Workshop – Neutron Noise Modelling and Analysis in PWRs using commercial time-domain based code SIMULATE-3K

Please note that due to the Covid-19 situation the workshop will be run online in a revised format.

Date/time

10-11 September 2020

The course begins at 9:00 on 10 September and ends at 16:00 on 11 September.

Location 

Paul Scherrer Institut

Nuclear energy and safety division (NES)

Laboratory of Reactor-physics and Thermal-hydraulics (LRT), OHSA Building

Forschungstrasse 111, 5232 Villigen-PSI

Deadline for registration

Registration is now closed

Contact

Vasudha Verma – Vasudha.verma@psi.ch

Abdelhamid Dokhane – abdelhamid.dokhane@psi.ch

Course fee

The course is free of charge.

Course theme

The workshop is focused on the methodology for neutron noise analysis in PWRs using time-domain based nodal dynamics code SIMULATE-3K. The course is split into three parts:

  • Modelling of neutron noise sources using CASMO-5 and SIMUALTE-3K
  • Analysis of neutron noise behavior using standard signal processing methods
  • Characterization and localization of noise sources using machine-learning based techniques
Programme/Structure of the 2-days course:

The course contains 0.5 days’ worth of lectures and 1.5 days’ worth of computer simulations.

  • Overview of neutron noise theory
  • PSI Methodology for neutron noise analysis
  • Summary of main results from neutron noise analysis of PWRs within the CORTEX project
  • Exercises based on generation of perturbed cross sections using CAMSO-5
  • Exercises based on modeling of fuel assembly vibrations at higher oscillation modes, core barrel vibrations and thermal-hydraulic fluctuations, and their combinations
  • Study of induced neutron noise phenomenology
  • Overview of machine-learning techniques for anomalies detection in nuclear reactor systems
  • Exercises based on illustration of machine-learning techniques on the labeled noise data
Learning objective

The main objective of the course is to provide a flavor of the use of state-of-the-art codes to model various in-core perturbations/noise sources such as fuel assemblies’ vibrations, core barrel vibrations and thermal-hydraulic fluctuations, and to analyze the behavior of the resulting neutron noise in real heterogeneous PWR cores.

Besides a series of lectures, the main focus of the course will be on computer simulations for the generation of perturbed cross sections that are representative of the noise sources and simulations of several transient scenarios to evaluate propagation of neutron noise in the reactor core using lattice and nodal codes (CASMO-5 and SIMULATE-3K), and MATLAB support scripts. In addition, some exercises will include simulations to illustrate the machine-learning techniques for anomalies detection and characterization in nuclear reactor systems.

After the completion of the course, the participants should be able to

  • Have an overview of the modelling of neutron noise sources in time-domain nodal codes.
  • Understand the methods for neutron noise analysis
  • Know the quantities of interest for neutron noise assessment
  • Perform qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the induced noise due to in-core perturbations in PWRs using a time-domain based commercial nodal code SIMULATE-3K
Target audience
  • PhD student with a background knowledge in nuclear engineering
  • Nuclear engineers
  • Reactor physicists
Maximum number of participants:

12

Teaching approach:

The course format will contain a series of lectures and mostly hands-on exercises based on MATLAB and a CASMO/SIMULATE and SIMULATE-3K based codes package. Computers with access to all the relevant tools will be provided to the attendees for the interactive simulation sessions. Because of the nature of such simulation sessions, the course is designed to be followed on-site at PSI.

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