A new open-source pin power reconstruction capability in DRAGON5 and DONJON5 neutronic codes

In order to better optimize the fuel energy efficiency in PWRs, the burnup distribution has to be known as accurately as possible, ideally in each pin. However, this level of detail is lost when core calculations are performed with homogenized cross-sections. The pin power reconstruction (PPR) method can be used to get back those levels of details as accurately as possible in a small additional computing time frame compared to classical core calculations. Such a de-homogenization technique for core calculations using arbitrarily homogenized fuel assembly geometries was presented originally by Fliscounakis et al. In our work, the same methodology was implemented in the open-source neutronic codes DRAGON5 and DONJON5. The new type of Selengut homogenization, called macro-calculation water gap, also proposed by Fliscounakis et al. was implemented. Some important details on the methodology were emphasized in order to get precise results.Validation tests were performed on 12 configurations of 3×3 clusters where simulations in transport theory and in diffusion theory followed by pin-power reconstruction were compared. The results shows that the pin power reconstruction and the Selengut macro-calculation water gap methods were correctly implemented. The accuracy of the simulations depends on the SPH method and on the homogenization geometry choices. Results show that the heterogeneous homogenization is highly recommended. SPH techniques were investigated with flux-volume and Selengut normalization, but the former leads to inaccurate results. Even though the new Selengut macro-calculation water gap method gives promising results regarding flux continuity at assembly interfaces, the classical Selengut approach is more reliable in terms of maximum and average errors in the whole range of configurations.