Numerical solution of the neutron transport equation using cellular neural networks

Various methods have been used for solving the neutron transport equation in the past, and a number of computer codes have been developed based on these solution methods. This paper describes a novel method for the solution of the steady-state and time-dependent neutron transport equation using the duality between neutronic parameters in the method of characteristic (MOC) and the electrical parameters in the cellular neural networks (CNN). The relevant electrical circuit can be simulated by professional electrical circuit simulator software, HSPICE. This software is used for numerical solution of the transport equation only by preparation of appropriate inputs. This method does not need inner and outer iterations, which is a necessary step in the other deterministic methods. One of the main applications of the proposed method may be the development of a new hardware by VLSI technology for online spatio-temporal calculations of the transport equation for nuclear reactor core. The accuracy and capability of this method are examined in a 2D steady-state problem for a BWR fuel assembly, and a 2D time-dependent TWIGL seed/blanket problem.