A nuclear data adjustment methodology utilizing resonance parameter sensitivities and uncertainties

This work presents the development and demonstration of a Nuclear Data Adjustment Method that allows inclusion of both energy and spatial self-shielding into the adjustment procedure. The resulting adjustments are for the basic parameters (i.e. resonance parameters) in the resonance regions and for the group cross sections elsewhere. The majority of this development effort concerns the production of resonance para meter sensitivity information which allows the linkage between the responses of interest and the basic parameters.

The resonance parameter sensitivity methodology developed herein usually provides accurate results when compared to direct recalculations using existing and well-known cross section processing codes. However, it has been shown in several cases that self-shielded cross sections can be very non-linear 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.