INVAP Neutronic Calculation Line

Abstract

The improvements in the computational systems (increasing the memory and storage capacity and reducing the computational time) allows the development of innovative methods for reactor calculations, including not only more detailed theories and highly accurate numerical methods, but also adding more prediction capabilities and additional engineering information to perform the engineering analysis of the system. As an example, it is possible nowadays to integrate different tools with interdisciplinary or multi engineering information, improving the analysis of the calculated systems. For this reason, INVAP has been on continuous development of the calculation system used for design and optimization of nuclear reactors. The calculation codes have been enhanced with new capabilities for the new challenges. Some of the improvements are developed in the framework of the Upgrade of INVAP´s proprietary calculation line developed with the contribution of the Argentine National Agency of Technological and Scientific Promotion (Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica -ANPCyT), through the funds of the Argentine Technological Funds (Fondo Tecnológico Argentino, FONTAR).
The current state of the code packages enables INVAP to design and follow up nuclear installations with complex geometries using a set of easy-to-use input files. The calculation line is divided, basically, in two main codes: Cell (CONDOR) and Core (CITVAP) codes. The homogenized and condensed macroscopic Cross Section (XS) is one of the main parameters used as interface between both codes; they are calculated by the cell code and used as input by the core code. A set of intuitive graphic pre and post-processors have also been developed providing a fast and complete visualization tool for the parameters obtained in the calculations and several post-processors were developed to ease the interface between the different codes. This work describes the whole INVAP calculation line starting from the nuclear XS data, up to the different interfaces with third party codes.