MNRSIM: A Research and Training Model of the McMaster Nuclear Reactor


User Manual

Core Configuration





The configuration window is divided into 4 main areas. In the upper left several parameters used by the neutron diffusion solver can be adjusted by the user. The defaults are usually satisfactory for most situations. The core does not solve the transient version of the neutron diffusion equation, although this is planned for the near future. The right hand side of the window is thus greyed out.

The core is set up in a spreadsheet style area at the bottom of the window. To change a group of cells sweep across the spreadsheet with the mouse highlighting them. Then go to the list of defined cells and double click on the new cell item. To add and remove rows and columns use the plus and minus buttons in the upper left of the spreadsheet.



Cross sections are defined by the cell module, which can be activated by choosing it from the core process graph. This menu can be used to change the number of energy groups, or to redefine the cross section input files. If you double click on one of the file names it will be brought up in the notepad editor.



Color three dimensional plots can be rendered with the plot function. The plot can be turned by clicking on it with the left mouse button and dragging to rotate. Holding the CTRL key down while left clicking allows the graph to be zoomed in and out. Right clicking on the graph provides a detailed menu of functions.



The core display gives a graphical representation of the core arrangement. At some point this graphical display will be merged with the spreadsheet interface.