3-D Kinetics Experiments With Negative Reactivity Insertions in CROCUS for the Validation of TRIPOLI-4

Abstract

We investigate localized neutron flux perturbations in the CROCUS zero-power reactor, using both experiments and simulation. Reactivity is varied by means of a dedicated oscillation system that precisely inserts cylindrical samples of absorbing materials, namely tantalum (Ta), tungsten (W), and gold (Au), into a core channel. The resulting flux response is recorded by the high-resolution SAFFRON detection array, which provides insights both on the global reactor response and on the localized evolution within millimeters of the perturbation point. These measurements are then used to validate two features of the Monte Carlo code TRIPOLI-4 ® : the kinetic simulation mode, which is capable of solving the time-dependent Boltzmann equation coupled to the delayed neutron precursor equations, and the asymptotic reactor period calculations.

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BibTeX

@article{montecchio2026kinetics,
  title = {{3-D Kinetics Experiments With Negative Reactivity Insertions in CROCUS for the Validation of TRIPOLI-4}},
  author = {Cecilia Montecchio and Thomas Ligonnet and Davide Mancusi and Wilfried Monange and Oskari Pakari and Andrea Zoia and Vincent Lamirand},
  journal = {IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1109/tns.2026.3664747},
  url = {https://asnr.hal.science/hal-05829380v1},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}

RIS

TY  - JOUR
TI  - 3-D Kinetics Experiments With Negative Reactivity Insertions in CROCUS for the Validation of TRIPOLI-4
AU  - Cecilia Montecchio
AU  - Thomas Ligonnet
AU  - Davide Mancusi
AU  - Wilfried Monange
AU  - Oskari Pakari
AU  - Andrea Zoia
AU  - Vincent Lamirand
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/21
JO  - IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science
DO  - 10.1109/tns.2026.3664747
UR  - https://asnr.hal.science/hal-05829380v1
AB  - We investigate localized neutron flux perturbations in the CROCUS zero-power reactor, using both experiments and simulation. Reactivity is varied by means of a dedicated oscillation system that precisely inserts cylindrical samples of absorbing materials, namely tantalum (Ta), tungsten (W), and gold (Au), into a core channel. The resulting flux response is recorded by the high-resolution SAFFRON detection array, which provides insights both on the global reactor response and on the localized evolution within millimeters of the perturbation point. These measurements are then used to validate two features of the Monte Carlo code TRIPOLI-4 ® : the kinetic simulation mode, which is capable of solving the time-dependent Boltzmann equation coupled to the delayed neutron precursor equations, and the asymptotic reactor period calculations.
SN  - 0018-9499
SN  - 1558-1578
ER  -

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