Designing energy discretisations for sensitivity studies in lead-cooled fast reactors using a genetic algorithm

Emilie Delvaux, Federico Grimaldi, Nicolò Abrate, Alex Aimetta, Mattia Massone, Victor J. Casas-Molina, Antonin Krása, Pierre Etienne Labeau

Research outputpeer-review

Abstract

In nuclear engineering, sensitivity studies are essential for understanding the impact of nuclear data on simulation uncertainties. Energy-dependent sensitivities are typically scored over suitable energy discretisations. The chosen energy grid affects the accuracy of the scored sensitivity in comparison with the continuous-energy reference. In this work, we explore the use of genetic algorithms as a search optimisation technique to define tailored energy grids for heavy liquid metal-cooled fast systems, such as ALFRED and MYRRHA. We developed a custom routine to achieve energy discretisations that minimise the root mean squared error between reference sensitivity profiles and evaluated sensitivity profiles for the effective multiplication factor keff of 238U and 239Pu. These improvements were compared with those obtained using ECCO-33, a widely employed energy discretisation for fast systems.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering, M and C 2025
PublisherAmerican Nuclear Society
Pages896-905
Number of pages10
ISBN (Electronic)9780894482229
DOIs
StatePublished - 2025
Event2025 - International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering, M and C 2025 - Denver
Duration: 27 Apr 202530 Apr 2025

Publication series

NameProceedings of the International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering, M and C 2025

Conference

Conference2025 - International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering, M and C 2025
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityDenver
Period2025-04-272025-04-30

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Nuclear Energy and Engineering
  • Applied Mathematics

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