University of Wisconsin Neutronics Center of Excellence

Neutronics, Shielding, and Activation Analyses

The three closely coupled nuclear activities include:

Neutronics

Shielding

Activation

We developed an integral nuclear scheme that considers the overall configuration, design requirements, low-activation materials choice, structural integrity of all components, and safety considerations. High fidelity in nuclear assessments mandates performing state-of-the-art nuclear analyses. During the last decade and continuing to the present, our neutronics team has overcome a major limitation in the 3-D analysis, allowing fully accurate modeling of complex devices by integrating the CAD geometry directly with the 3-D MCNP code. Our newly developed DAGMC and R2S-act codes present essential computational tools for nuclear analyses. This unique technology has been applied successfully to ARIES, ITER and other US fusion studies, preserving all geometrically complex design elements and speeding up feedback and iterations to quickly converge on an acceptable configuration that satisfies the specific design goal, mission, and requirements.

Our recent activation and environmental analyses placed UW as the leading U.S. institute for radwaste management assessments. These activities drew the attention of our colleagues in Europe, South Korea and Japan, requesting collaboration with UW in this unique area of research.

Flowchart of modeling process

Publications