kugelpy: Revolutionizing Pebble Bed Reactor Simulations with High-Fidelity Modeling

kugelpy emerges as a groundbreaking Python-based framework designed for the detailed simulation of pebble bed reactors (PBRs), integrating with Serpent to offer a comprehensive tool for reactor physicists aiming to analyze reactor run-in phases and approach to equilibrium with unprecedented accuracy.

Pebble bed reactors represent a class of advanced nuclear reactors with unique fuel management and operational characteristics. The complexity of simulating the dynamic behavior of PBRs, including pebble movement, refueling, and discharge, necessitates a sophisticated approach. kugelpy addresses this challenge by providing a methodology for creating Serpent input files and tracking reactor physics quantities for time-dependent simulation, bridging a significant gap in nuclear reactor modeling tools.

kugelpy is a Python module that operates in conjunction with the Serpent Monte Carlo code, enabling detailed neutronics calculations and the simulation of pebble movement within the reactor core. This tool facilitates the entire process of a PBR's run-in, from initial fueling to equilibrium, capturing the intricate dynamics of fuel cycling and reactor behavior. As the sole code system known to encapsulate such comprehensive functionality around high-fidelity neutronics simulation, kugelpy stands as a critical resource for reactor physicists seeking to validate and refine PBR models.

This software is open source and available at no cost.