Construction of accuracy-preserving surrogate for the eigenvalue radiation diffusion and/or transport problem

The construction of surrogate models for high fidelity models is now considered an important objective in support of all engineering activities which require repeated execution of the simulation, such as verification studies, validation exercises, and uncertainty quantification. The surrogate must be computationally inexpensive to allow its repeated execution, and must be computationally accurate in order for its predictions to be credible. This manuscript introduces a new surrogate construction approach that reduces the dimensionality of the state solution via a range-finding algorithm from linear algebra. It then employs a proper orthogonal decomposition-like approach to solve for the reduced state. The algorithm provides an upper bound on the error resulting from the reduction. Different from the state-of-the-art, the new approach allows the user to define the desired accuracy a priori which controls the maximum allowable reduction. We demonstrate the utility of this approach using an eigenvalue radiation diffusion model, where the accuracy is selected to match machine precision. Results indicate that significant reduction is possible for typical reactor assembly models, which are currently considered expensive given the need to employ very fine mesh many group calculations to ensure the highest possible fidelity for the downstream core calculations. Given the potential for significant reduction in the computational cost, we believe it is possible to rethink the manner in which homogenization theory is currently employed in reactor design calculations.