Processing of resonance parameter covariance files

The prudent use of resonance parameter covariance information requires the availability of a means of error propagation from the resonance parameters to the cross sections. This work presents an approach to obtaining these so-called resonance parameter sensitivities. The resonance parameter sensitivity methodology developed herein generally provides accurate results when compared to direct recalculations using existing and wellknown cross-section processing codes. However, it has been shown in several cases that self-shielded cross sections can be very nonlinear functions of the basic parameters. For this reason, caution must be used in any study which assumes that a linear relationship exists between a given self-shielded group cross section and its corresponding basic data parameters. The study also has pointed out the need for more approximate techniques which will allow the required sensitivity information to be obtained in a more cost-effective manner. This paper is a synopsis of major work that was completed nearly ten years ago. However, due to the lack of additional development in the field, it remains essentially the current state-of-the-art