts are reduced and three-dimensional spatial resolution is improved with the Monte Carlo-based MLEM reconstruction.

  19. Variational Monte Carlo Technique

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 19; Issue 8. Variational Monte Carlo Technique: Ground State Energies of Quantum Mechanical Systems. Sukanta Deb. General Article Volume 19 Issue 8 August 2014 pp 713-739 ...

  20. Randomized quasi-Monte Carlo simulation of fast-ion thermalization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Höök, L J; Johnson, T; Hellsten, T

    2012-01-01

    This work investigates the applicability of the randomized quasi-Monte Carlo method for simulation of fast-ion thermalization processes in fusion plasmas, e.g. for simulation of neutral beam injection and radio frequency heating. In contrast to the standard Monte Carlo method, the quasi-Monte Carlo method uses deterministic numbers instead of pseudo-random numbers and has a statistical weak convergence close to O(N -1 ), where N is the number of markers. We have compared different quasi-Monte Carlo methods for a neutral beam injection scenario, which is solved by many realizations of the associated stochastic differential equation, discretized with the Euler-Maruyama scheme. The statistical convergence of the methods is measured for time steps up to 2 14 . (paper)