SCONE Guide

❮ Examples OverviewReactor Examples ❯

SCONE Verification Notice

SCONE is a research-oriented code with a smaller user base than MCNP, OpenMC, or SERPENT. Our examples are intended as educational guidance. For authoritative syntax, physics options, and nuclear data requirements, consult the official documentation.

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SCONE Simple Examples

Fuel pin cell and bare sphere criticality approximation

Work through Basics first, then use this page. Verified listings match scone-examples/verify/ (testLib) and the same block order as scone_beavrs_clean.inp (physics → tallies → geometry → nuclearData).

Verified vs production

The first fuel-pin listing is byte-aligned with tutorial_fuel_pin_testlib in this repo: aceLibrary $SCONE_ACE, ZAID .03, and Water in the gap/clad rings so IntegrationTestFiles/testLib runs.

The second listing is the same layout with physical gap/clad materials and .06 tables — use your full ACE path. Bare sphere listing matches tutorial_bare_sphere_clean.

Example 1: Single Fuel Pin Cell

PWR pin cell in a square moderator boundary (zSquareCylinder halfwidth 0.63 cm). The pinUniverse sets concentric radii; rootUniverse fills the outer boundary with that pin. Comments and boundary ( 0 0 0 0 0 0 ) spacing follow the same etiquette as the cleaned BEAVRS deck in this repository.

Verified (testLib)

tutorial_fuel_pin_testlib
// ===================================================================
// Fuel pin + 2D fission map — SCONE IntegrationTestFiles/testLib (ZAID .03)
// Verified with: export SCONE_ACE=IntegrationTestFiles/testLib
// pinUniverse uses Water in gap/clad slots so only testLib nuclides are needed.
// For production: real gap/clad materials, ZAID .06, and aceLibrary path — see ReactorMC Simple Examples (second listing).
// ===================================================================
type eigenPhysicsPackage;
pop      10000;
active   50;
inactive 20;
XSdata   ce;
dataType ce;

collisionOperator { neutronCE { type neutronCEstd; } }
transportOperator { type transportOperatorDT; }

inactiveTally {}

activeTally {
  fissionRate {
    type collisionClerk;
    response (fission);
    fission { type macroResponse; MT -6; }
    map {
      type multiMap;
      maps (xax yax);
      xax { type spaceMap; axis x; grid lin; N 64; min -0.63; max 0.63; }
      yax { type spaceMap; axis y; grid lin; N 64; min -0.63; max 0.63; }
    }
  }
}

// ===================================================================
// GEOMETRY
// ===================================================================
geometry {
  type geometryStd;
  boundary ( 0 0 0 0 0 0 );
  graph { type shrunk; }

  surfaces {
    boxSq { id 5; type zSquareCylinder; origin (0.0 0.0 0.0); halfwidth (0.63 0.63 0.0); }
  }

  cells { }

  universes {
    root  { id 1; type rootUniverse; border 5; fill u<31000>; }
    pin31 { id 31000; type pinUniverse; radii (0.39218 0.40005 0.45720 0.0); fills (UO2 Water Water Water); }
  }
}

// ===================================================================
// NUCLEAR DATA
// ===================================================================
nuclearData {
  handles { ce { type aceNeutronDatabase; aceLibrary $SCONE_ACE; } }
  materials {
    Water { temp 600; composition { 1001.03 6.67e-02; 8016.03 3.33e-02; } }
    UO2   { temp 600; composition { 92235.03 4.50e-02; } }
  }
}
caalh/ReactorMCBrowse files

Tutorial snippet — no separate file in examples repo

Production (full ACE, physical gap/clad)

Not in run_all.ps1 as shown — production nuclides and .06 tables; use the verified block above for testLib.

pin_cell_production.inp
// ===================================================================
// Fuel pin + 2D fission map — full ACE library (ZAID .06 @ 600 K)
// Same structure as scone-examples/verify/tutorial_fuel_pin_testlib
// ===================================================================
type eigenPhysicsPackage;
pop      10000;
active   50;
inactive 20;
XSdata   ce;
dataType ce;

collisionOperator { neutronCE { type neutronCEstd; } }
transportOperator { type transportOperatorDT; }

inactiveTally {}

activeTally {
  fissionRate {
    type collisionClerk;
    response (fission);
    fission { type macroResponse; MT -6; }
    map {
      type multiMap;
      maps (xax yax);
      xax { type spaceMap; axis x; grid lin; N 64; min -0.63; max 0.63; }
      yax { type spaceMap; axis y; grid lin; N 64; min -0.63; max 0.63; }
    }
  }
}

// ===================================================================
// GEOMETRY
// ===================================================================
geometry {
  type geometryStd;
  boundary ( 0 0 0 0 0 0 );
  graph { type shrunk; }

  surfaces {
    boxSq { id 5; type zSquareCylinder; origin (0.0 0.0 0.0); halfwidth (0.63 0.63 0.0); }
  }

  cells { }

  universes {
    root { id 1; type rootUniverse; border 5; fill u<31000>; }
    pin  { id 31000; type pinUniverse; radii (0.39218 0.40005 0.45720 0.0); fills (fuel gap clad water); }
  }
}

// ===================================================================
// NUCLEAR DATA
// ===================================================================
nuclearData {
  handles { ce { type aceNeutronDatabase; aceLibrary /path/to/your.aceXS; } }
  materials {
    fuel  { temp 600; composition { 92235.06 7.22e-04; 92238.06 2.23e-02; 8016.06 4.59e-02; } }
    gap   { temp 600; composition { 2004.06 2.40e-04; } }
    clad  { temp 600; composition { 40090.06 5.00e-03; 40091.06 1.10e-03; 40092.06 1.70e-03; 40094.06 1.70e-03; 40096.06 2.80e-04; } }
    water { temp 600; composition { 1001.06 6.67e-02; 8016.06 3.33e-02; } }
  }
}
caalh/ReactorMCBrowse files

Production-style deck — full ACE library

Smoke test: test_simple_fuel_pin (two-region pin: UO₂ + water only) and run_all.ps1 under scone-examples/verify/.

Example 2: Bare Sphere Criticality Approximation

SCONE has no sphere surface; a zTruncCylinder with equal radius and halfwidth is a common teaching stand-in. Listing matches tutorial_bare_sphere_clean (testLib).

tutorial_bare_sphere_clean
// ===================================================================
// Bare critical assembly — cylindrical stand-in (SCONE has no sphere surface)
// testLib / SCONE_ACE (ZAID .03)
// ===================================================================
type eigenPhysicsPackage;
pop      10000;
active   50;
inactive 20;
XSdata   ce;
dataType ce;

collisionOperator { neutronCE { type neutronCEstd; } }
transportOperator { type transportOperatorDT; }

inactiveTally {}

activeTally {
  fissionRate { type collisionClerk; response (fission); fission { type macroResponse; MT -6; } }
}

// ===================================================================
// GEOMETRY
// ===================================================================
geometry {
  type geometryStd;
  boundary ( 0 0 0 0 0 0 );
  graph { type shrunk; }

  surfaces {
    fuelR      { id 1; type zCylinder; radius 5.0; origin (0.0 0.0 0.0); }
    outerBound { id 2; type zTruncCylinder; radius 5.0; origin (0.0 0.0 0.0); halfwidth 5.0; }
  }

  cells {
    fuel      { type simpleCell; id 10; surfaces (-1); filltype mat; material fuel; }
    reflector { type simpleCell; id 11; surfaces (-2 1); filltype mat; material water; }
  }

  universes {
    root  { id 1; type rootUniverse; border 2; fill u<100>; }
    inner { id 100; type cellUniverse; cells (10 11); }
  }
}

// ===================================================================
// NUCLEAR DATA
// ===================================================================
nuclearData {
  handles { ce { type aceNeutronDatabase; aceLibrary $SCONE_ACE; } }
  materials {
    fuel  { temp 600; composition { 92235.03 4.50e-02; } }
    water { temp 600; composition { 1001.03 6.67e-02; 8016.03 3.33e-02; } }
  }
}
caalh/ReactorMCBrowse filesscone-examples/verify/tutorial_bare_sphere_clean

Verify harness (testLib + run_all.ps1)

Note: Cylindrical leakage ≠ spherical; use MCNP/Serpent for benchmark spheres.

Running These Examples

From the SCONE build directory, point SCONE_ACE at IntegrationTestFiles/testLib and pass the path to the verify file (no .inp extension required if your build uses directory inputs). Confirm syntax in the official documentation.

run_examples.sh
# Verified tutorials (testLib)
export SCONE_ACE=IntegrationTestFiles/testLib
./build/scone.out /path/to/reactor-monte-carlo-guide/scone-examples/verify/tutorial_fuel_pin_testlib
./build/scone.out /path/to/reactor-monte-carlo-guide/scone-examples/verify/tutorial_bare_sphere_clean
./build/scone.out /path/to/reactor-monte-carlo-guide/scone-examples/verify/tutorial_assembly_5x5_testlib

# Minimal pin (UO2 + water only)
./build/scone.out /path/to/reactor-monte-carlo-guide/scone-examples/verify/test_simple_fuel_pin
caalh/ReactorMCBrowse files

Tutorial snippet — no separate file in examples repo

Related Topics

❮ Examples OverviewReactor Examples ❯