Special Sessions

Description of the Invited Special Sessions

Special Session1: Nuclear Data Development and Application – Luiz Leal (IRSN, France) and David Bernard (CEA/Cadarache – France)4T5

The latest release of nuclear data libraries, such as the US Evaluated Nuclear Data Files (ENDF) and the Joint Evaluated Fission and Fusion Files (JEFF), have been recently made available to the nuclear data community. The new releases are the results of efforts which included differential data evaluations as well as integral data validation. Among others, the data validations are performed throughout the energy range pertinent to applications such as thermal and fast reactors, criticality safety, fusion and shielding analysis, etc. In addition to the data evaluation, the new releases also include data uncertainty.

The session seeks papers on data evaluation and validation thru integral data as well on developments of experimental differential and integral data measurements which are supportive of the nuclear data library derivations.

Special Session 2: Advanced Radiation Transport and Reactor Physics Methods – Farzad Rahnema (Georgia Tech – USA), Piero Ravetto (Politecnico di Torino – Italy), and Ali Haghighat (Virginia Tech – USA)

Through various initiatives in recent years, there have been concentrated efforts in developing advanced deterministic, stochastic, and hybrid radiation transport and reactor physics methods for modeling and simulation of current and advanced reactors as well as for nuclear security and radiotherapy calculations. The main goal has been significant improvement in accuracy and/or computational efficiency.

This special session encourages papers on advanced methods in radiation transport and reactor physics for various applications.

Special Session 3: Code Verification and Validation – Integral experiments and Uncertainty Quantification
Alain Santamarina and Jean-François Vidal (CEA/Cadarache – France)

Verification, Validation and Uncertainty Quantification is the standard process to be performed in order to demonstrate the accuracy of the prediction of a modern code package. In neutronics physics, in a first step, the numerical validation of the deterministic code is carried out against reference calculation (e.g Monte-Carlo), and in a second step the experimental validation including neutron nuclear data is carried against the real world (e.g mock-up experiments).

This special session encourages papers on Integral Experiments and V&V&UQ of research/industrial codes.

Special Session 4: Molten Salt Reactors (MSR) Research and Technology – Sandra Dulla (Politecnico di Torino, Italy)

The Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) design constitutes an innovative reactor concept of great interest nowadays for meeting the GEN-IV requirements in terms of safety and sustainability. In this special session, scientists from the various countries involved in MSR-related national and international projects will have the opportunity to communicate the latest developments of their research activities and share the knowledge and advancements, in the pursuit of the deployment of the molten salt reactor technology.

Special Session 5: New Developments in Core Design & Safety Analyses Methodologies – Power Reactors.
  Kostadin N. Ivanov (NCSU, USA) and Mohamed Ouisloumen (Westinghouse, USA)

The design of the new cores for new power plants, as well as the aggressive loading patterns used in legacy reactor cores, have revealed many challenges for the methods used in core design or safety analyses.

This special session seeks papers that address these challenges at all levels, from lattice physics and parametrized libraries to core design and safety simulations including multi-physics coupling and the impact of the uncertainty quantification on the design analyses such as safety margins. Papers on all reactor types are encouraged. Comparisons of the results of the new methods to measurements or to high order methods are desired.