Physics-Aware POD method for cost-effective high-fidelity PGET simulations of Water-Water Energetic Reactor irradiated fuels

Ferretti, Riccardo and Favalli, Andrea and Cavallini, Nicola and Bostrom, Gunnar and Fassi, Aurora and Mercurio, Giovanni and Nonneman, Stefan and Croft, Stephen (2025) Physics-Aware POD method for cost-effective high-fidelity PGET simulations of Water-Water Energetic Reactor irradiated fuels. International Journal of Modern Physics E. ISSN 0218-3013

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Abstract

The Passive Gamma Emission Tomography (PGET) system serves to verify spent nuclear fuel and detect pin-level diversions for international nuclear safeguards. Real measurements in the form of sinograms are necessary to test and enhance PGET performance, but they are both costly and scarce. High-fidelity Monte Carlo simulations can generate realistic data, yet they are computationally intensive, requiring all angular views (typically 360, one per degree, or even 720, one per half degree). This paper discusses how the Physics-Aware Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (PA-POD) method recently developed by our group can reconstruct a full Water–Water Energetic Reactor (VVER) sinogram from a limited number of high-fidelity angular views, significantly reducing computational costs. This paper reports on the method’s performance, removal of the ring artifact benefits, and the procedure for constructing a comprehensive PGET library of relevant cases.