KINIK, Absorber Rod Calibration Kinetics

1 - Description of program or function: KINIK is an inverse kinetic code that solves the inverse form of the point kinetic equations using the Runge-Kutta method. An optimization procedure is involved to control the time step and to reduce the running time. Up to 24 delayed neutron groups of different types (in case of heavy water as moderator or beryllium as reflector) are considered. KINIK is commonly applied to determine reactivity worths and to calibrate absorber rods. Following a rod drop, neutron flux or power is recorded as a function of time and used as input. 2 - Method of solution: The inverse point kinetic equations are numerically solved for each time step using the Runge-Kutta method. The input data resulting from measurements are first approximated by polynomials of maximum degree 10 using a least-squares approach