10. SCALE Nuclear Data Libraries

Introduction by A. Holcomb, D. Wiarda and M. L. Williams

Chapter 10 describes the SCALE cross section data libraries for use with deterministic and Monte Carlo radiation transport modules. All cross section libraries were processed from ENDF/B-VII.1 or -VIII.0 evaluated data files using the AMPX code system [SCALE-DATA-WWCD15]. SCALE includes continuous-energy libraries, as well as multigroup libraries with several group structures. Libraries are available for neutron, gamma, and coupled neutron-gamma transport calculations. The fine and broad multigroup libraries provided for reactor physics and criticality safety applications in SCALE 6.3 include intermediate resonance parameters (lambdas) and improved Bondarenko data for self-shielding calculations using the Bondarenko method, or the traditional CENTRM-based procedures in SCALE can be used for self-shielding. Section 10.1 in this chapter describes the available cross section libraries.

Fine and broad group covariance libraries containing cross section uncertainties and correlations are also distributed with SCALE for sensitivity/uncertainty analysis with the Sampler and TSUNAMI modules. The covariance libraries include a comprehensive collection of data for all nuclides included in the SCALE cross section libraries. New 252-group and 56-group covariances based on ENDF/B-VII.1 and other data sources are available, along with the older 44-group covariance library distributed with earlier releases of SCALE. The Covariance Libraries chapter describes the contents of the SCALE 6.3 covariance libraries and explains how they were processed.

Additional libraries used for transmutation calculations with ORIGEN are described in the ORIGEN Data Resources section of the ORIGEN chapter. These libraries include fission product yields, decay data, decay gamma spectra, etc., as well as supplemental cross section data not available in ENDF/B.

References

SCALE-DATA-WWCD15

Dorothea Wiarda, Mark L. Williams, Cihangir Celik, and Michael E. Dunn. AMPX: A Modern Cross Section Processing System for Generating Nuclear Data Libraries. Technical Report, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Charlotte, NC (USA), 9 2015.