This IPython Notebook illustrates the use of the openmc.mgxs.Library class. The Library class is designed to automate the calculation of multi-group cross sections for use cases with one or more domains, cross section types, and/or nuclides. In particular, this Notebook illustrates the following features:

  • Calculation of multi-group cross sections for a fuel assembly
  • Automated creation, manipulation and storage of MGXS with openmc.mgxs.Library
  • Validation of multi-group cross sections with OpenMOC
  • Steady-state pin-by-pin fission rates comparison between OpenMC and OpenMOC

Note: This Notebook was created using OpenMOC to verify the multi-group cross-sections generated by OpenMC. You must install OpenMOC on your system to run this Notebook in its entirety. In addition, this Notebook illustrates the use of Pandas DataFrames to containerize multi-group cross section data.

Generate Input Files


In [1]:
import math
import pickle

from IPython.display import Image
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

import openmc
import openmc.mgxs
from openmc.openmoc_compatible import get_openmoc_geometry
import openmoc
import openmoc.process
from openmoc.materialize import load_openmc_mgxs_lib

%matplotlib inline


/home/nelsonag/python/openmc/lib/python3.6/site-packages/matplotlib/__init__.py:1405: UserWarning: 
This call to matplotlib.use() has no effect because the backend has already
been chosen; matplotlib.use() must be called *before* pylab, matplotlib.pyplot,
or matplotlib.backends is imported for the first time.

  warnings.warn(_use_error_msg)

First we need to define materials that will be used in the problem. We'll create three materials for the fuel, water, and cladding of the fuel pins.


In [2]:
# 1.6 enriched fuel
fuel = openmc.Material(name='1.6% Fuel')
fuel.set_density('g/cm3', 10.31341)
fuel.add_nuclide('U235', 3.7503e-4)
fuel.add_nuclide('U238', 2.2625e-2)
fuel.add_nuclide('O16', 4.6007e-2)

# borated water
water = openmc.Material(name='Borated Water')
water.set_density('g/cm3', 0.740582)
water.add_nuclide('H1', 4.9457e-2)
water.add_nuclide('O16', 2.4732e-2)
water.add_nuclide('B10', 8.0042e-6)

# zircaloy
zircaloy = openmc.Material(name='Zircaloy')
zircaloy.set_density('g/cm3', 6.55)
zircaloy.add_nuclide('Zr90', 7.2758e-3)

With our three materials, we can now create a Materials object that can be exported to an actual XML file.


In [3]:
# Instantiate a Materials object
materials_file = openmc.Materials([fuel, water, zircaloy])

# Export to "materials.xml"
materials_file.export_to_xml()

Now let's move on to the geometry. This problem will be a square array of fuel pins and control rod guide tubes for which we can use OpenMC's lattice/universe feature. The basic universe will have three regions for the fuel, the clad, and the surrounding coolant. The first step is to create the bounding surfaces for fuel and clad, as well as the outer bounding surfaces of the problem.


In [4]:
# Create cylinders for the fuel and clad
fuel_outer_radius = openmc.ZCylinder(x0=0.0, y0=0.0, R=0.39218)
clad_outer_radius = openmc.ZCylinder(x0=0.0, y0=0.0, R=0.45720)

# Create boundary planes to surround the geometry
min_x = openmc.XPlane(x0=-10.71, boundary_type='reflective')
max_x = openmc.XPlane(x0=+10.71, boundary_type='reflective')
min_y = openmc.YPlane(y0=-10.71, boundary_type='reflective')
max_y = openmc.YPlane(y0=+10.71, boundary_type='reflective')
min_z = openmc.ZPlane(z0=-10., boundary_type='reflective')
max_z = openmc.ZPlane(z0=+10., boundary_type='reflective')

With the surfaces defined, we can now construct a fuel pin cell from cells that are defined by intersections of half-spaces created by the surfaces.


In [5]:
# Create a Universe to encapsulate a fuel pin
fuel_pin_universe = openmc.Universe(name='1.6% Fuel Pin')

# Create fuel Cell
fuel_cell = openmc.Cell(name='1.6% Fuel')
fuel_cell.fill = fuel
fuel_cell.region = -fuel_outer_radius
fuel_pin_universe.add_cell(fuel_cell)

# Create a clad Cell
clad_cell = openmc.Cell(name='1.6% Clad')
clad_cell.fill = zircaloy
clad_cell.region = +fuel_outer_radius & -clad_outer_radius
fuel_pin_universe.add_cell(clad_cell)

# Create a moderator Cell
moderator_cell = openmc.Cell(name='1.6% Moderator')
moderator_cell.fill = water
moderator_cell.region = +clad_outer_radius
fuel_pin_universe.add_cell(moderator_cell)

Likewise, we can construct a control rod guide tube with the same surfaces.


In [6]:
# Create a Universe to encapsulate a control rod guide tube
guide_tube_universe = openmc.Universe(name='Guide Tube')

# Create guide tube Cell
guide_tube_cell = openmc.Cell(name='Guide Tube Water')
guide_tube_cell.fill = water
guide_tube_cell.region = -fuel_outer_radius
guide_tube_universe.add_cell(guide_tube_cell)

# Create a clad Cell
clad_cell = openmc.Cell(name='Guide Clad')
clad_cell.fill = zircaloy
clad_cell.region = +fuel_outer_radius & -clad_outer_radius
guide_tube_universe.add_cell(clad_cell)

# Create a moderator Cell
moderator_cell = openmc.Cell(name='Guide Tube Moderator')
moderator_cell.fill = water
moderator_cell.region = +clad_outer_radius
guide_tube_universe.add_cell(moderator_cell)

Using the pin cell universe, we can construct a 17x17 rectangular lattice with a 1.26 cm pitch.


In [7]:
# Create fuel assembly Lattice
assembly = openmc.RectLattice(name='1.6% Fuel Assembly')
assembly.pitch = (1.26, 1.26)
assembly.lower_left = [-1.26 * 17. / 2.0] * 2

Next, we create a NumPy array of fuel pin and guide tube universes for the lattice.


In [8]:
# Create array indices for guide tube locations in lattice
template_x = np.array([5, 8, 11, 3, 13, 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 2, 5, 8,
                       11, 14, 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 3, 13, 5, 8, 11])
template_y = np.array([2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 8, 8, 8, 8,
                       8, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 13, 13, 14, 14, 14])

# Initialize an empty 17x17 array of the lattice universes
universes = np.empty((17, 17), dtype=openmc.Universe)

# Fill the array with the fuel pin and guide tube universes
universes[:,:] = fuel_pin_universe
universes[template_x, template_y] = guide_tube_universe

# Store the array of universes in the lattice
assembly.universes = universes

OpenMC requires that there is a "root" universe. Let us create a root cell that is filled by the assembly and then assign it to the root universe.


In [9]:
# Create root Cell
root_cell = openmc.Cell(name='root cell')
root_cell.fill = assembly

# Add boundary planes
root_cell.region = +min_x & -max_x & +min_y & -max_y & +min_z & -max_z

# Create root Universe
root_universe = openmc.Universe(universe_id=0, name='root universe')
root_universe.add_cell(root_cell)

We now must create a geometry that is assigned a root universe and export it to XML.


In [10]:
# Create Geometry and set root Universe
geometry = openmc.Geometry(root_universe)

In [11]:
# Export to "geometry.xml"
geometry.export_to_xml()

With the geometry and materials finished, we now just need to define simulation parameters. In this case, we will use 10 inactive batches and 40 active batches each with 2500 particles.


In [12]:
# OpenMC simulation parameters
batches = 50
inactive = 10
particles = 10000

# Instantiate a Settings object
settings_file = openmc.Settings()
settings_file.batches = batches
settings_file.inactive = inactive
settings_file.particles = particles
settings_file.output = {'tallies': False}

# Create an initial uniform spatial source distribution over fissionable zones
bounds = [-10.71, -10.71, -10, 10.71, 10.71, 10.]
uniform_dist = openmc.stats.Box(bounds[:3], bounds[3:], only_fissionable=True)
settings_file.source = openmc.Source(space=uniform_dist)

# Export to "settings.xml"
settings_file.export_to_xml()

Let us also create a Plots file that we can use to verify that our fuel assembly geometry was created successfully.


In [13]:
# Instantiate a Plot
plot = openmc.Plot(plot_id=1)
plot.filename = 'materials-xy'
plot.origin = [0, 0, 0]
plot.pixels = [250, 250]
plot.width = [-10.71*2, -10.71*2]
plot.color_by = 'material'

# Instantiate a Plots object, add Plot, and export to "plots.xml"
plot_file = openmc.Plots([plot])
plot_file.export_to_xml()

With the plots.xml file, we can now generate and view the plot. OpenMC outputs plots in .ppm format, which can be converted into a compressed format like .png with the convert utility.


In [14]:
# Run openmc in plotting mode
openmc.plot_geometry(output=False)

In [15]:
# Convert OpenMC's funky ppm to png
!convert materials-xy.ppm materials-xy.png

# Display the materials plot inline
Image(filename='materials-xy.png')


Out[15]:

As we can see from the plot, we have a nice array of fuel and guide tube pin cells with fuel, cladding, and water!

Create an MGXS Library

Now we are ready to generate multi-group cross sections! First, let's define a 2-group structure using the built-in EnergyGroups class.


In [16]:
# Instantiate a 2-group EnergyGroups object
groups = openmc.mgxs.EnergyGroups()
groups.group_edges = np.array([0., 0.625, 20.0e6])

Next, we will instantiate an openmc.mgxs.Library for the energy groups with the fuel assembly geometry.


In [17]:
# Initialize a 2-group MGXS Library for OpenMOC
mgxs_lib = openmc.mgxs.Library(geometry)
mgxs_lib.energy_groups = groups

Now, we must specify to the Library which types of cross sections to compute. In particular, the following are the multi-group cross section MGXS subclasses that are mapped to string codes accepted by the Library class:

  • TotalXS ("total")
  • TransportXS ("transport" or "nu-transport with nu set to True)
  • AbsorptionXS ("absorption")
  • CaptureXS ("capture")
  • FissionXS ("fission" or "nu-fission" with nu set to True)
  • KappaFissionXS ("kappa-fission")
  • ScatterXS ("scatter" or "nu-scatter" with nu set to True)
  • ScatterMatrixXS ("scatter matrix" or "nu-scatter matrix" with nu set to True)
  • Chi ("chi")
  • ChiPrompt ("chi prompt")
  • InverseVelocity ("inverse-velocity")
  • PromptNuFissionXS ("prompt-nu-fission")
  • DelayedNuFissionXS ("delayed-nu-fission")
  • ChiDelayed ("chi-delayed")
  • Beta ("beta")

In this case, let's create the multi-group cross sections needed to run an OpenMOC simulation to verify the accuracy of our cross sections. In particular, we will define "nu-transport", "nu-fission", '"fission", "nu-scatter matrix" and "chi" cross sections for our Library.

Note: A variety of different approximate transport-corrected total multi-group cross sections (and corresponding scattering matrices) can be found in the literature. At the present time, the openmc.mgxs module only supports the "P0" transport correction. This correction can be turned on and off through the boolean Library.correction property which may take values of "P0" (default) or None.


In [18]:
# Specify multi-group cross section types to compute
mgxs_lib.mgxs_types = ['nu-transport', 'nu-fission', 'fission', 'nu-scatter matrix', 'chi']

Now we must specify the type of domain over which we would like the Library to compute multi-group cross sections. The domain type corresponds to the type of tally filter to be used in the tallies created to compute multi-group cross sections. At the present time, the Library supports "material", "cell", "universe", and "mesh" domain types. We will use a "cell" domain type here to compute cross sections in each of the cells in the fuel assembly geometry.

Note: By default, the Library class will instantiate MGXS objects for each and every domain (material, cell or universe) in the geometry of interest. However, one may specify a subset of these domains to the Library.domains property. In our case, we wish to compute multi-group cross sections in each and every cell since they will be needed in our downstream OpenMOC calculation on the identical combinatorial geometry mesh.


In [19]:
# Specify a "cell" domain type for the cross section tally filters
mgxs_lib.domain_type = 'cell'

# Specify the cell domains over which to compute multi-group cross sections
mgxs_lib.domains = geometry.get_all_material_cells().values()

We can easily instruct the Library to compute multi-group cross sections on a nuclide-by-nuclide basis with the boolean Library.by_nuclide property. By default, by_nuclide is set to False, but we will set it to True here.


In [20]:
# Compute cross sections on a nuclide-by-nuclide basis
mgxs_lib.by_nuclide = True

Lastly, we use the Library to construct the tallies needed to compute all of the requested multi-group cross sections in each domain and nuclide.


In [21]:
# Construct all tallies needed for the multi-group cross section library
mgxs_lib.build_library()

The tallies can now be export to a "tallies.xml" input file for OpenMC.

NOTE: At this point the Library has constructed nearly 100 distinct Tally objects. The overhead to tally in OpenMC scales as $O(N)$ for $N$ tallies, which can become a bottleneck for large tally datasets. To compensate for this, the Python API's Tally, Filter and Tallies classes allow for the smart merging of tallies when possible. The Library class supports this runtime optimization with the use of the optional merge paramter (False by default) for the Library.add_to_tallies_file(...) method, as shown below.


In [22]:
# Create a "tallies.xml" file for the MGXS Library
tallies_file = openmc.Tallies()
mgxs_lib.add_to_tallies_file(tallies_file, merge=True)

In addition, we instantiate a fission rate mesh tally to compare with OpenMOC.


In [23]:
# Instantiate a tally Mesh
mesh = openmc.Mesh(mesh_id=1)
mesh.type = 'regular'
mesh.dimension = [17, 17]
mesh.lower_left = [-10.71, -10.71]
mesh.upper_right = [+10.71, +10.71]

# Instantiate tally Filter
mesh_filter = openmc.MeshFilter(mesh)

# Instantiate the Tally
tally = openmc.Tally(name='mesh tally')
tally.filters = [mesh_filter]
tally.scores = ['fission', 'nu-fission']

# Add tally to collection
tallies_file.append(tally)

In [24]:
# Export all tallies to a "tallies.xml" file
tallies_file.export_to_xml()


/home/nelsonag/git/openmc/openmc/mixin.py:71: IDWarning: Another Filter instance already exists with id=126.
  warn(msg, IDWarning)
/home/nelsonag/git/openmc/openmc/mixin.py:71: IDWarning: Another Filter instance already exists with id=21.
  warn(msg, IDWarning)
/home/nelsonag/git/openmc/openmc/mixin.py:71: IDWarning: Another Filter instance already exists with id=2.
  warn(msg, IDWarning)
/home/nelsonag/git/openmc/openmc/mixin.py:71: IDWarning: Another Filter instance already exists with id=3.
  warn(msg, IDWarning)
/home/nelsonag/git/openmc/openmc/mixin.py:71: IDWarning: Another Filter instance already exists with id=4.
  warn(msg, IDWarning)
/home/nelsonag/git/openmc/openmc/mixin.py:71: IDWarning: Another Filter instance already exists with id=96.
  warn(msg, IDWarning)
/home/nelsonag/git/openmc/openmc/mixin.py:71: IDWarning: Another Filter instance already exists with id=15.
  warn(msg, IDWarning)
/home/nelsonag/git/openmc/openmc/mixin.py:71: IDWarning: Another Filter instance already exists with id=114.
  warn(msg, IDWarning)

In [25]:
# Run OpenMC
openmc.run()


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                   | The OpenMC Monte Carlo Code
         Copyright | 2011-2018 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
           License | http://openmc.readthedocs.io/en/latest/license.html
           Version | 0.10.0
          Git SHA1 | 6c2d82a4d7dfe10312329d5969568fc03a698416
         Date/Time | 2018-04-24 19:20:48
    OpenMP Threads | 8

 Reading settings XML file...
 Reading cross sections XML file...
 Reading materials XML file...
 Reading geometry XML file...
 Building neighboring cells lists for each surface...
 Reading U235 from /opt/xsdata/nndc/U235.h5
 Reading U238 from /opt/xsdata/nndc/U238.h5
 Reading O16 from /opt/xsdata/nndc/O16.h5
 Reading H1 from /opt/xsdata/nndc/H1.h5
 Reading B10 from /opt/xsdata/nndc/B10.h5
 Reading Zr90 from /opt/xsdata/nndc/Zr90.h5
 Maximum neutron transport energy: 2.00000E+07 eV for U235
 Reading tallies XML file...
 Writing summary.h5 file...
 Initializing source particles...

 ====================>     K EIGENVALUE SIMULATION     <====================

  Bat./Gen.      k            Average k         
  =========   ========   ====================   
        1/1    1.03784                       
        2/1    1.02297                       
        3/1    1.02244                       
        4/1    1.02344                       
        5/1    1.02057                       
        6/1    1.04077                       
        7/1    1.00795                       
        8/1    1.02418                       
        9/1    1.02241                       
       10/1    1.03731                       
       11/1    1.01477                       
       12/1    1.05315    1.03396 +/- 0.01919
       13/1    1.02824    1.03205 +/- 0.01124
       14/1    1.02858    1.03118 +/- 0.00800
       15/1    1.02176    1.02930 +/- 0.00647
       16/1    1.06046    1.03449 +/- 0.00741
       17/1    1.02066    1.03252 +/- 0.00657
       18/1    1.03088    1.03231 +/- 0.00569
       19/1    1.02021    1.03097 +/- 0.00520
       20/1    1.02717    1.03059 +/- 0.00466
       21/1    1.03455    1.03095 +/- 0.00423
       22/1    1.02917    1.03080 +/- 0.00387
       23/1    1.02800    1.03058 +/- 0.00356
       24/1    1.02935    1.03050 +/- 0.00330
       25/1    1.01612    1.02954 +/- 0.00322
       26/1    1.00549    1.02803 +/- 0.00336
       27/1    1.02824    1.02805 +/- 0.00316
       28/1    1.01487    1.02731 +/- 0.00307
       29/1    1.05544    1.02879 +/- 0.00326
       30/1    1.00467    1.02759 +/- 0.00332
       31/1    1.03942    1.02815 +/- 0.00321
       32/1    1.02587    1.02805 +/- 0.00306
       33/1    1.02938    1.02811 +/- 0.00292
       34/1    1.02838    1.02812 +/- 0.00280
       35/1    1.00052    1.02701 +/- 0.00290
       36/1    1.01722    1.02664 +/- 0.00281
       37/1    1.01881    1.02635 +/- 0.00272
       38/1    1.03928    1.02681 +/- 0.00266
       39/1    1.03802    1.02720 +/- 0.00260
       40/1    1.00710    1.02653 +/- 0.00260
       41/1    1.02558    1.02650 +/- 0.00251
       42/1    1.03499    1.02676 +/- 0.00245
       43/1    1.01128    1.02629 +/- 0.00242
       44/1    1.00442    1.02565 +/- 0.00243
       45/1    1.03444    1.02590 +/- 0.00238
       46/1    1.01799    1.02568 +/- 0.00232
       47/1    1.00814    1.02521 +/- 0.00231
       48/1    1.00500    1.02467 +/- 0.00231
       49/1    1.01960    1.02454 +/- 0.00225
       50/1    1.02431    1.02454 +/- 0.00219
 Creating state point statepoint.50.h5...

 =======================>     TIMING STATISTICS     <=======================

 Total time for initialization     =  2.8179E-01 seconds
   Reading cross sections          =  2.5741E-01 seconds
 Total time in simulation          =  2.5787E+01 seconds
   Time in transport only          =  2.5724E+01 seconds
   Time in inactive batches        =  1.7591E+00 seconds
   Time in active batches          =  2.4028E+01 seconds
   Time synchronizing fission bank =  1.3217E-02 seconds
     Sampling source sites         =  1.0464E-02 seconds
     SEND/RECV source sites        =  2.6486E-03 seconds
   Time accumulating tallies       =  2.7351E-04 seconds
 Total time for finalization       =  5.5454E-05 seconds
 Total time elapsed                =  2.6109E+01 seconds
 Calculation Rate (inactive)       =  56847.1 neutrons/second
 Calculation Rate (active)         =  16647.3 neutrons/second

 ============================>     RESULTS     <============================

 k-effective (Collision)     =  1.02204 +/-  0.00176
 k-effective (Track-length)  =  1.02454 +/-  0.00219
 k-effective (Absorption)    =  1.02370 +/-  0.00186
 Combined k-effective        =  1.02329 +/-  0.00157
 Leakage Fraction            =  0.00000 +/-  0.00000

Tally Data Processing

Our simulation ran successfully and created statepoint and summary output files. We begin our analysis by instantiating a StatePoint object.


In [26]:
# Load the last statepoint file
sp = openmc.StatePoint('statepoint.50.h5')

The statepoint is now ready to be analyzed by the Library. We simply have to load the tallies from the statepoint into the Library and our MGXS objects will compute the cross sections for us under-the-hood.


In [27]:
# Initialize MGXS Library with OpenMC statepoint data
mgxs_lib.load_from_statepoint(sp)

Voila! Our multi-group cross sections are now ready to rock 'n roll!

Extracting and Storing MGXS Data

The Library supports a rich API to automate a variety of tasks, including multi-group cross section data retrieval and storage. We will highlight a few of these features here. First, the Library.get_mgxs(...) method allows one to extract an MGXS object from the Library for a particular domain and cross section type. The following cell illustrates how one may extract the NuFissionXS object for the fuel cell.

Note: The MGXS.get_mgxs(...) method will accept either the domain or the integer domain ID of interest.


In [28]:
# Retrieve the NuFissionXS object for the fuel cell from the library
fuel_mgxs = mgxs_lib.get_mgxs(fuel_cell, 'nu-fission')

The NuFissionXS object supports all of the methods described previously in the openmc.mgxs tutorials, such as Pandas DataFrames: Note that since so few histories were simulated, we should expect a few division-by-error errors as some tallies have not yet scored any results.


In [29]:
df = fuel_mgxs.get_pandas_dataframe()
df


Out[29]:
cell group in nuclide mean std. dev.
3 1 1 U235 8.093482e-03 1.597406e-05
4 1 1 U238 7.347745e-03 2.082526e-05
5 1 1 O16 0.000000e+00 0.000000e+00
0 1 2 U235 3.615911e-01 1.206052e-03
1 1 2 U238 6.743056e-07 2.229534e-09
2 1 2 O16 0.000000e+00 0.000000e+00

Similarly, we can use the MGXS.print_xs(...) method to view a string representation of the multi-group cross section data.


In [30]:
fuel_mgxs.print_xs()


Multi-Group XS
	Reaction Type  =	nu-fission
	Domain Type    =	cell
	Domain ID      =	1
	Nuclide        =	U235
	Cross Sections [cm^-1]:
            Group 1 [0.625      - 20000000.0eV]:	8.09e-03 +/- 1.97e-01%
            Group 2 [0.0        - 0.625     eV]:	3.62e-01 +/- 3.34e-01%

	Nuclide        =	U238
	Cross Sections [cm^-1]:
            Group 1 [0.625      - 20000000.0eV]:	7.35e-03 +/- 2.83e-01%
            Group 2 [0.0        - 0.625     eV]:	6.74e-07 +/- 3.31e-01%

	Nuclide        =	O16
	Cross Sections [cm^-1]:
            Group 1 [0.625      - 20000000.0eV]:	0.00e+00 +/- 0.00e+00%
            Group 2 [0.0        - 0.625     eV]:	0.00e+00 +/- 0.00e+00%



/home/nelsonag/git/openmc/openmc/tallies.py:1269: RuntimeWarning: invalid value encountered in true_divide
  data = self.std_dev[indices] / self.mean[indices]

One can export the entire Library to HDF5 with the Library.build_hdf5_store(...) method as follows:


In [31]:
# Store the cross section data in an "mgxs/mgxs.h5" HDF5 binary file
mgxs_lib.build_hdf5_store(filename='mgxs.h5', directory='mgxs')

The HDF5 store will contain the numerical multi-group cross section data indexed by domain, nuclide and cross section type. Some data workflows may be optimized by storing and retrieving binary representations of the MGXS objects in the Library. This feature is supported through the Library.dump_to_file(...) and Library.load_from_file(...) routines which use Python's pickle module. This is illustrated as follows.


In [32]:
# Store a Library and its MGXS objects in a pickled binary file "mgxs/mgxs.pkl"
mgxs_lib.dump_to_file(filename='mgxs', directory='mgxs')

In [33]:
# Instantiate a new MGXS Library from the pickled binary file "mgxs/mgxs.pkl"
mgxs_lib = openmc.mgxs.Library.load_from_file(filename='mgxs', directory='mgxs')

The Library class may be used to leverage the energy condensation features supported by the MGXS class. In particular, one can use the Library.get_condensed_library(...) with a coarse group structure which is a subset of the original "fine" group structure as shown below.


In [34]:
# Create a 1-group structure
coarse_groups = openmc.mgxs.EnergyGroups(group_edges=[0., 20.0e6])

# Create a new MGXS Library on the coarse 1-group structure
coarse_mgxs_lib = mgxs_lib.get_condensed_library(coarse_groups)

In [35]:
# Retrieve the NuFissionXS object for the fuel cell from the 1-group library
coarse_fuel_mgxs = coarse_mgxs_lib.get_mgxs(fuel_cell, 'nu-fission')

# Show the Pandas DataFrame for the 1-group MGXS
coarse_fuel_mgxs.get_pandas_dataframe()


Out[35]:
cell group in nuclide mean std. dev.
0 1 1 U235 0.074672 0.000179
1 1 1 U238 0.005964 0.000017
2 1 1 O16 0.000000 0.000000

Verification with OpenMOC

Of course it is always a good idea to verify that one's cross sections are accurate. We can easily do so here with the deterministic transport code OpenMOC. We first construct an equivalent OpenMOC geometry.


In [36]:
# Create an OpenMOC Geometry from the OpenMC Geometry
openmoc_geometry = get_openmoc_geometry(mgxs_lib.geometry)

Now, we can inject the multi-group cross sections into the equivalent fuel assembly OpenMOC geometry. The openmoc.materialize module supports the loading of Library objects from OpenMC as illustrated below.


In [37]:
# Load the library into the OpenMOC geometry
materials = load_openmc_mgxs_lib(mgxs_lib, openmoc_geometry)

We are now ready to run OpenMOC to verify our cross-sections from OpenMC.


In [38]:
# Generate tracks for OpenMOC
track_generator = openmoc.TrackGenerator(openmoc_geometry, num_azim=32, azim_spacing=0.1)
track_generator.generateTracks()

# Run OpenMOC
solver = openmoc.CPUSolver(track_generator)
solver.computeEigenvalue()


[  NORMAL ]  Importing ray tracing data from file...
[  NORMAL ]  Computing the eigenvalue...
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 0:	k_eff = 0.823436	res = 0.000E+00
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 1:	k_eff = 0.780042	res = 1.941E-01
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 2:	k_eff = 0.739063	res = 6.559E-02
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 3:	k_eff = 0.710328	res = 5.301E-02
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 4:	k_eff = 0.689038	res = 3.942E-02
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 5:	k_eff = 0.674339	res = 3.021E-02
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 6:	k_eff = 0.665075	res = 2.149E-02
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 7:	k_eff = 0.660373	res = 1.387E-02
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 8:	k_eff = 0.659460	res = 7.242E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 9:	k_eff = 0.661679	res = 1.995E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 10:	k_eff = 0.666463	res = 3.649E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 11:	k_eff = 0.673324	res = 7.367E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 12:	k_eff = 0.681842	res = 1.039E-02
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 13:	k_eff = 0.691660	res = 1.273E-02
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 14:	k_eff = 0.702469	res = 1.447E-02
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 15:	k_eff = 0.714008	res = 1.569E-02
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 16:	k_eff = 0.726057	res = 1.649E-02
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 17:	k_eff = 0.738428	res = 1.693E-02
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 18:	k_eff = 0.750965	res = 1.709E-02
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 19:	k_eff = 0.763536	res = 1.703E-02
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 20:	k_eff = 0.776034	res = 1.679E-02
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 21:	k_eff = 0.788369	res = 1.641E-02
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 22:	k_eff = 0.800470	res = 1.594E-02
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 23:	k_eff = 0.812280	res = 1.539E-02
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 24:	k_eff = 0.823753	res = 1.479E-02
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 25:	k_eff = 0.834854	res = 1.416E-02
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 26:	k_eff = 0.845560	res = 1.351E-02
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 27:	k_eff = 0.855851	res = 1.286E-02
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 28:	k_eff = 0.865717	res = 1.220E-02
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 29:	k_eff = 0.875152	res = 1.156E-02
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 30:	k_eff = 0.884153	res = 1.093E-02
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 31:	k_eff = 0.892725	res = 1.031E-02
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 32:	k_eff = 0.900872	res = 9.722E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 33:	k_eff = 0.908602	res = 9.152E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 34:	k_eff = 0.915926	res = 8.605E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 35:	k_eff = 0.922853	res = 8.083E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 36:	k_eff = 0.929399	res = 7.586E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 37:	k_eff = 0.935576	res = 7.114E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 38:	k_eff = 0.941398	res = 6.666E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 39:	k_eff = 0.946880	res = 6.242E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 40:	k_eff = 0.952037	res = 5.841E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 41:	k_eff = 0.956883	res = 5.463E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 42:	k_eff = 0.961434	res = 5.107E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 43:	k_eff = 0.965705	res = 4.771E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 44:	k_eff = 0.969708	res = 4.456E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 45:	k_eff = 0.973460	res = 4.159E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 46:	k_eff = 0.976972	res = 3.881E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 47:	k_eff = 0.980259	res = 3.620E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 48:	k_eff = 0.983333	res = 3.375E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 49:	k_eff = 0.986206	res = 3.146E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 50:	k_eff = 0.988890	res = 2.932E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 51:	k_eff = 0.991396	res = 2.731E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 52:	k_eff = 0.993735	res = 2.543E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 53:	k_eff = 0.995917	res = 2.368E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 54:	k_eff = 0.997952	res = 2.204E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 55:	k_eff = 0.999848	res = 2.050E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 56:	k_eff = 1.001616	res = 1.907E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 57:	k_eff = 1.003262	res = 1.774E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 58:	k_eff = 1.004795	res = 1.650E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 59:	k_eff = 1.006222	res = 1.534E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 60:	k_eff = 1.007550	res = 1.425E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 61:	k_eff = 1.008785	res = 1.325E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 62:	k_eff = 1.009934	res = 1.231E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 63:	k_eff = 1.011002	res = 1.143E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 64:	k_eff = 1.011995	res = 1.062E-03
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 65:	k_eff = 1.012918	res = 9.859E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 66:	k_eff = 1.013775	res = 9.153E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 67:	k_eff = 1.014571	res = 8.497E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 68:	k_eff = 1.015311	res = 7.886E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 69:	k_eff = 1.015997	res = 7.318E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 70:	k_eff = 1.016635	res = 6.790E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 71:	k_eff = 1.017226	res = 6.300E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 72:	k_eff = 1.017775	res = 5.844E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 73:	k_eff = 1.018285	res = 5.420E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 74:	k_eff = 1.018757	res = 5.026E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 75:	k_eff = 1.019195	res = 4.660E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 76:	k_eff = 1.019602	res = 4.321E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 77:	k_eff = 1.019979	res = 4.005E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 78:	k_eff = 1.020328	res = 3.713E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 79:	k_eff = 1.020652	res = 3.441E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 80:	k_eff = 1.020952	res = 3.189E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 81:	k_eff = 1.021230	res = 2.955E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 82:	k_eff = 1.021488	res = 2.738E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 83:	k_eff = 1.021727	res = 2.536E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 84:	k_eff = 1.021948	res = 2.350E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 85:	k_eff = 1.022153	res = 2.177E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 86:	k_eff = 1.022344	res = 2.016E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 87:	k_eff = 1.022520	res = 1.867E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 88:	k_eff = 1.022683	res = 1.729E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 89:	k_eff = 1.022833	res = 1.601E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 90:	k_eff = 1.022973	res = 1.482E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 91:	k_eff = 1.023102	res = 1.372E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 92:	k_eff = 1.023222	res = 1.271E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 93:	k_eff = 1.023333	res = 1.176E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 94:	k_eff = 1.023436	res = 1.089E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 95:	k_eff = 1.023531	res = 1.008E-04
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 96:	k_eff = 1.023619	res = 9.327E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 97:	k_eff = 1.023700	res = 8.632E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 98:	k_eff = 1.023775	res = 7.988E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 99:	k_eff = 1.023845	res = 7.391E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 100:	k_eff = 1.023910	res = 6.838E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 101:	k_eff = 1.023969	res = 6.329E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 102:	k_eff = 1.024024	res = 5.855E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 103:	k_eff = 1.024076	res = 5.415E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 104:	k_eff = 1.024123	res = 5.011E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 105:	k_eff = 1.024166	res = 4.634E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 106:	k_eff = 1.024207	res = 4.290E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 107:	k_eff = 1.024244	res = 3.966E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 108:	k_eff = 1.024279	res = 3.669E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 109:	k_eff = 1.024311	res = 3.392E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 110:	k_eff = 1.024341	res = 3.137E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 111:	k_eff = 1.024368	res = 2.904E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 112:	k_eff = 1.024393	res = 2.686E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 113:	k_eff = 1.024417	res = 2.481E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 114:	k_eff = 1.024438	res = 2.296E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 115:	k_eff = 1.024458	res = 2.121E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 116:	k_eff = 1.024477	res = 1.961E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 117:	k_eff = 1.024494	res = 1.815E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 118:	k_eff = 1.024510	res = 1.679E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 119:	k_eff = 1.024524	res = 1.551E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 120:	k_eff = 1.024538	res = 1.435E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 121:	k_eff = 1.024550	res = 1.326E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 122:	k_eff = 1.024561	res = 1.226E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 123:	k_eff = 1.024572	res = 1.133E-05
[  NORMAL ]  Iteration 124:	k_eff = 1.024582	res = 1.047E-05

We report the eigenvalues computed by OpenMC and OpenMOC here together to summarize our results.


In [39]:
# Print report of keff and bias with OpenMC
openmoc_keff = solver.getKeff()
openmc_keff = sp.k_combined.nominal_value
bias = (openmoc_keff - openmc_keff) * 1e5

print('openmc keff = {0:1.6f}'.format(openmc_keff))
print('openmoc keff = {0:1.6f}'.format(openmoc_keff))
print('bias [pcm]: {0:1.1f}'.format(bias))


openmc keff = 1.023293
openmoc keff = 1.024582
bias [pcm]: 128.8

There is a non-trivial bias between the eigenvalues computed by OpenMC and OpenMOC. One can show that these biases do not converge to <100 pcm with more particle histories. For heterogeneous geometries, additional measures must be taken to address the following three sources of bias:

  • Appropriate transport-corrected cross sections
  • Spatial discretization of OpenMOC's mesh
  • Constant-in-angle multi-group cross sections

Flux and Pin Power Visualizations

We will conclude this tutorial by illustrating how to visualize the fission rates computed by OpenMOC and OpenMC. First, we extract volume-integrated fission rates from OpenMC's mesh fission rate tally for each pin cell in the fuel assembly.


In [40]:
# Get the OpenMC fission rate mesh tally data
mesh_tally = sp.get_tally(name='mesh tally')
openmc_fission_rates = mesh_tally.get_values(scores=['nu-fission'])

# Reshape array to 2D for plotting
openmc_fission_rates.shape = (17,17)

# Normalize to the average pin power
openmc_fission_rates /= np.mean(openmc_fission_rates[openmc_fission_rates > 0.])

Next, we extract OpenMOC's volume-averaged fission rates into a 2D 17x17 NumPy array.


In [41]:
# Create OpenMOC Mesh on which to tally fission rates
openmoc_mesh = openmoc.process.Mesh()
openmoc_mesh.dimension = np.array(mesh.dimension)
openmoc_mesh.lower_left = np.array(mesh.lower_left)
openmoc_mesh.upper_right = np.array(mesh.upper_right)
openmoc_mesh.width = openmoc_mesh.upper_right - openmoc_mesh.lower_left
openmoc_mesh.width /= openmoc_mesh.dimension

# Tally OpenMOC fission rates on the Mesh
openmoc_fission_rates = openmoc_mesh.tally_fission_rates(solver)
openmoc_fission_rates = np.squeeze(openmoc_fission_rates)
openmoc_fission_rates = np.fliplr(openmoc_fission_rates)

# Normalize to the average pin fission rate
openmoc_fission_rates /= np.mean(openmoc_fission_rates[openmoc_fission_rates > 0.])

Now we can easily use Matplotlib to visualize the fission rates from OpenMC and OpenMOC side-by-side.


In [42]:
# Ignore zero fission rates in guide tubes with Matplotlib color scheme
openmc_fission_rates[openmc_fission_rates == 0] = np.nan
openmoc_fission_rates[openmoc_fission_rates == 0] = np.nan

# Plot OpenMC's fission rates in the left subplot
fig = plt.subplot(121)
plt.imshow(openmc_fission_rates, interpolation='none', cmap='jet')
plt.title('OpenMC Fission Rates')

# Plot OpenMOC's fission rates in the right subplot
fig2 = plt.subplot(122)
plt.imshow(openmoc_fission_rates, interpolation='none', cmap='jet')
plt.title('OpenMOC Fission Rates')


Out[42]:
<matplotlib.text.Text at 0x7f6dafba74a8>