ENDF/B-VIII.1 neutron covariances in the SCALE 56-group structure: two processing routes, NJOY and AMPX, and their effect on criticality uncertainties

This project helps students work with and study nuclear covariance data, which is essential for radiation‑transport simulations in medical physics and nuclear engineering. You will compare two separate processing paths—NJOY2016 (run with SANDY) and the AMPX code system—both of which turn ENDF/B‑VIII.1 neutron covariance data into the SCALE 56‑group format. The study looks at 266 neutron evaluations that include covariance data, all using the same thermal‑reactor weighting spectrum. You will check how well the two resulting libraries match in the COVERX format. The comparison will highlight differences that appear in the resolved‑resonance region, in the R‑matrix resonance‑parameter covariances, and in the fission‑spectrum weighting factors. Students will be guided to set

up comparative workflows that show how these processing choices influence criticality uncertainties and group‑wise standard deviations. By writing parsing scripts and running side‑by‑side simulations, you will verify the integrity of the nuclear data, address any odd correlation values, and see how the processing method affects radiation‑safety and dosimetry calculations.

Message: Hi FE, I need help with “ENDF/B-VIII.1 neutron covariances in the SCALE 56-group structure: two processing routes, NJOY and AMPX, and their effect on criticality uncertainties” in “Biotechnology & Biomedical Engineering”