Tutorials 2024

Activation Analysis with ORIGEN/MAVRIC for Advanced Reactors

This tutorial will demonstrate the application of ORIGEN and MAVRIC for activation analysis for an advanced reactor concept. ORIGEN will be used to generate the activation source terms and MAVRIC will be employed to calculate dose rates due to activated materials. No prior experience with SCALE is required. Attendees can follow along using SCALE 6.2.4 or SCALE 6.3.1.

Frequent Fulcrum Functions: The Basics of SCALE’s Graphical User Interface

This tutorial will introduce the Fulcrum graphical user interface and the basic functions that enhance the common activities of creating, editing, navigating, executing, and visualizing SCALE input files. This tutorial will help attendees become familiar with the Fulcrum input file text editor and the integrated input development environment features of autocompletion, automatic checking, cursor context, and input navigation. In addition, the Fulcrum and SCALE runtime environment will be reviewed to improve understanding of job execution workflow. No prior experience with SCALE is required. Attendees can follow along using SCALE 6.2.4 or SCALE 6.3.1.

Fulcrum Data and Geometry Visualization

This tutorial will review the data plotting and geometry visualization capabilities in the Fulcrum graphical user interface. This tutorial will help attendees become familiar with Fulcrum’s 2D plot, and 2D and 3D geometry visualization features. Attendees will learn how to identify plottable data items, compose and export plot and plot data for SCALE plot formats (SDF, Ampx MG/CE, PLT, F71, PTP, SPF, ORIGEN gamma data, etc.) and visualize, navigate, cut, hide, and export the geometry and spatial data (fission map, dose map, etc.) overlays in 2D and 3D. No prior experience with SCALE is required. Attendees can follow along using SCALE 6.3.1.

How to Build and Install SCALE

This tutorial will provide details and best practices on how to install, build, patch, and verify SCALE on different platforms (Linux, macOS, Windows). The discussion will address system requirements, how to build SCALE using CMake, how to verify the installation and functionality of SCALE using the provided sample problems. Attendees can follow along using SCALE 6.3.1.

LWR Decay Heat Analysis with SCALE

This tutorial will walk users through different approaches for decay heat analysis in light water reactor (LWR) spent fuel using fuel depletion and decay capabilities in SCALE. Attendees will learn how to determine decay heat based on fast simulations with ORIGEN under the ORIGAMI graphical user interface for LWRs, how to use ft71 files obtained with different SCALE depletion sequences as input for standalone ORIGEN simulations to determine decay heat as function of burnup and cooling time, and how to visualize the results with Fulcrum. No prior experience with SCALE is required. Attendees can follow along using SCALE 6.2.4 or SCALE 6.3.1.

Molten Salt Reactor Analysis with SCALE

This tutorial will demonstrate SCALE 6.3 capabilities for reactor physics and fuel cycle analyses of liquid-fueled systems, such as molten salt reactors. This will use the TRITON module and leverage new input definitions to define elements being fed into and removed from an irradiated mixture. The tutorial will include the development and testing of a computational model, verification activities for complex material flow scenarios, and postprocessing to perform fuel cycle analyses. Resolving additional short-time phenomena will be briefly discussed. No prior experience with SCALE is required. Attendees can follow along using SCALE 6.3.1.

New Sensitivity Capability in ORIGEN

This tutorial will introduce users to the new sensitivity feature in ORIGEN, which enables the exploration of the impact of nuclear data changes on responses of interest. It will demonstrate through simple exercises that are representative of real-life applications the power of this feature in supporting a deeper understanding of the underlying physics. Attendees can follow along using SCALE 6.3.1.

New Sensitivity Features and More in Sampler

This tutorial will introduce the application of the Sampler sequence to perform sensitivity and uncertainty analysis for high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU)/high burnup (HBU) and accident tolerant fuel (ATF) concepts. Participants will learn how to use recent features in Sampler to identify similarities and differences in decay heat and k-eff trends, as well as the major contributors to the identified differences, for LWR fuel. No prior experience with SCALE is required. Attendees can follow along using SCALE 6.3.1.

Obiwan from A to Z

The OBIWAN command-line interface is a “power user” tool intended to facilitate common analysis tasks involving ORIGEN binary files, such as ORIGEN reactor libraries (f33) and ORIGEN nuclide inventory files (f71). This tutorial will introduce users to the multitude of capabilities in the OBIWAN command-line tool, including inspecting ORIGEN reactor data libraries and inventory files, generating useful output for follow-on analysis, and performing advanced tasks such as library interpolation and visualization of isotopic transition pathways. Prior experience with ORIGEN and/or ORIGAMI is highly recommended. Attendees can follow along using SCALE 6.2.4 or SCALE 6.3.1, although some capabilities are only available in 6.3.1.

ORIGEN Library Generation with TRITON

This tutorial will guide users through the process of generating ORIGEN reactor libraries using TRITON and applying these libraries for rapid depletion calculations with ORIGEN or ORIGAMI. Additionally, users will gain familiarity with the use of the SLIG template system (provided with SCALE) for developing complete “interpolation grids” of fuel assembly configurations needed to perform rapid depletion calculations based on problem-specific conditions. Attendees may follow using SCALE 6.2.4 or SCALE 6.3.1. Prior experience with SCALE (particularly familiarity with ORIGEN and/or ORIGAMI) is highly recommended.

Polaris Lattice Physics Modeling for ATF Designs

This tutorial will focus on the use of Polaris for 2D depletion analyses for LWR configurations. Polaris provides an easy-to-use input for defining lattice geometries, material compositions, and reactor state conditions. Attendees will learn how to model a standard pressurized water reactor lattice, with user-defined time-dependent state conditions, such as control rod insertion and removal. A quick run-through will be provided of lead test rod or lead test assembly analysis using advanced technologies such as doped fuel or coated cladding. No prior experience with SCALE is required. Attendees can follow along using SCALE 6.3.1.

SCALE Modelling & Simulations for Nuclide Inventories and Source Terms in Spent Nuclear Fuel

This tutorial will walk users through different approaches and relevant files for neutron and gamma source terms analysis in LWR spent fuel, using fuel depletion and decay capabilities in SCALE. Attendees will learn how to determine neutron and gamma sources with ORIGEN under the ORIGAMI graphical user interface, how to use ft71 files obtained with different SCALE depletion sequences as input for standalone ORIGEN simulations to determine these sources, and how to visualize the results with Fulcrum. A hands-on example looking at the impact on modeling assumptions (0D vs 1D) for the fuel assembly on the predicted sources will be provided. No prior experience with SCALE is required. Attendees can follow along using SCALE 6.2.4 or SCALE 6.3.1.

SCALE Sensitivity

This tutorial is a survey of sensitivity and similarity capabilities within SCALE, covering SAMS, TSURFER, TSUNAMI, TSAR, and TSUNAMI-IP. Attendees will perform eigenvalue and reactivity sensitivity analyses, data adjustment, and similarity analysis, and will have the opportunity to ask questions about current and future capabilities. Attendees can follow along using SCALE 6.2.4 or SCALE 6.3.1.

SCALE Utilities for Nuclear Data Interrogation, Comparison, and Visualization

This tutorial is an introduction to the tools available to interrogate, compare, and visualize the SCALE nuclear data. We will use Fulcrum to plot continuous energy and multigroup cross section data, multigroup scattering matrices, covariance matrices, and correlation matrices. We will also demonstrate how to use Fulcrum to compare cross section and uncertainty data from different evaluated nuclear data releases. Users will get the chance to use the OBIWAN tool to view/patch/diff/convert data found on F33 and F71 files. Lastly, a variety of AMPX tools will be used to compare covariance libraries, compare working and master libraries, and print/manipulate the data stored on a multigroup library. No prior experience with SCALE is required. Attendees can follow along using SCALE 6.2.4 or SCALE 6.3.1.

VADER for Criticality Safety Validation

This tutorial will demonstrate criticality safety validation exercises using the VADER sequence in SCALE 6.3.1. This tutorial will use VADER under the Fulcrum user interface to develop upper subcritical limits (USLs) for hypothetical criticality safety applications based on critical experiment data. Several statistical tests and USL determination methods will be demonstrated. No prior experience with SCALE is needed for this tutorial. Attendees can follow along using SCALE 6.3.1.