Monte Carlo methods for sensitivity to geometry parameters in reactor physics

Thesis topic details

General information

Organisation

The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is a key player in research, development and innovation in four main areas :
• defence and security,
• nuclear energy (fission and fusion),
• technological research for industry,
• fundamental research in the physical sciences and life sciences.

Drawing on its widely acknowledged expertise, and thanks to its 16000 technicians, engineers, researchers and staff, the CEA actively participates in collaborative projects with a large number of academic and industrial partners.

The CEA is established in ten centers spread throughout France
  

Reference

SL-DES-25-0193  

Thesis topic details

Category

Engineering science

Thesis topics

Monte Carlo methods for sensitivity to geometry parameters in reactor physics

Contract

Thèse

Job description

The Monte Carlo method is considered to be the most accurate approach for simulating neutron transport in a reactor core, since it requires no or very few approximations and can easily handle complex geometric shapes (no discretisation is involved). A particular challenge for Monte Carlo simulation in reactor physics applications is to calculate the impact of a small model change: formally, this involves calculating the derivative of an observable with respect to a given parameter. In a Monte-Carlo code, the statistical uncertainty is considerably amplified when calculating a difference between similar values. Consequently, several Monte Carlo techniques have been developed to estimate perturbations directly. However, the question of calculating perturbations induced by a change in reactor geometry remains fundamentally an open problem. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the advantages and shortcomings of existing geometric perturbation methods and to propose new ways of calculating the derivatives of reactor parameters with respect to changes in its geometry. The challenge is twofold. Firstly, it will be necessary to design algorithms that can efficiently calculate the geometric perturbation itself. Secondly, the proposed approaches will have to be adapted to high-performance computing environments.

University / doctoral school

PHENIICS (PHENIICS)
Paris-Saclay

Thesis topic location

Site

Saclay

Requester

Position start date

01/10/2025

Person to be contacted by the applicant

KOWALSKI Mikolaj Adam mikolaj-adam.kowalski@cea.fr
CEA
DES
DES/ISAS/DM2S/SERMA/LTSD

Tutor / Responsible thesis director

ZOIA Andrea andrea.zoia@cea.fr
CEA
DES/DM2S/SERMA/LTSD
Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives
Centre de Saclay
DES/ISAS/DM2S/SERMA/LTSD
Bat 470 - PC 212
91191 Gif sur Yvette Cedex, France


01 69 08 89 49

En savoir plus


https://www.cea.fr/energies/tripoli-4