Sensitivity Analysis and Uncertainty Propagation from Basic Nuclear Data to Reactor Physics and Safety Relevant Parameters

Reliable knowledge of the uncertainties in important reactor parameters, like criticality, radiation load on the reactor components, neutron/gamma ray flux, nuclear heating and dose are crucial for nuclear safety concerns. Uncertainties are introduced either through the calculational algorithms or through the data uncertainties. The paper addresses the uncertainties in the reactor parameters linked to the basic nuclear data uncertainties. The method used is based on linear perturbation theory to calculate the sensitivity coefficients, and propagates these sensitivities using the basic data covariance matrices to the target reactor quantities.