APOLLO-2: An advanced transport code for LWRs

APOLLO-2 is a fully modular code in which each module corresponds to a specific task: access to the cross-sections libraries, creation of isotopes medium or mixtures, geometry definition, self-shielding calculations, computation of multigroup collision probabilities, flux solver, depletion calculations, transport-transport or transport-diffusion equivalence process, SN calculations, etc... Modules communicate exclusively by ''objects'' containing structured data, these objects are identified and handled by user's given names. Among the major improvements offered by APOLLO-2 the modelization of the self-shielding: it is possible now to deal with a great precision, checked versus Montecarlo calculations, a fuel rod divided into several concentric rings. So the total production of Plutonium is quite better estimated than before and its radial distribution may be predicted also with a good accuracy. Thanks to the versatility of the code some reference calculations and routine ones may be compared easily because only one parameter is changed; for example the self-shielding approximations are modified, the libraries or the flux solver being exactly the same. Other interesting features have been introduced in APOLLO-2: the new isotopes JEF.2 are available in 99 and 172 energy groups libraries, the surface leakage model improves the calculation of the control rod efficiency, the flux-current method allows faster calculations, the possibility of an automatic convergence checking during the depletion calculations coupled with fully automatic corrections, heterogeneous diffusion coefficients used for voiding analysis. 17 refs, 1 tab