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Kondo, Ryoichi; Yamamoto, Akio*; Endo, Tomohiro*
EPJ Nuclear Sciences & Technologies (Internet), 11, p.21_1 - 21_9, 2025/06
The flux distribution tallies using the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) called "the POD tallies" have been developed in our previous study. The POD tallies can achieve dimensionality and statistical uncertainty reduction for a finely discretized flux distribution. Some characteristics of the POD tallies, which are left by our previous work, are revealed in the present study. Firstly, the POD tallies with the track length estimator are newly implemented. Since the statistical uncertainty of the POD tallies is reduced compared with the cell tallies, the POD tallies with the track length estimator can obtain the most precise result among the present implantations. Secondly, the basis vectors obtained by the deterministic and the stochastic methods are compared. The statistical uncertainty of the snapshot data invokes the degradation of the extracted basis vectors. This result indicates that the deterministic method might be more efficient for the snapshot calculation. Finally, the impact of the covariances of expansion coefficients on the statistical uncertainty of expanded flux distribution is investigated. The reconstructed statistical uncertainty considering only the variances of the expansion coefficients differs from the reference. This result reveals that the covariances of the expansion coefficients are important to estimate the statistical uncertainty of the local flux in the flux distribution.
Watanabe, Tomoaki; Tada, Kenichi; Endo, Tomohiro*; Yamamoto, Akio*
Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 16 Pages, 2025/04
Times Cited Count：0 Percentile：0.00(Nuclear Science & Technology)This study investigated the impact of nuclear data updates from JENDL-4.0 (J4) to JENDL-5 (J5) on the light-water reactor fuel burnup calculations. Burnup calculations were conducted with J4 and J5 for PWR pin-cell and BWR fuel assembly geometries. The calculation results revealed significant burnup-dependent differences in the neutron multiplication factor (k
). Across the burnup range of 0-50 GWd/t, k
values of J5 were consistently smaller than those of J4 and the difference gradually increased as burnup progressed. Direct sensitivity calculations, in which each nuclide data was replaced from J4 to J5, indicated that updates to the cross-sections of 
U, 
U, and 
Pu and the thermal scattering law data of H in H
O notably impacted the k differences. For the BWR assembly geometry containing Gd fuels, large k differences were observed in the burnup range of 10-15 GWd/t. This difference was primarily attributed to updates in the U, 
Gd, and 
Gd cross-sections, and thermal scattering law data of H in HO. Furthermore, we investigated how the nuclear data updates affected the k differences by examining nuclide number densities, the energy-dependent sensitivities, and the neutron spectra.
Watanabe, Tomoaki; Aizawa, Naoto*; Chiba, Go*; Tada, Kenichi; Yamamoto, Akio*
Proceedings of International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025) (Internet), 10 Pages, 2025/04
Currently, a major burnup calculation method for the nuclide composition of nuclear fuel conducts neutron transport calculations at each burnup step to account for changes in the neutron spectrum. While this method is highly accurate, the large computational cost of neutron transport calculations can be problematic. Therefore, a fast burnup calculation method based on neutron spectrum reconstruction with the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) and regression model is investigated. In this method, dimensionality reduction by POD is applied to many neutron fluxes obtained from detailed burnup calculations for various input parameter sets, and regression models are constructed to connect the dimensionality-reduced neutron fluxes and parameters. By substituting arbitrary input parameters to the regression models, the neutron flux is reconstructed and the burnup calculation is performed. This method performs burnup calculations that consider changes in the neutron spectrum based on input conditions without neutron transport calculations. The present method was applied to a PWR UO fuel pin cell model. The results show the nuclide inventory can be calculated with a prediction accuracy within a few percent. In addition, it is found that the calculation error is dominated by the regression models, which implies the further improvement of the regression models leads to improving the accuracy.
Fujita, Tatsuya; Yamamoto, Akio*
Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 62(2), p.179 - 196, 2025/02
Times Cited Count：0 Percentile：0.00(Nuclear Science & Technology)This study newly established a direct coupling code system consisting of the nuclear data processing code FRENDY version 2, and the three-dimensional heterogeneous transport code GENESIS (FRENDY-V2/GENESIS) for easy implementation of the random-sampling-based uncertainty quantification considering the implicit effect due to nuclear cross-section (XS) perturbations. The multi-group macroscopic XSs prepared for GENESIS were generated by FRENDY version 2, where the Dancoff factor was calculated by the neutron current method. Then the background XSs were evaluated based on the Carlvik two-term rational approximation. The infinite multiplication factor (k-infinity) and the fission reaction rate distribution in UO and MOX lattice geometries were compared with MVP3 to verify the calculation accuracy of FRENDY-V2/GENESIS. The sensitivity analyses on the discretization conditions such as the ray tracing of the method of characteristics were also carried out. Through several comparisons between FRENDY-V2/GENESIS and MVP3, FRENDY-V2/GENESIS with the SHEM 361-group structure calculates the k-infinity within approximately 50 pcm and the fission reaction rate distribution within approximately 0.1% by the root mean square, respectively. Consequently, the applicability of FRENDY-V2/GENESIS was verified, and FRENDY-V2/GENESIS can be used to discuss the implicit effect due to multi-group XS perturbations.
Maruyama, Shuhei; Yamamoto, Akio*; Endo, Tomohiro*
Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 14 Pages, 2025/00
Times Cited Count：0Kondo, Ryoichi; Endo, Tomohiro*; Yamamoto, Akio*
Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 61(12), p.1536 - 1545, 2024/12
Times Cited Count：0 Percentile：0.00(Nuclear Science & Technology)In this paper, a new tallying method for a neutron flux distribution using the proper orthogonal decomposition is proposed for dimensionality reduction. The target spatial flux distribution is expanded by orthogonal basis vectors. Expansion coefficients are tallied during the random walk of the Monte Carlo calculation. The orthogonal basis vectors are extracted from the pre-calculated snapshots by the singular value decomposition. The proposed method is verified in the multi-group Monte Carlo calculation with the one-dimensional heterogeneous whole core geometry as a feasibility study. The flux distribution for each of the assemblies and energy groups is expanded by the basis vectors. The fewer basis vectors obtained from snapshots can reconstruct the target distribution well compared with the conventional Legendre polynomials used in the functional expansion tallies. The dimension of the solution in the proposed method is reduced by a factor of twenty compared with the conventional cell tally. In addition, the statistical error is reduced through dimensionality reduction thanks to the methodological feature of the proposed method. The results indicate that the proposed method has the capability of dimensionality reduction to tally the finely discretized flux distribution.
Kondo, Ryoichi; Endo, Tomohiro*; Yamamoto, Akio*
EPJ Web of Conferences, 302, p.04002_1 - 04002_10, 2024/10
Times Cited Count：0 Percentile：0.00(Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications)In the recent study, we have developed an efficient flux distribution tallying method in the Monte Carlo calculation toward the high-fidelity, large scale multi-physics simulation. In this method, the proper orthogonal decomposition is applied to the flux distribution tallies. While the tallying method was implemented with the collision estimator in the previous study, the track length estimator is implemented in the present study to obtain the tally with lower statistical error. The implementation of the flux distribution tally with the track length estimator is compared with that of the collision estimator and the normal track length estimator in a one-dimensional problem. The numerical results reveal that the distribution tally using the POD with the track length estimator can obtain a more precise solution compared with that with the collision estimator. Therefore, in terms of the statistical error, the relationship between the distribution tally with track length and collision estimator is similar to that between the conventional track length and collision estimators.
Maruyama, Shuhei; Yamamoto, Akio*; Endo, Tomohiro*
Annals of Nuclear Energy, 205, p.110591_1 - 110591_13, 2024/09
Times Cited Count：1 Percentile：0.00(Nuclear Science & Technology)
Yamamoto, Hajime*; Ikeda, Osamu*; Honda, Takashi*; Kimura, Kenta*; Aoyama, Takuya*; Ogushi, Kenya*; Suzuki, Akio*; Ishii, Kenji*; Matsumura, Daiju; Tsuji, Takuya; et al.
Physical Review Materials (Internet), 8(9), p.094402_1 - 094402_6, 2024/09
Times Cited Count：2 Percentile：56.91(Materials Science, Multidisciplinary)Tada, Kenichi; Yamamoto, Akio*; Kunieda, Satoshi; Konno, Chikara; Kondo, Ryoichi; Endo, Tomohiro*; Chiba, Go*; Ono, Michitaka*; Tojo, Masayuki*
Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 61(6), p.830 - 839, 2024/06
Times Cited Count：8 Percentile：89.79(Nuclear Science & Technology)Nuclear data processing code is important to connect evaluated nuclear data libraries and radiation transport codes. The nuclear data processing code FRENDY version 1 was released in 2019 to generate ACE formatted cross section files with simple input data. After we released FRENDY version 1, many functions were developed, e.g., neutron multi-group cross section generation, explicit consideration of the resonance interference effect among different nuclides in a material, consideration of the resonance upscattering, ACE file perturbation, and modification of ENDF-6 formatted file. FRENDY version 2 was released including these new functions. It generates GENDF and MATXS formatted neutron multi-group cross section files from an ACE formatted cross section file or an evaluated nuclear data file. This paper explains the features of the new functions implemented in FRENDY version 2 and the verification of the neutron multigroup cross section generation function of this code.
Katano, Ryota; Oizumi, Akito; Fukushima, Masahiro; Pyeon, C. H.*; Yamamoto, Akio*; Endo, Tomohiro*
Nuclear Science and Engineering, 198(6), p.1215 - 1234, 2024/06
Times Cited Count：0 Percentile：0.00(Nuclear Science & Technology)In this study, we have demonstrated that data assimilation using lead and bismuth sample reactivities measured in the Kyoto University Critical Assembly A-core can successfully reduce the uncertainty of the coolant void reactivity in accelerator-driven systems derived from inelastic-scattering cross-sections of lead and bismuth. We re-evaluated and highlighted the experimental uncertainties and correlations of the sample reactivities for the data assimilation formula. We used the MCNP6.2 code to evaluate the sample reactivities and their uncertainties, and performed data assimilation using the reactor analysis code system MARBLE. The high-sensitivity coefficients of the sample reactivities to lead and bismuth allowed us to reduce the cross-section-induced uncertainty of the void reactivity of the accelerator-driven system from 6.3% to 4.8%, achieving a provisional target accuracy of 5% in this study. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the uncertainties arising from other dominant factors, such as minor actinides and steel, can be effectively reduced by using integral experimental data sets for the unified cross-section dataset ADJ2017.
Harada, Yoshinari*; Yamaguchi, Hibiki*; Endo, Tomohiro*; Yamamoto, Akio*; Tada, Kenichi
Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, 130(1), p.758 - 762, 2024/06
The data assimilation was performed using deterministic sampling to selectively reduce uncertainties caused by the thermal neutron scattering in light water. The prompt neutron decay constant 
of the water tank system was used for the data assimilation. The deterministic sampling method was applied to uncertainty quantification and data assimilation for light water thermal neutron scattering law data obtained by the CAB model. The uncertainty quantification results using the deterministic sampling method were comparable to those using the random sampling method.
Murakami, Kenta*; Onizawa, Kunio; Yamamoto, Akio*
Nihon Genshiryoku Gakkai-Shi ATOMO
, 66(4), p.199 - 202, 2024/04
The Standards Committee of Atomic Energy Society of Japan has been leading activities related to long-term operation through the revision of the Code of Practice for Aging Management, and we believe that we must continue to make important contributions in light of recent changes in laws and regulations. This paper recapitulates the discussions in the special session conducted at the 2023 fall meeting, and describes the efforts toward safe long-term operation and the points to keep in mind in the standardization of such activities. The important points are (1) to make effective use of knowledge found over time, (2) not to overlook new knowledge that has a significant impact on safety, including obsolescence, (3) to assign a level of importance to the response based on the impact on safety and the likelihood of its occurrence, and (4) to contribute to the establishment of an international knowledge base.
Endo, Tomohiro*; Maruyama, Shuhei; Yamamoto, Akio*
Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 61(3), p.363 - 374, 2024/03
Times Cited Count：1 Percentile：0.00(Nuclear Science & Technology)Uncertainty quantification (UQ) of the neutron multiplication factor is important to investigate the appropriate safety margin for a target system. Although the random sampling method is a practical and useful UQ method, a large computational cost is required to reduce the statistical error of the estimated uncertainty. Furthermore, if an input variable follows a normal distribution with a large standard deviation, the perturbed input variable by the random sampling method may become a physically inappropriate or negative value. To address these issues for the efficient and robust UQ, a modified deterministic sampling method using the simplex ensemble and the scaling method is proposed. The features of the proposed method are summarized as follows: The sample size is (r+2), where r corresponds to the effective rank of the covariance matrix between the input variables; depending on a situation of target UQ, the amounts of perturbations for the input parameters can be arbitrarily given by the scaling factor method; the scaling factor can be updated to avoid physically inappropriate in the perturbed input variables. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through the UQ of the neutron multiplication factor due to fuel manufacturing uncertainties for a typical PWR pin-cell burnup calculation.
Maruyama, Shuhei; Endo, Tomohiro*; Yamamoto, Akio*
Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 61(1), p.31 - 43, 2024/01
Times Cited Count：3 Percentile：46.61(Nuclear Science & Technology)This study investigated the feasibility of reducing the uncertainty associated with fast-reactor-core design by sharing an experimental database between different fields (e.g., reactor physics and radiation shielding) using data assimilation techniques. As the first step in this study, we focused on the ORNL sodium shielding experiment and investigated the possibility of using the experimental data to reduce the uncertainty in sodium void reactivity (SVR), which is the most important safety parameter for sodium-cooled fast reactors. A sensitivity analysis based on the Generalized Perturbation Theory was performed for the sodium shielding experiment. Using the sensitivity coefficients evaluated here and those of the sodium void reactivity previously evaluated by the JAEA, we showed that sodium shielding experimental data can contribute to the uncertainty reduction of SVR by adopting the cross-section adjustment method. Based on this study, the uncertainty reduction effect is expected to be significant, especially for SVR dominated by neutron-leakage phenomena. Although new reactor physics experimental data on SVR may be difficult to obtain, the results of this study suggest that data from sodium shielding experiments can partially substitute for this role. This study demonstrated the value of the mutual use of integral experimental data in fast reactor designs.
Watanabe, Tomoaki; Tada, Kenichi; Endo, Tomohiro*; Yamamoto, Akio*
Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 60(11), p.1386 - 1396, 2023/11
Times Cited Count：5 Percentile：73.39(Nuclear Science & Technology)The burnup calculations for estimating the nuclide composition of the spent fuel are highly dependent on nuclear data. Many nuclides in the latest version of the Japanese Evaluated Nuclear Data Library JENDL-5 were modified from JENDL-4.0 and the modification affects the burnup calculations. This study confirmed the validity of JENDL-5 in the burnup calculations. The PIE data of Takahama-3 was used for the validation. The effect of modifications of the parameters, e.g., cross sections and fission yields, from JENDL-4.0 to JENDL-5 on the nuclide compositions was quantitatively investigated. The calculation results showed that JENDL-5 has a similar performance to JENDL-4.0. The calculation results also revealed that the modifications of the cross sections of actinide nuclides, fission yields, and thermal scattering low data of hydrogen in HO affected the nuclide compositions of PWR spent fuels.
Maruyama, Shuhei; Endo, Tomohiro*; Yamamoto, Akio*
Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 60(11), p.1372 - 1385, 2023/11
Times Cited Count：1 Percentile：25.62(Nuclear Science & Technology)Watanabe, Tomoaki; Tada, Kenichi; Endo, Tomohiro*; Yamamoto, Akio*
Proceedings of 12th International Conference on Nuclear Criticality Safety (ICNC2023) (Internet), 10 Pages, 2023/10
The latest Japanese nuclear data library, JENDL-5, was released in December 2021. In JENDL-5, nuclear reaction cross sections for Gd-155 and Gd-157 were modified in addition to many heavy nuclides such as U-235. Fission yields and decay data, which are essential to characterize burnup fuels, were completely revised. This study investigated the effects of the nuclear data revisions from JENDL-4.0 to JENDL-5 on the neutronic characteristics of burnup fuels to validate JENDL-5. Burnup calculations of the 9x9 STEP-3 BWR fuel assembly based on the OECD/NEA Phase III-C benchmark were performed using JENDL-4.0 and JENDL-5. As a result, the k for JENDL-5 was smaller than that of JENDL-4.0 throughout the burnup, with a large difference of about 600 pcm at 12 GWd/t, around the peak of the k. Above 20 GWd/t, the difference in k increases with increasing burnup value, reaching nearly 600 pcm at 50 GWd/t. In addition, this study investigates which nuclear data contribute significantly to the difference in k by performing burnup calculations with replacing nuclear data of individual nuclides from JENDL-4.0 to JENDL-5.
Nakamura, Takafumi*; Yamamoto, Yukio*; Arakawa, Masakazu*; Maruyama, Akio*; Yoshigoe, Akitaka
Sangyo Oyo Kogakukai Rombunshi, 11(2), p.109 - 114, 2023/09
Surface chemistry experimental end-station at BL23SU in SPring-8 is widely used to study various surfaces and interfaces of functional materials by means of soft X-rays synchrotron radiation. To analyze surface chemical reactions between gas and solid surfaces, an accurate control of flow-rates of gases is essential. This paper describes a computerized automatic gas flow control system to improve the accuracy and reproducibility of gas-surface reaction experiments in the pressure range of ultra-high vacuum (molecular flow) conditions. The system uses feedback control to operate the slow-leak valve to control the gas-pressure. As a result, the system achieved results equivalent to those of a skilled experimenter.
Tada, Kenichi; Kondo, Ryoichi; Endo, Tomohiro*; Yamamoto, Akio*
Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 60(6), p.624 - 631, 2023/06
Times Cited Count：8 Percentile：74.40(Nuclear Science & Technology)The sensitivity analysis and the uncertainty quantification have an important role in improving the evaluated nuclear data library. The current computational performance enables us to the sensitivity analysis and uncertainty quantification using the continuous energy Monte Carlo calculation code. The ACE file perturbation tool was developed for these calculations using modules of FRENDY. This tool perturbs the microscopic cross section, the number of neutrons per fission, and the fission spectrum. The uncertainty quantification using the random sampling method is also available if the user prepares the covariance matrix. The uncertainty of the k-effective using the perturbation tool was compared to the current sensitivity analysis codes SCALE/TSUNAMI and MCNP/KSEN. The comparison results indicated that the random sampling method using this tool accurately estimates the uncertainty of k-effective.
