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Sauvan, Patrick

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psauvan@ind.uned.es
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0000-0002-9128-8817
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Mostrando 1 - 10 de 13
  • Publicación
    GEOUNED: A new conversion tool from CAD to Monte Carlo geometry
    (Elsevier, 2024-05-30) Catalán Pérez, Juan Pablo; Sauvan, Patrick; García, J.; Alguacil Orejudo, Javier; Ogando Serrano, Francisco M.; Sanz Pérez, Javier
    The GEOUNED code is specifically designed to convert CAD models, defined using the B-rep approach, into MC radiation transport models, defined using the CSG approach, and vice versa from MC to CAD. This code incorporates standard features commonly found in conversion tools, including decomposition, conversion, and automatic void generation. Additionally, it introduces innovative features, mainly in the automatic void generation part, which are described in this article. GEOUNED has demonstrated successful application in highly detailed 3D models used in fusion neutronics, which are known for their complex geometries, particularly those utilized in ITER. The article includes examples showcasing GEOUNED’s performance in these challenging models, as well as custom applications that highlight its flexibility in addressing non-standard problems. The code is open-source and utilizes Open CASCADE as the geometry engine, with FreeCAD serving as the Python API.
  • Publicación
    Sensitivity to nuclear data of the design of the IFMIF-DONES beam dump
    (Frontiers, 2023-06-05) López Ochoa, Víctor; Ogando Serrano, Francisco M.; Sauvan, Patrick
    During the commissioning and start-up phases of IFMIF-DONES, the 40MeV deuteron beam will be stopped in a conical beam stopper made of copper, giving rise to intense neutron fields. Accurate coupled deuteron-neutron transport simulations are required in order to prevent the potential risks to the workers andequipmentinvolved. However, theexperimental data concerning the neutron emission under these circumstances is scarce and limited to a particular range of energies. Different deuteron nuclear data libraries such as JENDL-5 and special f iles of TENDL-2021 exhibit some differences on the spectrum of the emitted neutrons. The differences are present in thehigh energy tails, beyond the available experimental data. Calculations of the prompt neutron fields have been performed employing both deuteron data libraries, as well as employing an estimation of the neutron energy-angle distribution derived from experimental data at different irradiation energies. Even though the high energy tails represent a small part of the flux, they have a major impact on the dose rates. The disparity of the results evinces large uncertainties in the IFMIF-DONES beam dump design process. Further experiments are required in order to resolve the differences among nuclear data libraries and reduce the uncertainty.
  • Publicación
    Optimizing Radiation Shielding for Fusion Maintenance Facilities: Insights From a Comprehensive Analysis of ITER Hot Cell
    (WILEY, 2025-05-19) Martínez Albertos, Pablo; Sauvan, Patrick; Catalán Pérez, Juan Pablo; Belotti, Mario; Javier, François; Germa, Joffrey; Tonqueze, Y. Le; Dammann, Alexis; Juárez Mañas, Rafael; ITER Organization (IO)
    One of the primary goals of the ITER project is to demonstrate the safety characteristics of a fusion device, particularly in terms of radiation management. Radiation protection during maintenance periods is of special concern, as personnel performing maintenance-like activities will be exposed to delayed gamma fields from numerous and complex radioactive components. Ensuring a safe and equipped environment for such activities is the objective of the ITER hot cell. This facility requires extensive design optimization, balancing spatial and temporal availability constraints, radiation protection, and cost-effectiveness. In this paper, we present a comprehensive assessment of ITER hot cell’s radiation environment to support its efficient design and safe operation. The study evaluates the shielding efficiency of the conceptual design layout from 2021, providing meaningful insights for layout improvement. We show that substantial amounts of concrete (~2900 m3) could be saved from the currently evolving design while respecting radiological requirements. The evaluation of the occupational radiation exposure (ORE) associated with hot cell maintenance activities resulted in 179 man·mSv·year−1, which represents a significant fraction (36%) of the project’s annual budget. This highlights the importance of integrating shielding analysis, accounting for personnel radiation exposure, even in early design phases, to support the optimization of the maintenance plan according to safety requirements.
  • Publicación
    New developments in the MCUNED-Plus code for radiation transport and coupled transport-activation computational simulations in accelerator-based facilities
    (Elsevier, 2024-06-25) López Lorente, Víctor Daniel; Sauvan, Patrick; Sanz Pérez, Javier; Ogando Serrano, Francisco M.
    The radiation hazard is one of the major aspects of concern in the design of a facility where it exists a risk of exposure to ionizing radiation. The nuclear analysis for radioprotection purposes requires an accurate description of the radiation fields. This is especially true in accelerator-based facilities where several types of particles are producing the radiation fields. Radiation fields exist during the accelerator operation, but delayed radiation may also be significant for a long time after operation ends. The radiation fields of concern present during the operation are due to the secondary neutrons and photons emitted by the interaction of accelerated particles with the accelerator components (beam leakage) or with the target. The radiation present after the operation is the residual photon field produced by activated materials, these materials being activated by both accelerated particles and secondary neutrons. This residual radiation field is relevant in high intensity accelerators like IFMIF-DONES. In order to address these complex radiation transport simulations, the D1SUNED code has been updated and the new code release renamed as MCUNED-Plus. The new developments include improvements in the light-ion transport like the implementation of a variance reduction for the production of secondary particles, and a new kinematics to reproduce the angular distribution of secondary particles emitted after deuteron breakup reaction. The calculation of the residual photon field in accelerator facility has also been improved by allowing to evaluate both light-ions and secondary neutrons induced shutdown dose rate in a single coupled simulation.
  • Publicación
    Development of a methodology to estimate the statistical SDR uncertainty with R2S-UNED
    (ELSEVIER, 2021) Alguacil Orejudo, Javier; Catalán Pérez, Juan Pablo; Sanz Gozalo, Javier; Sauvan, Patrick; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9128-8817
    The Rigorous-Two-Steps (R2S) is one of the most useful methods to estimate the Shutdown Dose Rate (SDR). The most advanced R2S tools couple neutron and photon transport, which are often simulated using Monte Carlo (MC) codes, through an activation simulation using mesh-based techniques to improve the spatial resolution of the neutron flux and the decay gamma source. One of the problems of the methodology is that the statistical uncertainty of the neutron flux due to the MC method used by the transport codes is not considered by most R2S implementations. Consequently, larger tolerance must be assumed affecting to the design of the nuclear facilities. This article describes a scheme allowing the calculation of the SDR statistical uncertainty without any additional assumptions than those used in the R2S methodology. The approach proposed in this article is suitable for cell- and mesh-based R2S implementations. In this work, the methodology was implemented in the R2S-UNED code. The accurate application of the methodology requires the full the neutron flux uncertainty (covariance matrix) as input data. MCNP was modified to calculate this matrix, although, it cannot be calculated for most of the realistic R2S simulations due to its size. If that is the situation, we propose a guideline to reduce the size of the covariance matrix to be calculated according to its element contribution to the SDR. When this guideline cannot be applied, the methodology still allows calculating the upper and lower SDR uncertainty bounds. In this article, the guideline is applied to the calculation of the SDR uncertainty in the computational benchmark of ITER. In addition, we also study the possible impact of the neutron flux correlation degree on the SDR uncertainty in this benchmark.
  • Publicación
    Nuclear scoping analysis of ITER bioshield top lid toward its preliminary design review
    (Elsevier, 2023-10-01) Bergman, J.; Loughlin, Martin; Le Tonqueze, Y.; Thompson, M.; Martínez Albertos, Pablo; Sauvan, Patrick; Juárez Mañas, Rafael
    During ITER operations, electronics located in the crane hall, which is above the tokamak, will be exposed to neutron and photon fields from both the plasma and the activated water. To protect the electronics, the implementation of dedicated shielding on the crane hall platform and the bioshield top lid is required. The design demands optimisation attending to constructability, weight limits, and radiation shielding requirements. This work evaluates eight shielding configurations by assessment of the neutron flux and dose accumulated over 4700 h of operation at 500 MW for electronics protection. This corresponds to a neutron wall load of 0.3 MW a/m² as specified in the ITER Project Specification. An intermediate-source approach has been followed with SRC-UNED, considering all relevant radiation sources while minimising the computational time required. Results were presented at the top lid Conceptual Design Review aiming to support decision-making. Further optimisation has since been performed to reach a top lid proposal for its Preliminary Design Review. All outcomes show that radiation levels above the north and south crane hall platforms are compatible with the critical electronics requirements.
  • Publicación
    Assessment of ITER radiation environment during the remote‑handling operation of In‑Vessel components with D1SUNED
    (Nature Research, 2023-03-02) Martínez Albertos, Pablo; Sauvan, Patrick; Loughlin, M. J.; Tonqueze, Y. Le; Juárez Mañas, Rafael
    During ITER operational life, a remote-handled cask will be used to transfer In-Vessel components to the Hot Cell for maintenance, storage and decommissioning purposes. Due to the distribution of penetrations for system allocation in the facility, the radiation field of each transfer operation presents a high spatial variability; all operations must be studied independently for workers and electronics protection. In this paper, we present a fully representative approach to describe the radiation environment during the complete remote-handling scenario of In-Vessel components in the ITER facility. The impact of all relevant radiation sources during different stages of the operation is addressed. As-built structures and 2020 baseline designs are considered to produce the most detailed neutronics model of the Tokamak Complex, the 400,000-tonne civil structure hosting the tokamak, up to date. Novel capabilities of the D1SUNED code have allowed to compute the integral dose, the dose rate and the photon-induced neutron flux of both moving and static radiation sources. Time bins are included in the simulations to compute the dose rate caused by In-Vessel components at all positions along the transfer. The time evolution of the dose rate is built in video format with a 1-m resolution, especially valuable for hot-spots identification.
  • Publicación
    Dust contamination of Divertor Remote Handling System in ITER Hot Cell: A novel approach to model complex superficial radiation sources
    (ELSEVIER, 2024) Martínez Albertos, Pablo; Sauvan, Patrick; Catalán Pérez, Juan Pablo; F., Javier; Le Tonquèze, Yannick; Hamilton, David Thomas; Juárez Mañas, Rafael
    Activated dust produced by the erosion of plasma-facing components entails a significant radiation source for ITER and, generally, for all tokamaks aiming for operation under high neutron exposure. In-Vessel remote-handling operations will mobilise the dust, which will be deposited on the remote-handling tools used, for which hands-on maintenance is expected. To ensure safe maintenance of the remote-handling equipment, a dedicated decontamination process in the Hot Cell is required. Evaluating the radiation fields produced by the contaminated equipment is central to minimising radiation exposure to personnel. In this study, we present a nuclear analysis of the Divertor Remote Handling System during its transfer and decontamination process. Past computational limitations regarding superficial sources definition and high uncertainties on the dust model have been overcome by implementing a novel methodology and following an alternative approach. Two surface-dependent dust distributions over the complex geometry surfaces were considered to evaluate the dose rates according to the different contamination levels during the process phases. A scoping analysis was performed to determine the amount of dust that would comply with project requirements in each phase of the process. Improvement margins were identified in the quantification of the amount of dust and Hot Cell layout.
  • Publicación
    Shutdown dose rates calculations due to light ions induced activation using D1S methodology
    (ELSEVIER, 2021-06-01) López Ochoa, Víctor; Sauvan, Patrick; Ogando Serrano, Francisco M.
    One of the main radiation sources in nuclear facilities, which cause exposure of workers conducting maintenance activities, is the decay of radioactive nuclides. The determination of these radiation fields usually requires both radiation transport and activation calculations. The Direct-one-Step methodology allows obtaining response functions associated to the residual activity with a single Monte Carlo transport calculation. This methodology has been widely used in the analysis of nuclear fusion installations like ITER, JET or DEMO, proving to be a very efficient tool for Shutdown Dose Rate calculations. Yet, this methodology has only been applied when the material activation is due to the interaction with a neutron flux. Since, typically, in particle accelerators the D1S assumptions are met, it is proposed in this work to apply the D1S methodology to material activation induced by light ions interactions, namely: protons and deuterons. This methodology has been implemented in the D1SUNED code. In order to show its performance, the D1SUNED has been used to calculate the SDR in the LIPAc geometry, resulting in a good convergence with a reference calculation.
  • Publicación
    Construction of GVR weight windows maps from very low density transport simulations
    (Elsevier, 2024-05) Farga Niñoles, Gonzalo; Ogando Serrano, Francisco M.; Alguacil Orejudo, Javier; Sauvan, Patrick
    Fusion-related facilities present relevant neutron radiation fields even after penetrating through a considerable thickness of shielding material. Neutronic analyses performed via Monte Carlo codes, then, need Global Variance Reduction (GVR) techniques so that low statistical uncertainty is reached efficiently throughout the geometry. Mesh-based Weight Windows is a flexible methodology used extensively for variance reduction purposes, both for Local and Global Variance Reduction. Purely stochastic GVR methodologies based on Weight Windows usually construct weight maps so that they are proportional to the forward particle flux, which is unknown a priori. Therefore, an iterative cycle is established. In each iteration, a weight map is obtained from the forward flux that allows the next iteration to reach further into the geometry, until all of it is populated. However, this iterative cycle may take a considerable amount of computer time, as many iterations are needed to fully populate the geometry. An alternative to achieve relevant penetration in a single iteration is to perform calculations at very low densities. However, a reconstruction method is needed to estimate the flux at the real density. This work studies a scheme to reconstruct the fluxes from low density calculations and compares it to already existing techniques.