Perturbation Theory-Based Whole-Core Eigenvalue Sensitivity and Uncertainty (SU) Analysis via a 2D/1D Transport Code

For nuclear reactor physics, uncertainties in the multigroup cross sections inevitably exist, and these uncertainties are considered as the most significant uncertainty source. Based on the home-developed 3D high-fidelity neutron transport code HNET, the perturbation theory was used to directly calculate the sensitivity coefficient of keff to the multigroup cross sections, and a reasonable relative covariance matrix with a specific energy group structure was generated directly from the evaluated covariance data by using the transforming method. Then, the “Sandwich Rule” was applied to quantify the uncertainty of keff. Based on these methods, a new SU module in HNET was developed to directly quantify the keff uncertainty with one-step deterministic transport methods. To verify the accuracy of the sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of HNET, an infinite-medium problem and the 2D pin-cell problem were used to perform SU analysis, and the numerical results demonstrate that acceptable accuracy of sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of the HNET are achievable. Finally, keff SU analysis of a 3D minicore was analyzed by using the HNET, and some important conclusions were also drawn from the numerical results