SCIANTIX is a 0D simulation code developed at Politecnico di Milano, designed to model the behavior of a single grain of nuclear fuel, with a particular focus on fission gas behavior. The code primarily uses physics-based models, which enhances the integration of lower-length scale calculations and improves accuracy over empirical models. These engineering models facilitate the code's integration into industrial fuel performance simulations.
Currently, SCIANTIX is validated against experimental data for the following phenomena:
- Intragranular gaseous swelling
- Intergranular gaseous swelling
- Helium behavior and release under annealing conditions
- Release of radioactive fission gases
- Formation and evolution of high-burnup structure (HBS) porosity
The validation database is available in the regression
folder.
Installation
Linux Installation
- Obtain the Code: Download the source code by cloning the repository or by downloading the
zip
file.
- Install Dependencies:
- On Ubuntu, run:
sudo apt install build-essential
- Build the Code:
- Create a build directory:
mkdir build
- Navigate to the build directory:
cd build
- Generate the Makefile with CMake:
cmake ..
- Compile the code:
make
- To speed up the process using multiple cores, use:
make -j
The compiled executable, sciantix.x
, will be located in the build
directory.
Windows Installation
A recommended approach for Windows users is to use the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).
- Install WSL:
- Run WSL:
- Open WSL by typing
wsl
in cmd.exe
or by launching the Ubuntu
application from the Start menu.
- Navigate to the code directory using:
cd /mnt/c/...
(replace ...
with your code directory path).
- Follow Linux Installation Instructions:
- Proceed with the Linux installation steps starting from step 2.
Usage
To run SCIANTIX, execute the sciantix.x
binary within the directory containing your input files.
Refer to the Input File Explanation for detailed instructions on input syntax.
Examples of input files can be found in:
- The
regression
directory
- The
utilities/inputExample
directory, by running the following Python scripts:
python utilities/inputExample/print_input_initial_conditions.py
python utilities/inputExample/print_input_scaling_factors.py
python utilities/inputExample/print_input_settings.py
Regression Tests
To verify the correct operation of SCIANTIX, run the regression tests:
cd regression
python regression.py
Documentation
To generate the code documentation, run doxygen
in the root directory of the code:
- If Doxygen is not installed, you can install it with:
sudo apt install doxygen
Theory and References
For a deeper understanding of the SCIANTIX code and its underlying models, refer to the following publications:
G. Zullo, D. Pizzocri, L. Luzzi,
The SCIANTIX code for fission gas behaviour: Status, upgrades, separate-effect validation, and future developments,
Journal of Nuclear Materials,
Volume 587,
2023,
154744,
ISSN 0022-3115,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2023.154744.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022311523005111)
D. Pizzocri, T. Barani, L. Luzzi,
SCIANTIX: A new open source multi-scale code for fission gas behaviour modelling designed for nuclear fuel performance codes,
Journal of Nuclear Materials,
Volume 532,
2020,
152042,
ISSN 0022-3115,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2020.152042.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022311519313868)