A HYBRID MONTE CARLO AND RESPONSE MATRIX MONTE CARLO METHOD IN CRITICALITY CALCULATION

摘要

Full core calculations are very useful and important in reactor physics analysis, especially in computing the full core power distributions, optimizing the refueling strategies and analyzing the depletion of fuels. To reduce the computing time and accelerate the convergence, a method named Response Matrix Monte Carlo (RMMC) method based on analog Monte Carlo simulation was used to calculate the fixed source neutron transport problems in repeated structures. To make more accurate calculations, we put forward the RMMC method based on nonanalog Monte Carlo simulation and investigate the way to use RMMC method in criticality calculations. Then a new hybrid RMMC and MC (RMMC+MC) method is put forward to solve the criticality problems with combined repeated and flexible geometries. This new RMMC+MC method, having the advantages of both MC method and RMMC method, can not only increase the efficiency of calculations, also simulate more complex geometries rather than repeated structures. Several 1 -D numerical problems are constructed to test the new RMMC and RMMC+MC method. The results show that RMMC method and RMMC+MC method can efficiently reduce the computing time and variations in the calculations. Finally, the future research directions are mentioned and discussed at the end of this paper to make RMMC method and RMMC+MC method more powerful.