Neutronics 

VERAShift

VERAShift Overview

Hybrid deterministic-Monte Carlo ex-core radiation transport interface package serving as the application programming interface (API) for integrating in-core depletion and thermal-hydraulics calculations with ex-core calculations performed with Shift. Its initial development began in 2015 and it is mainly used to perform ex-core transport calculations for light water reactors in the VERA code suite. These calculations include vessel fluence, detector response including during reactor startup, and concrete fluence. VERAShift is also used as a verification and/or validation tool by utilizing its Monte Carlo eigenvalue solution capability. 

Contact Tara Pandya at pandyatm@ornl.gov or info@vera.ornl.gov for more information

Applications and Integrations

Vessel and reactor component fluence, detector response (including reactor startup), concrete fluence, coupon fluence

-MPACT, CTF and Shift

Planned capabilities for the future include:

  • BWR geometry support

VERAShift References

  1. Pandya, Tara M., Seth R. Johnson, Thomas M. Evans, Gregory G. Davidson, Steven P. Hamilton, and Andrew T. Godfrey. “Implementation, Capabilities, and Benchmarking of Shift, a Massively Parallel Monte Carlo Radiation Transport Code.” Journal of Computational Physics 308 (March 2016): 239–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcp.2015.12.037.
  2. VERAShift User Manual
  3. VERAShift Theory Manual
  4. Pandya, Tara M., Seth R. Johnson, Thomas M. Evans, Gregory G. Davidson, Steven P. Hamilton, and Andrew T. Godfrey. “Implementation, Capabilities, and Benchmarking of Shift, a Massively Parallel Monte Carlo Radiation Transport Code.” Journal of Computational Physics 308 (March 2016): 239–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcp.2015.12.037.
  5. Gentry, Cole, Benjamin Collins, Eva Davidson, Gregory Davidson, Thomas Evans, Andrew Godfrey, Shane Hart, et al. “Secondary-Source Core Reload Modeling with VERA.” Nuclear Science and Engineering, November 12, 2020, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2020.1820797.
  6. Stimpson, Shane, Tara Pandya, Katherine Royston, and Benjamin S Collins. “Impact of Radial Reflector Fidelity on Neutronics and Vessel Fluence Simulations.” Nuclear Technology Accepted (2020). https://doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2020.1770557

VERAShift Images

Pin adjoint and vessel fluence at axial midplane plotted in VERAView

Pin powers and vessel fluence at axial midplane plotted in VERAView

Contour plot of fast neutron flux at nozzle and in concrete bioshield (above) and its relative error (below)