CCC-0233: CRYSTAL-BALL, Neutron Spectra Calculation from Activation Experiment with Error Estimate

OECD Nuclear Energy Agency / L'Agence pour l'énergie nucléaire

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CCC-0233 CRYSTAL-BALL. (Abstract last modified 29-NOV-2001)

CRYSTAL-BALL, Neutron Spectra Calculation from Activation Experiment with Error Estimate

Abstract Table of Contents:

OPERATING SYSTEM

OTHER RESTRICTIONS

1. NAME OR DESIGNATION OF PROGRAM - CRYSTAL-BALL.

2. COMPUTER FOR WHICH PROGRAM IS DESIGNED AND OTHER MACHINE VERSION PACKAGES AVAILABLE -

To request or retrieve programs click on the one of the active versions below. A password and special authorization is required.

Explanation of the status codes.

Program-name Package-ID Status CRYSTAL-BALL CCC-0233/01 Tested CRYSTAL-BALL CCC-0233/02 Obsolete

Machines used: Package-ID Orig.Computer Test Computer CCC-0233/01 IBM 370 series IBM 370 series

3. DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM OR FUNCTION - CRYSTAL-BALL is a program for determining neutron spectra from activation measurements and their associated errors.
A subsidiary program, XSTAPE, converts activation cross sections from the SAND-II data library into pointwise cross sections in a format that can be read by the main program. An energy grid consistent with the SAND-II grid (2) is used, however the subroutine specifying the energy spacings can be easily changed.
CRYSTAL-BALL itself uses the cross section data, together with an initial guess of the neutron spectrum to calculate the integral and differential spectrum and the corresponding reaction rates and monitor responses. An option to plot spectrum data using CALCOMP plotter routines is included.

4. METHOD OF SOLUTION - Measured activities are related to the neutron flux and cross section by an integral equation of the first kind. CRYSTAL-BALL uses the method of F.W. Stallman (1) to solve a set of these equations.
The method is based on a direct approximation of the Dirac delta operator by a linear combination of integral operators. It involves minimizing an integral expression involving both the true spectrum and a user-supplied estimate, subject to a tolerance limit.

5. RESTRICTIONS ON THE COMPLEXITY OF THE PROBLEM -

6. TYPICAL RUNNING TIME -

7. UNUSUAL FEATURES OF THE PROGRAM - Techniques solving these integral equations by expanding the neutron spectrum in terms of some set of functions frequently result in numerical oscillations and instabilities, and they tend to calculate spectrum shapes which are characteristic of the expansion function. The CRYSTAL-BALL technique, using experimental data, has been found to be highly stable unless very low convergence criteria are requested.

8. RELATED AND AUXILIARY PROGRAMS - The subsidiary program, XSTAPE, which generates an appropriate activation cross section data set, is a modification of the SAND-II CSTAPE program.

9. STATUS
CCC-0233/01: 01-APR-1977 Tested at NEADB
CCC-0233/02: 29-NOV-2001 Obsolete

10. REFERENCES  -
- F.W. Stallman:
  Numerical Solution of Integral Equations
  Numerische Mathematik vol. 15 pp. 297-305 (1970).
- W.N. McElroy, S. Bert, T. Crockett, R.G. Hawkins:
  SAND-II - A Computer Automated Iterative Method for Neutron Flux
  Determination by Foil Activation
  AFWL-TR-67-41 vol. 1-4.
CCC-0233/01:
- F.B.K. Kam and F.W. Stallmann:
  CRYSTAL BALL - A Computer Program for Determining Neutron Spectra
  from Activation Measurements
  ORNL-TM-4601 (June 1974).

11. MACHINE REQUIREMENTS -

12. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE(S) USED -
CCC-0233/01: FORTRAN-IV

13. OPERATING SYSTEM UNDER WHICH PROGRAM IS EXECUTED -

14. OTHER PROGRAMMING OR OPERATING INFORMATION OR RESTRICTIONS -
The plotting option utilises the plot package INTRIGUE-II, and the CALCOMP plotter routines. Three subprograms of INTRIGUE-II, namely GRID, XTENS and TENS, have been modified slightly.

15. NAME AND ESTABLISHMENT OF AUTHOR -
   F.B.K. Kam
   Operations Division
   Oak Ridge National Laboratory
   Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, U.S.A.
   F.W. Stallman
   University of Tennessee
   Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.A.

16. MATERIAL AVAILABLE -
CCC-0233/01:
CCC0233_01.001    CROSS SECTION LIBRARY                            2599 records
CCC0233_01.002    XSTAPE SOURCE  F4 EBCDIC                          504 records
CCC0233_01.003    XSTAPE DD CARDS                                     2 records
CCC0233_01.004    CRYSTAL-BALL SOURCE  F4 EBCDIC                    816 records
CCC0233_01.005    CRYSTAL-BALL DD CARDS                               2 records
CCC0233_01.006    CRYSTAL-BALL INPUT DATA                            34 records
CCC0233_01.007    XSTAPE OUTPUT                                    5925 records
CCC0233_01.008    CRYSTAL-BALL OUTPUT                               334 records

17. CATEGORIES -

- O. Experimental Data Processing

Keywords: ACTIVATION ANALYSIS, NEUTRON SPECTRA, REACTION RATES

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