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Adams, Marvin L.

Publications and source records attributed to Adams, Marvin L..

7 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Neutron source reconstruction using a generalized expectation–maximization algorithm on one-dimensional neutron images from the Z facility

Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion experiments have been performed at the Z facility at Sandia National Laboratories. These experiments use deuterium fuel, which produces 2.45 MeV neutrons on reaching thermonuclear conditions. To study the spatial structure of neutron production, the one-dimensional imager of neutrons diagnostic was fielded to record axial resolved neutron images. In this diagnostic, neutrons passing through a rolled edge aperture form an image on a CR-39-based solid state nuclear track detector. In this report we present a modified generalized expectation–maximization algorithm to reconstruct an axial neutron emission profile of the stagnated fusion plasma. We validate the approach by comparing the reconstructed neutron emission profile to an x-ray emission profile provided by a time-integrated pinhole camera.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2020

Massively parallel transport sweeps on meshes with cyclic dependencies

When solving the first-order form of the linear Boltzmann equation, a common misconception is that the matrix-free computational method of “sweeping the mesh”, used in conjunction with the Discrete Ordinates method, is too complex or does not scale well enough to be implemented in modern high performance computing codes. This has led to considerable efforts in the development of matrix-based methods that are computationally expensive and is partly driven by the requirements placed on modern spatial discretizations. In particular, modern transport codes are required to support higher order elements, a concept that invariably adds a lot of complexity to sweeps because of the introduction of cyclic dependencies with curved mesh cells. In this article we will present a comprehensive implementation of sweeping, to a piecewise-linear DFEM spatial discretization with particular focus on handling cyclic dependencies and possible extensions to higher order spatial discretizations. We find that these methods are implemented in a new C++ simulation framework called Chi-Tech (). We present some typical simulation results with some performance aspects that one can expect during real world simulations, we also present a scaling study to >100k processes where Chi-Tech maintains greater than 80% efficiency solving a total of 87.7 trillion angular flux unknowns for a 116 group simulation.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2020

Analytic evaluation of hydrogen neutron elastic scattering moments with free-gas thermal treatment compared to NJOY

In this article, we present an analytic approach to evaluate Legendre moments of hydrogen neutron elastic scattering differential cross section, with and without free-gas thermal treatment. The results for the zero-th (P 0 ) and first (P 1 ) moments are given and compared against a 138-group cross sections produced by NJOY. An MCNP thin-wire test was employed as an independent verification for our analytic model for the free-gas zero-th moment. Excellent agreement was observed between the analytic result and MCNP prediction. They both suggest that an increased thermal cut-off in NJOY THERMR module is advisable for higher accuracy. Discrepancy was also found between the analytic model and NJOY multi-group cross section for the first order Legendre moments of the differential cross section, which might indicate a numerical anomaly in NJOY.

NJOY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Uncollided flux techniques for arbitrary finite element meshes

The uncollided angular flux can be difficult to compute accurately in discrete-ordinate radiation transport codes, especially in weakly-scattering configurations with localized sources. It has long been recognized that an analytical or semi-analytical treatment of the uncollided flux, coupled with a discrete-ordinate solution for the collided flux, can yield dramatic improvements in solution accuracy and computational efficiency. In this paper, we present such an algorithm for the semi-analytical calculation of the uncollided flux. This algorithm is unique in several aspects: (1) it applies to arbitrary polyhedral cells (and can be thus coupled with collided flux solvers that support arbitrary polyhedral meshes without the need for explicit tetrahedral re-meshing), (2) it provides accurate uncollided solutions near sources, (3) it is devised with parallel implementation in mind, and (4) it minimizes the total number of traced rays and maintains a reasonable ray density on each local subdomain. This paper provides a complete derivation of the algorithm and demonstrates its important features on a set of simple examples and a standard transport benchmark. Assessment of its parallel performance will be the subject of a subsequent paper.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2013

2013 Predictive Science Panel Meeting Summary Report

The Predictive Science Panel (PSP) met at LANL on 12-14 March 2013. The Panel appreciated the frank and open discussion of some very difficult issues with which LANL is grappling with. The meeting consisted of four related deep-dive sessions: (1) Certification – Strategies and challenges for Reuse; (2) Certification – The impact of Pu aging; (3) Certification – The role of subcritical experiments; (4) Certification – First campaigns for MaRIE 1.0 There was also discussion of LLNL’s feedback from the October 2012 report and a poster session featuring excellent work by early-career scientists and engineers.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗