Evaluation of Operational Characteristics of Selected Unfolding Codes,

Abstract

A study was conducted to determine the sensitivity of three computer codes (SAND 2, SPECTRA, and FERDOR) used for unfolding neutron spectra from activation foil data to errors in measured foil activities and to the choice of first approximation spectra, and to evaluate these codes in terms of computer run time, user intervention, and required user experience. Based on the results of the study, it was concluded that (1) the solution spectrum is much more sensitive to the choice of the first approximation spectrum than to errors in the measured foil activities, (2) the solution spectrum is more accurate in energy intervals containing many neutrons than in intervals containing few neutrons, (3) FERDOR, in the form received, was unsuitable for unfolding neutron spectra from activation foil data, (4) comparison of the computing run times of the two remaining codes is unwise because of the number of variables involved, and (5) unfolding codes require considerable user experience in order to produce meaning ful solution spectra. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 1973
Accession Number
AD0770370

Entities

People

  • David T. Kilminster

Organizations

  • Ballistic Research Laboratory

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Computers
  • Diffraction
  • Intervals
  • Intervention
  • Neutron Spectrum
  • Sensitivity
  • Spectra
  • Test And Evaluation

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
  • Nuclear and Radiation Engineering.
  • Systems Analysis and Design