Sensitivity and Uncertainty Analysis Capabilities and Data in SCALE

TLDR

SCALE 6’s TSUNAMI modules compute energy‑dependent, nuclide‑reaction‑specific sensitivities of keff or reactivity to neutron cross‑section data, while additional modules generate correlation coefficients, relational parameters, and bias‑uncertainty assessments via parametric trending or data adjustment to evaluate benchmark similarity and identify validation gaps. The resulting sensitivity data support uncertainty quantification with SCALE 6’s full cross‑section covariance set and are illustrated through an example application to a generic burnup‑credit cask model.

Abstract

In SCALE 6, the Tools for Sensitivity and UNcertainty Analysis Methodology Implementation (TSUNAMI) modules calculate the sensitivity of keff or reactivity differences to the neutron cross-section data on an energy-dependent, nuclide-reaction-specific basis. These sensitivity data are useful for uncertainty quantification, using the comprehensive neutron cross-section-covariance data in SCALE 6. Additional modules in SCALE 6 use the sensitivity and uncertainty data to produce correlation coefficients and other relational parameters that quantify the similarity of benchmark experiments to application systems for code validation purposes. Bias and bias uncertainties are quantified using parametric trending analysis or data adjustment techniques, providing detailed assessments of sources of biases and their uncertainties and quantifying gaps in experimental data available for validation. An example application of these methods is presented for a generic burnup credit cask model.